When former TNA Champions Eric Young and Bobby Roode left TNA in March, the assumption they would head to the land of WWE/NXT seemed pretty obvious. But as we know in today’s wrestling culture, anything is possible when it comes to what goes into that decision making process.
Roode made an on-screen debut during NXT TakeOver during Wrestlemania weekend and Thursday night at the latest set of NXT tapings, Young made his promotional debut by interrupting and confronting NXT Champion Samoa Joe during an interview segment. The two then had a non-title match as part of the first show they taped. If you want the result, click here.
The 36-year-old Young has been a pro since 1998 and is best known for his decade-plus run in TNA that saw him win every male title the company offered and even the Knockouts tag team titles at one point.
The Big News: Samoa Joe is your new NXT Champion, but that’s something you have known for 6 days already.
The Medium News: Shinsuke Nakamura returned, continuing his undefeated streak by beating Elias Sampson.
The Little Beaver Sized News: Asuka kicked Eva Marie’s head clean off her body and then squared off with Nia Jax.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Eva Marie
Miss All Red Everything is the first victim of the new champion. Eva showed way too much confidence walking to the ring, it’s almost like she’s not smart enough to realize she’s about to get killed to death. Corey Graves and Tom Phillips argued about whether Eva being on the winning team at WrestleMania qualified her for a title match.
Asuka used a snap mare in the first minute and kicked Eva so hard in the back that I think she was ready to quit. Eva began getting frustrated as she was unable to connect with any of her moves. Asuka, seeing Eva’s growing frustration, mocked Eva’s gyrations.
After Asuka sent Eva flying outside the ring Nia Jax came out to lend moral support. This helped turn the match around as we came back from commercial with Eva on offense. Eva’s offense, which mind you has improved, looked horribly weak in comparison to the champion. Asuka made her comeback, complete with a dropkick from the middle rope.
Asuka hit several kicks to the chest before actually kicking her right in the breasts, which looked like it hurt just a smidge. Eva did get to do more than you would expect, but she lost with a spin kick to the head.
After the match Nia Jax got in the ring for a stare down. Asuka teased kicking Nia in the head before Nia picked Eva up and they left together.
**********
They showed highlights of the Samoa Joe-Finn Balor match from Lowell last week. This was the first title change on NXT whose entire match was not aired on tv. Anyway, Samoa Joe now joins Seth Rollins, Big E Langston, Bo Dallas, Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Finn Balor as NXT Champions.
The king is dead, long live the new king!
We got a post match promo with Samoa Joe. Joe declared that he said this was inevitable. The last two times they squared off Finn survived, but this time he didn’t.
**********
The Revival defeated Matt Lee & Jeff Parker
This is Dash & Dawson’s first NXT match since losing the straps at TakeOver: Dallas. This was a better Revival squash than most of their matches as champions. Jeff Parker was beaten like he owed them money, while Matt Lee was busy doing comedy on the apron, leading the crowd in chanting “defense” and screaming that he’s following the rules.
Revival hit kind of a reverse Doomsday Device where Dash picked Parker up in a power bomb position before Dawson came off with the clothesline. Lee tagged in and fared no better and got beaten with the Shatter Machine.
After the match The Revival cut a promo saying they are the absolute best tag team on the planet, causing the fans to chant for American Alpha. They put every tag team in the world on notice that they will destroy all of them until they get their belts back.
**********
Hype Bros defeated Blake & Murphy
I should point out that this is Ryder’s first tv match since the rematch for the IC Title with Miz on SmackDown. Blake & Murphy didn’t have Alexa with them and wow did this trio fall off the face of the Earth lately.
The fans were into the Hype Bros, which is more than you could say about Full Sail lately, but they did not care about Blake & Murphy at all. Mojo got the hot tag and he beat up both Blake and Murphy by himself before tagging Ryder back in to polish off their foes with the Hype Ryder.
After the match the Hype Bros were attacked and beaten down by The Revival, of all teams. Revival gave Mojo the Demolition Decapitation outside the ring after throwing Ryder into the post.
**********
Carmella submitted Aliyah
It’s a full card tonight as Carmella makes her first appearance since her men went to Raw without her. In case you forgot, Carmella got her job on NXT when Enzo Amore went to her hair salon and spilled a bucket of hair cream all over Carmella’s dog, which cost Carmella her job. Carmella then demanded Enzo get her a job on NXT, which he did.
This match was solid, nothing terribly exciting, just a nice, simple match. Carmella won with a head scissors. It’s nice to keep things simple.
**********
Elias Sampson was interviewed backstage about his match with Nakamura. He is annoyed that William Regal misinterpreted his words, but he will show Shinsuke why he is The Drifter. So…he’s going to just wander away during the match?
