I’m here at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL, for a WWE house show featuring some of NXT’s top talents.
– The Usos beat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
Superfly splash on Karl Anderson for the win.
– Pre taped promo by Samoa Joe and Austin Aries to hype the tag match vs Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura later in the night.
– Baron Corbin beat Zack Ryder
End of Days by Corbin for the win.
– Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura beat Austin Aries and NXT Champion Samoa Joe
Very good action as one would expect. Also, great reactions for Shinsuke and Finn.The finish saw everything break down and Finn hit the coup de grace on Aries for the win. Post match Too Sweets and stereo “YeaOh!”s to celebrate.
– Jack Swagger beat Viktor
Crowd was very into Swagger tonight with USA chants. They got excited for the Patriot Lock when he picked up the win.
– Pre-taped promo with Seth Rollins hyping his title match for later tonight.
– Cesaro beat Alberto Del Rio
Physical match that went outside of the ring to brawl. Plenty of uppercuts by Cesaro and even a short swing. Del Rio tried to set up for his corner stomp but missed, and Cesaro was able to hit The Neutralizer for the win.
– Sasha Banks, Summer Rae & Bayley beat Eva Marie, Dana Brooke & Natalya
Huge ovation for Bayley as the surprise third woman. Plenty of “We Want Sasha” chants, “Hey, We Want Some Bayley”, and big heat on Eva Marie as well. Bank Statement on Eva for the submission win.
– The Shining Stars beat The Prime Time Players
The PTP are reunited! Long match but both teams were over with the live crowd and did some cool spots which included Titus throwing the stars around. Primo rolled up Darren Young and had the tights to steal the win.
– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dean Ambrose beat Seth Rollins
Great match as they delivered in the main event. Two attempted Pedigrees, trash talk, and heel stalling tactics from