**********
Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Elias Sampson
I still can’t believe Nakamura is in WWE, much less NXT. This is so incredibly surreal it’s not even funny. It would almost be like Misawa coming to the WWF in 1995 and wrestling Waylon Mercy or Henry Godwin.
Sampson looked pretty good in this match, better than he has in any of his other NXT matches, with Nakamura telling him to lay his stuff in. This match only went 4 minutes, but was as good as you could expect in 4 minutes. It’s so weird that Eva Marie got 3 times the amount of time Nakamura got.
Anyhoo, Nakamura won with the Kinshasa.
That will do it for this week. The only thing promoted for next week is Austin Aries in action, so we’ll see what happens. Until then remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
By Chris Silva from the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, NH
Main Event —
– Titus O’Neil defeated Tyler Breeze. Huge pop for Titus, and almost no offense by Tyler.
– Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson beat Zack Ryder & Fandango
– Dolph Ziggler beat Viktor of the Ascension.
– Kevin Owens beat Jack Swagger
Smackdown —
– The show opens with a Roman Reigns promo. He punched AJ Styles on Monday and will do it again Sunday. He doesn’t believe that AJ is not in cahoots with Anderson and Gallows. He calls out Styles, but Miz and Maryse come out. Miz runs down Styles and tries to go for a handshake but is punched by Reigns and thrown out of the ring. Boos but not brutal.
Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kalisto beat Sheamus, Del Rio, and Rusev by countout
Cesaro, Zayn and Kalisto were mystery opponents. The LON were arguing amongst themselves during the match, shoving each other, and then Del Rio bailed. Rusev bailed a few minutes later. Sheamus took some abuse for a few minutes alone before also bailing, resulting in the countout.
– Backstage, the arguing continues. They all shoved and wrestled around with each other.
Baron Corbin beat Damien Sandow
Big pop for Sandow. No offense though and he got beat in a quick squash.
– AJ Styles backstage interview with Renee. He will be at ringside tonight for Roman vs. Miz.
– Anti smoking ad with Dolph and Titus.
Ambrose Asylum
Natalya out first, and says the odds will be even at Payback because she will have Bret Hart in her corner. Charlotte and Flair come out. Flair says he beat Bret in WWE and WCW, and if Vince sent them to the moon, he would have beat them there too. Natalya corrects him, says Bret beat Ric for the title just like she will beat Charlotte for the title.
Enzo & Cass beat Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas
New Day came out to do commentary. They made Byron Saxton sit on the floor. Vaudevillains came out to watch from the ramp. Quick squash. Cass runs down the Vaudevillains, an says they’re s-a-w-f-t.
Apollo Crews beat Stardust
“Cody” chants for Stardust, so I guess that’s back.
WWE Champion Roman Reigns beat I-C Champion Miz
Reigns won after hitting a spear. AJ was on commentary. Post match, Gallows and Anderson came to beat down Reigns. AJ didn’t stop them. Usos come to save Reigns. Both sides fight. Reigns clotheslines AJ over the top rope to end the show.
Monday night was bad news ratings-wise for WWE as not only did RAW decline six percent from last week’s seasonal modern record low, but the 3.12 million viewers the company garnered for the 4/25 edition of the show were marginally better overall than two fall episodes that suffered due to NFL programming.
The drop showed that it was the pattern that is the key issue and not because last week’s show was taped. Daylight Savings Time also isn’t an excuse as it was the first hour that was the most viewed with a decline throughout the show’s final two hours. (The really bad number, based on patterns, was hour two.)
Even so, it was a bad night for cable as Raw was the only show to top 3 million viewers (that includes two NBA playoff games on TNT). The game going against RAW did 2.54 million viewers and the late game that started at 10:46 p.m. did 2.97 million viewers.
ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, featuring UFC’s Paige VanZant, did 11.75 million viewers — the most watched show on television.
Despite practically being in the company’s backyard, tonight’s Raw will be the first one to originate from Hartford in nearly two years. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows will debut against the Usos. Shane McMahon will likely make another appearance, though whether he “runs the show” tonight as acting GM remains to be seen.
The WWE website is also promoting Dean Ambrose trying to get revenge on Chris Jericho after the main event of last week’s show, where Jericho gave Ambrose a Codebreaker after his win over Kevin Owens. Also, the finals of the tag team tournament to determine the new #1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team titles between Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. The Vaudevillains, with the winners getting the New Day, most likely at Payback.
Our coverage beings at 8 ET. Please join us.
The Big Takeaway:
For the first time since WrestleMania, Stephanie McMahon appeared to announce to Shane McMahon that this Sunday, her father would decide between Shane or the Authority who would get to control Raw again. It was the only segment of the show with Stephanie. No HHH tonight. Once again, the program benefitted without the Authority’s ubiquitous presence. Very good build to the main event of Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles with the underlying theme of whether Styles was in cahoots with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. In fact, Anderson and Gallows were put over strong in their Raw debut, winning cleanly over the Usos. Plus, there was a package building up Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn, which was one of the best pieces building up a WWE undercard program in ages.
Show Recap:
There was a graphic dedicating the show to Chyna. There was no ceremony where the entire roster came out for a 10-bell salute or anything of that nature.
Shane McMahon started the show again, but before long Stephanie McMahon walked out for the first time since WrestleMania. She wanted a hug, but Shane wasn’t willing. Stephanie said the fans were from Hartford and sick of the same politicians smiling fake smiles and telling them what they want to hear. Stephanie mentioned being born in Hartford so she was one of them. She talked about being on the phone with politicians who wanted to honor her, “Harford’s favorite daughter,” potentially honoring her with a statue.
Stephanie got down to business and said tonight was the last night where Shane would run Raw. This Sunday, at Payback, Vince McMahon would decide once and for all (or until the next ratings slide) who runs Raw. Shane asked the fans who they wanted to see run Raw, and naturally Shane got all the cheers. Stephanie said Vince was smart enough to never put the decison making in the fans’ hands. Wasn’t she just complimenting them earlier? Very nicely, Shane asked Stephanie to leave the ring. Stephanie grasped on to the ropes, so Shane said since she wouldn’t leave, he brought down security. Three guards came out to “Yes” chants and Shane told Stephanie to “leave our ring.” Shane motioned to the fans. Stephanie left, getting in Shane’s face before doing so.
It was hilarious watching Stephanie leave. Guards acted like they were trying to escort Brock Lesnar out, right down to Stephanie telling one of the guards not to touch her. When one of them did, Stephanie slapped him and actually kicked him down. He had to sell it like he had been punched by Jon Jones. Two other guards hauled Stephanie off.
Shane turned his attention to tonight’s show and introduced A.J. Styles, who got easily his softest Raw reaction since debuting.
A.J. Styles defeated Sheamus (14:23)
Physical match. One thing Styles does very well is wrestle to the strengths of his opponent to make them look good, as well as himself. Sheamus dodged a quebrada and threw Styles into the ring steps. Sheamus clamped on the Irish Cloverleaf, but Styles made the ropes. Sheamus missed a Brogue Kick against the ropes, and Styles hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the pin.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows, wearing matching white robes, came out to applaud Styles postmatch. Styles looked confused. For some reason, with that look, Gallows and Anderson reminded me of WCW jobber tag team extraordinaires Disorderly Conduct.
Roman Reigns watched this backstage and got his usual standing boo ovation from the fans. The Usos joined him, and they were all unanimous in thinking Styles, Anderson and Gallows were working together. The Usos told Reigns they had his back. Evidently, this wasn’t miced up very well in the building because the fans chanted “We can’t hear you.”
The New Day came out and put over the tag team tournament, sponsored by Booty-Os. Xavier Woods said the tag team that wins the tournament would party like it’s “1999” in a Prince tribute.
The Vaudevillains came out and said they would win the tournament. Aiden English sang “WWE World Tag Team Championships” like he was trying out for a barbershop quartet. English said they would party like it’s 1869. Simon Gotch said they would defeat Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady, who came out to a huge reaction. Amore said he wanted to run down a beach into his own arms, but that’s impossible. Cass looked at him weird after that, then did his “Sawft” catchphrase.
Big E. got the fans to chant “New Day rocks” while Enzo and Cass and the Vaudevillains glared at each other.
Anderson and Gallows were shown leaving Styles dressing room as more supposed evidence that he was working for A.J.
John Cena’s tweets about returning to Raw on Memorial Day weekend were shown.
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows defeated the Usos (12:50)
Anderson pinned Jimmy Uso after a Magic Killer. Match was designed to get Gallows and Anderson over as strong heels because they were on offense most of the way in a longer match. The Reigns backlash is starting to rub off on the Usos, who got an “Usos suck” chant from a minority of the crowd. Anderson used the Divorce Court on Jey Uso’s injured left shoulder. Later, Gallows pushed Jey off the top rope into the barricade shoulder first. Jimmy Uso got the hot tag shortly after a commercial and caught Gallows with a tope.
Anderson and Gallows continued to beat on the Usos until Reigns came out. At least there were a few audible cheers which were quickly drowned out by the boobirds. Reigns cleaned house in short order to save his cousins, including an awesome clothesline on Anderson.
Styles did an interview with Renee Young that was interrupted by Anderson and Gallows. Styles wanted to know why Anderson and Gallows couldn’t stay out of trouble. Anderson said they knew Styles could win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by himself, but they always had his back. Gallows said their friendship would be forever. They shook hands.
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens program continues with a video package that was very good. Owens said they met at a wrestling show, they traveled together. There were photographs of them posing together as teenage friends at various landmarks. Zayn said they attended each other’s weddings and he was at the hospital when Owens’ son was born. They showed the angle from NXT when Zayn won the NXT Championship, but Owens laid him out. Owens said it hurt him to achieve his goal first. Zayn said Owens told them they were like brothers, but shouldn’t Owens be happy for him if they were like brothers? Owens talked about beating up Cena on his first night in the company, winning the Intercontinental Championship and winning at WrestleMania. Zayn said when he was out with an injured shoulder, he felt like Owens took his spot on Raw, which stung. Zayn said he enjoyed throwing Owens out at the Royal Rumble. Owens said Zayn was the one making the issue between them personal. This was a tremendous hype piece detailing the history of the two men. In particular, Owens did these Bret Hart-style subtle heel statements, such as proclaiming himself the victim.
Sami Zayn defeated Rusev (11:56)
Rusev hit Zayn with a nice superkick and teased the Accolade, but Zayn kicked Rusev to the ropes and pinned him after a schoolboy cradle. That’s the best they could do to put over Zayn? Lana, who was back accompanying Rusev, screamed at Zayn and threw her shoes at him. That was weird. Shouldn’t she have attacked him with the shoes? Whole match was odd considering Rusev is yesterday’s news as a single, Zayn is the one in a program, yet Rusev controlled most of the way.
Owens ran out and hit Zayn from behind in the postmatch for the heel heat, which was the best reaction of the match. Crowd has been dead tonight.
Apollo Crews did an interview with Young. Stardust walked in. Apollo talked about how great it was to work with Stardust’s father, Dusty Rhodes. Stardust did an impression of Dusty, who said not even Dusty could make Crews a star. Crews needs to watch Connor McGregor interviews as a lesson on how to draw money, because this current track is going to leave him on a one-way path to Superstars.
Apollo Crews defeated Stardust (3:07)
Crews won with the Screwdriver Power Bomb. He did a standing moonsault, but there’s something lacking with Crews.
Ambrose came out to run down Jericho and said he didn’t want to host an edition of the Ambrose Asylum because he was not in the mood for fun and games. Ambrose cut a good promo about how he punches people in the face and gets punched beccause what he does for a living isn’t pretty. He called out Jericho, who came out with his magic scarf.
Jericho called Ambrose a disrespectful, stupid idiot and did some old school heel stuff. He reiterated that he was the best in the world at what he does, he wins matches, he makes history, he commands respect from every man he steps in the ring with. Jericho ordered Ambrose to kiss his $1500 boots. Apparently, Jericho went to the same cobbler as Tully Blanchard in 1985. Then he demanded that Ambrose apologize to him for taking the Highlight Reel away from him or else he would be sorry.
Ambrose said he was sorry that he paid so much money for those ugly ass shoes. He was sorry Jericho was walking around with a scarf with a Bon Jovi haircut and was sorry he would have to beat Jericho at Payback. But he wasn’t sorry for this and he jumped Jericho. Ambrose threw Jericho out of the ring and started clearing the announce table. Then Jericho tripped Ambrose on the table. Ambrose fell face first. Jericho then put Ambrose in the Walls of Jericho on the announcer’s table. This reminded me of Paige putting various women in the PTO on the table during her brief heel run last fall. Jericho is one talented man. These fans were ready to cheer him, but he got some heat from a lethargic crowd after a simple angle.
Natalya defeated Emma via submission (2:12)
Natalya won via sharpshooter. Charlotte and Ric Flair were at ringside. Emma does a 2:00 submission job as she’s in the starting blocks as a heel? Aren’t there a half dozen other women who could have been flown in for this match?
There was a video package paying tribute to Chyna. It featured tweets from Trish Stratus, Lita, Shawn Michaels, HHH, Stephanie McMahon, Steve Austin, Charlotte, Natalya, Shane, and the Rock. Highlights included her victory over Jeff Jarrett to win the Intercontinental Championship in the six-figure payoff match, as well as her entering the 1999 Royal Rumble, where she actually threw out Mark Henry. And a month later, Henry was in bed with Mae Young. Sweet Christ, did this company try to get Henry to quit. The Monday Night Wars led to the most unique careers in the history of this business. Goldberg is probably tops on that list. Debut in 1997, world champion nine months later, 15 months undefeated, out of the business by 2005. Chyna is the female equivalent. There are few who fell victim to the harsh reality that invades pro wrestling’s fantasy world harder than her, as well.
Damien Sandow vs. Baron Corbin never got going as Dolph Ziggler attacked Corbin during his ring entrance. It looked like Ziggler wanted to give Corbin a famouseron the floor, but Corbin avoided it and simply ran off. Crowd seemed happy to see Sandow again, although he only got a cameo. He didn’t get a ring entrance, however.
Another vignette from the Colons. This week they picked up women from a Puerto Rican nightclub and enjoyed fine drinks. Heat magnets.
The Miz and Maryse came out. Miz ran down fans who thought he would lose to Cesaro this Sunday at Payback. He kissed Maryse and said the Intercontinental Championship was more than a title, it was legendary. The greatest competitors have held this championship and Cesaro never has. He called fans who held up “Cesaro Section” signs as mindless wonderers who tried to empower themselves by talking with other internet trolls. He pointed to Maryse and said this is what the Miz section looks like.
Cesaro came out with his James Bond entrance again and said fans were too educated to start cheering for the Miz. This led to Miz to do his Travis Bickle impression from Taxi Driver. He said “You talkin to me?” Cesaro said the only movie the Miz belonged in was “Jackass.” Wonder if that was some shade thrown at Shane since he was the one who brought in Johnny Knoxville and Shane O. for an ill-fated Raw angle in 2007 which was supposed to lead up to SummerSlam. Knoxville and Steve laughed while getting pounded by Umaga, which led to the entire idea being scrapped. The two men exchanged Clint Eastwood catchphrases before Miz decided to leave instead of squaring off. Then Miz tried to jump Cesaro, who caught him with a hoisting uppercut. Michael Cole, clearly brushed up on his Eastwood knowledge, called that “Sudden Impact,” the movie which spawned the line “Go ahead, make my day.” Maryse covered up Miz from any further damage. Good segment.
Reigns and Styles had a staredown backstage. Styles turned his cap backwards and said he was going to take his title. Reigns muttered something about Anderson and Gallows to Styles.
Roman Reigns (C) defeated Alberto Del Rio in a nontitle match (12:58)
The whole idea of the League of Nations appears to have been dropped as it was never mentioned when Alberto Del Rio, Sheamus or Rusev were in action tonight. Instead of an angle to split them up, they’ve just quietly disbanded. Until they get back together again out of nowhere. Sort of like the Filet o’ Fish. You think it’s gone for good from the McDonald’s menu, then it randomly pops up again. It’s the Sarah Palin of food.
Anyway, Del Rio went for the armbar, triggering a Reigns comeback. Reigns actually got some “Let’s go Roman” chants. This may have been his best Raw reception of the year, and it still sounded like he was booed by 70% of the fans. He hit a Drive-By kick that sent Del Rio into the post. Del Rio came back with a superkick while Reigns’ was kneeling. Del Rio missed the Tree of Woe kick when Roman laid down, and Reigns hit the Superman’s Punch. Then Disorderly Conduct, er, Anderson and Gallows came out. A distracted Reigns almost got pinned with a schoolboy cradle by Del Rio, but Reigns kicked out, hit the spear and pinned Del Rio.
Anderson and Gallows immediately jumped Reigns. Styles ran down and ordered them to back off. Anderson and Gallows left, but Reigns hit Styles with a Superman’s punch. Reigns hit Gallows with a Superman’s Punch, but Styles hit Reigns with a Phenomenal Forearm. Anderson and Gallows smiled like Styles were in collusion, but Styles and Regins sold the punches they laid on each other. Pretty good pop for Styles nailing Reigns.
SUMMARY:
Another in a line of shows that have been very good. The storyline with Styles, Reigns, Anderson and Gallows have made sense and have built very well. All the matches on this show were solid, aside from the squashes. Above all, most of the shows since WrestleMania have been fun, particularly this one. The build for Owens-Zayn was excellent tonight, and Jericho’s angle with Ambrose was very good, to boot.
Is Crews stuck in an infinite booking loop, or what? Having beaten all four Social Outcasts since his debut against Tyler Breeze, Crews is then given the rematch against Curtis Axel that we were all clamouring for. It’s worth noting that Axel entered alone here, which meant no pre-match Outcasts promo. Crying shame.
Despite dispatching Axel in short order in their Smackdown match a couple of weeks ago, Crews takes 13 long minutes to dispense with the now-chainless wonder here. It was a dull match, most notable for a Crews vertical suplex, with an extended delay to showcase his power. Lawler also referred to Axel as Heath Slater at one point, which drew Rich Brennan’s mirth and derision.
Axel eventually missed a fist drop from the top rope to spur Crews’ comeback, which saw him counter the Perfectplex with a standing enziguri and follow up with the spinning sitout powerbomb for the win.
Summer Rae def. Alicia Fox by pinfall
Yeesh, this was bad. And the crowd, who chanted for New Day, knew it too. Summer Rae at least provided some entertainment during her entrance, singing along to her theme and proclaiming: “It’s the best song!”. Alicia, meanwhile, who is no longer a Bella, was bedecked in sky-blue ring gear and accompanied by her old generic theme.
This lasted four minutes, but felt like fourteen. The seams of the match were very visible, with a lot of awkward spots and miscommunication. Summer eventually won by tossing Foxy neck first onto the ropes and following up with her leg-assisted reverse DDT – the Summer Crush, apparently.
The Big Show and Kane def. Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman
Kane’s entrance gets a big pop, simply by dint of him being the first star that this London crowd had seen at the taping so far. The Big Show gives Kane an uncertain thumbs up upon entering the ring, for fear that Kane might goozle him over the top rope again. Like he did only last month. 28 writers, folks.
The Vintner and Braun enter to Luke Harper’s music and TitanTron, without the injured Bray Wyatt. The match is as dreadful as you might expect, coming in at 15 minutes with TWO (yes, two) hot tags. The lengths they go to avoid having Braun work on television are amusing, with all his part in getting the heat on Show taking place during the commercial break. When we return, Braun immediately tags out!
The first hot tag, to Kane, is quickly cut off by Braun, as he performs his first two actual moves of the match (a bodyslam and an elbow drop!). Then, the heels get the heat on Kane for a while, including the Vintner using my favourite submission – the double noogie. Mark for it every time, bro.
Kane immediately hits Braun with a DDT when he tags in to further prevent the big man from exposing the business. He then crawls to Show to make the second hot tag of the match, which culminates in both babyfaces creaming Rowan with a double chokeslam for the victory.
Final Thoughts
An appalling edition of the show this week, with very little of merit to recommend it by.
Here’s some news, notes, and results from the NXT weekend shows in Florida that got a bit overlooked with everything big that was happening up North.
Tampa —
– Patrick Clark beat Murphy
– Selmani & Dhinsa – The Authors Of Pain – beat Gabriel & Uriel Ealy who are the large twin security guards who usually man the doors at events. Selmani & Dhinsa have scary masks now, similar to what SANADA wore to the ring recently in Japan. These four are huge. The Authors of Pain have even been getting a lot of angry foreigner heat for their promos when I’ve seen them.
– Adrien Reese beat Daria. They’re still allowing Reese to use the top rope in to a stunner finish that she used on the indies which always gets a huge reaction. Daria works as an MMA fighter: leg kicks, holds, quiet intensity.
– No Way Jose beat Josh Woods. This was said to be a lot of fun with Woods playing the straight man to Jose’s fiesta antics.
– Sawyer Fulton & Alexander beat Shane Haste & Mikey Nicholls. TMDK were said to be smooth and great in the ring. People may not have known who they were, yet it was the match of the night by the finish.
– Alex Reyes interviewed Cezar in the ring. He’s from Brazil and was the positive face, happy to be in NXT.
– Tino Sabbatelli beat Angelo Dawkins. Good match, Tino has been improving greatly, and carries himself like a star. The match got derailed because Tino was busted open. They even had to change the apron or the mat after the match!
– Aliyah & Liv Morgan beat Mandy Rose & Nikki Storm. Good reaction for the debuting Nikki. Morgan hit her standing moonsault on Storm for the win.
– Alex Riley beat Tye Dillinger in the main event. Riley also got busted open, causing them to halt the match.
Jacksonville —
– Adrien Reese & Sara Lee beat Aliyah & Mandy Rose
– Patrick Clark beat Kishan Raftaar from India, making his Florida NXT debut. He worked the Arnold Classic and those WWE events in his home country.
– Dylan Miley beat Noah
– Angelo Dawkins beat Tino Sabbatelli
– Alex Riley beat Murphy
– Liv Morgan beat Daria
– Alex Reyes interviewed Mada from Tough Enough.
– Mikey Nicholls & Shane Haste beat Alexander Wolfe & Sawyer Fulton. Like in Tampa, this was also said to be the match of the night.
– No Way Jose beat Tye Dillinger in the main event. There was a dance off that even included referee Drake Wuertz. Jose won with the big wind-up pitch punch.
Cesaro beat Stardust in the opening contest. Stardust hissed at a kid in the audience. Cesaro mocked Stardust’s thinking pose. 25-26 rotations of the Swing, which they had teased a couple times beforehand. Cesaro applied the sharpshooter after that for the win.
Zack Ryder and Darren Young beat Social Outcasts (Heath Slater and Bo Dallas). Pre match promo from Social Outcasts about how lucky we were to be in their presence. Slater was great when he was on the outside recovering. He told us he was going in to make the save before he did it, and surprised a kid by actually following through with a high five. Rough Ryder for the win in this one.
Rusev beat Swagger with the Accolade. Eye poke to gain the advantage, kick to the head and done. Both guys had flags. All American American Jack Swagger had… The Scottish saltire flag. “We The People” was an over chant whenever he went for it.
New Day beat Dudleys and Usos in a match for the tag titles. Big Ending for the win. Running joke in this match was Xavier getting his back slapped all the time. First one was by an Uso, and Xavier oversold it for a while. Big E was telling him not to cry. Usos then slapped Xavier in tandem. Xavier is upset and dejectedly walks over to his corner to tag in Big E. Usos and Big E then accidentally slap Xavier on the apron. He decided to leave, Bubba chased him on the ramp, slapped his back and returned him to the ring. Great match, crowd loved it.
After intermission, Sin Cara beat Tyler Breeze. Lucha chant was very popular. Senton from the top rope for the win.
Charlotte beat Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch for the women’s championship. All three of these women were total stars. My last live event was in 2012, and the difference in class between those ladies compared to the 2016 trio is ridiculous. Super fun match, Ric Flair removed Sasha from the ring and Charlotte rolled up Becky for the win. Feet were on the ropes too. Charlotte asked Charles Robinson “what am I paying you for?” After a kickout earlier in the match, that got a few laughs ringside.
Main event was Roman Reigns vs Sheamus. Not much more exciting than it sounds on paper. Reigns’ merch was fairly popular so I was expecting heavy cheers. Honestly, it was probably nearer 50/50. The boos were quite loud in my area despite being surrounded by Reigns gloves and t-shirts. He had more fan signs than anyone else too. Sheamus got on the mic before the match and said Scotland was the weaker, more immature brother of Ireland and mocked us for voting against our own independence. He said he’s been told many times that he looks stupid, but that we were the ones who really looked stupid after that. Worth noting that Glasgow was one of the areas that voted yes to independence. Reigns won with the spear and had previously kicked out after a Brogue Kick.
Some general notes: New Day were probably the most represented in terms of merch at the show, followed by Reigns, Ambrose and Cena. Cesaro shirts were his old ones, signed by the man himself. They only had large sizes of them left for this show. Some really long lines at the various merch stands, even after the show had finished. The only thing they had a surplus of before I left were the empty New Day BootyOs boxes. Horns had sold out.
Jojo and Greg Hamilton co-hosted, and told us that WWE was coming back in November… For Smackdown. Promo video said tickets went on sale at 9pm, which is when the intermission was due to end. They’d actually went on sale at 9am. They waited until before the main event to announce that RAW was also coming to Glasgow, and played it out like that was a shocking new announcement. Considering most tickets are gone for that one, probably not a surprise to the people in attendance.
Submitted by Kyle Litke from the Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Building was full. It wasn’t exactly Madison Square Garden, but the intimacy of the venue was great. Tom Phillips noted WWE’s history in that building in the mid 80s during the show.
– Chris Girard beat Mojo Rawley
Mojo came out acting like a face, but jumped Girard while he was interacting with the fans and got booed. Short, perfectly fine match to get the crowd going. Girard won with a Blockbuster.
– Carmella & Bayley beat Dana Brooke & Peyton Royce
Big pop for Carmella and an even bigger pop for Bayley. Brooke was great here on the outside during the entrances, shouting at the fans and really playing it up. Standard, solid tag match with Bayley getting the win with a Bayley to Belly.
– Manny Andrade beat Tomasso Ciampa
Manny got zero reaction coming out as no one knew him. This was a really good match with some great near falls. The crowd got way into it and was chanting for Manny by the end. Manny got the pin with double knees to the corner.
– Nakamura beat “The Drifter” Elias Samson
Samson came out first and tried to sing a song but it was impossible to hear over the booing from the crowd. Nakamura’s music hit to an enormous pop. Samson kept bailing to the corner to kiss his guitar, which drew an exasperated reaction from Nakamura. Nakamura followed it up by playing air guitar, then tossing the air guitar to the ref. The ref tossed it back to him and he broke it over his knee, which angered Samson. A great example of Nakamura doing things to connect with the crowd regardless of what his first language is. Nakamura got the win with the Kinshasa.
> Intermission
– NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha beat the Revival in a 2/3 falls match
Another really good match. American Alpha took the first fall with Grand Amplitude. The Revival managed to take the second fall by hitting a Shatter Machine while the ref was distracted keeping Jordan out of the ring. The third fall started with Dash and Dawson destroying Gable for an extended period of time, including a great spot with the ref distracted and not seeing Gable tagging in Jordan. Huge heat for that. Jordan finally got the hot tag. Jordan and Gable ended up winning with dual ankle locks, with both Dash and Dawson tapping.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Alexa Bliss by submission
Asuka got a big pop. Alexa got a surprising amount of offense on Asuka. Strange crowd reactions as a big “Let’s Go Asuka, Let’s go Bliss” chant started, with a lot of people chanting for Bliss. Asuka won with the Asuka Lock.
– NXT Champion Samoa Joe beat Finn Balor and Austin Aries in a triple threat
Joe bailed to the outside immediately and spent a few minutes tripping Balor every time he came near the ropes. Really good ending with Balor going up top for the Coup de Grace on Joe. Aries intercepted him, then hit a 450 splash on Joe. He went for the pin, but Joe turned it into a Coquina Clutch. Balor then came off the top with the Coup de Grace on both guys. He hit 1916 on Aries, but Joe threw Balor out of the ring and stole the pin.
Post match, Balor teased coming to Raw (the crowd chanted “See you Monday” and he held up a finger to shush them while winking). He then said he had bad news for Joe, he wasn’t going anywhere and was staying in NXT. He then ended the show with finger guns and “Too Sweet” hand gestures, so take that for what it’s worth.
– Chris Girard pinned Mojo Rawley with a running blockbuster out of the corner
This was perfectly fine. Rawley played heel in this match since everybody loved Girard. He was a goofy, annoying heel and everyone was into his spots. He dominated most of the match until the comeback. New England Patriots’ star Rob Gronkowski was in the building wearing a Get Hyped t-shirt, since he goes way back with Rawley. As you might imagine, he’s a god in these parts.
– Bayley and Carmella defeated Dana Brooke and Alexa Bliss
End came when Bayley pinned Dana with the Bayley to Belly. Carmella went to school here (University of Rhode Island) so, naturally, she was beloved. Standard women’s tag match.
– Manny Andrade pinned Riddick Moss with the double knees in the corner
Andrade is ridiculously athletic and ridiculously good. This match was real good. Best spot was probably when Andrade did a moonsault, but Moss moved. Andrade landed on his feet and immediately hit a standing moonsault.
– NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) def. The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) to retain
End came when Gable pinned Dawson with Grand Amplitude. This was my favorite match on the show. They did a false title change near the end. Dawson was the legal man and was getting pounded on by Jordan. Wilder switched places with Dawson behind the referee’s back and pinned Jordan with a small package. The referee noticed his mistake, however, and Gable eventually pinned Dawson.
> Intermission
– Austin Aries pinned Tomasso Ciampa with the rolling elbow and the 450 splash
I was expecting this to be the best match, but I felt like there was something missing. Still real good though. Aries played subtle heel (very subtle really, as it was essentially a babyface match). The finish was botched when Aries missed his elbow, so they immediately did a quick spot and went back to the finish.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka submitted Peyton Royce with the Asuka Lock
Asuka’s incredible. She comes out looking like an absolute killer with the crowd telling Peyton that she’s about to be killed, yet she has an incredible rapport with the fans and all the kids seem to love her. There’s something she has that I don’t think any other woman has ever had in this company. Good match.
– Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura defeated NXT Champion Samoa Joe and Elias Samson when Bálor pinned Samson with the 1916 (Bloody Sunday)
Samson came out first and the place just hated everything he tried to do or say. “Drift Away” chants. “Nobody Likes You” chants. He tried to sing his song but Nakamura’s music hit and the place came absolutely unglued. There was a great spot early where Nakamura was in the ring and Joe tagged in. Joe circled around, teasing an encounter, but then immediately tagged out for massive heat. Nakamura mocked Samson throughout the match, pretending to play guitar and throwing the imaginary guitar to the crowd. Joe and Nakamura finally went at it and it was outstanding. They have to do a feud for the championship. This was either the best or second best match on the show.
After the match, Bálor took the mic and talked about how bad he felt after losing the championship. The crowd chanted “See You Monday” and he smirked. He wasn’t sure if he’d be himself anymore after losing the championship. He said that the Kingston, RI crowd made it clear that he was still Finn Bálor. He handed the mic to Nakamaura who said: “This Is NXT!” After a long pause, they too-sweeted each other and did a simultaneously Nakamura back-bend pose. Then Finn slapped hands with everyone at ringside.
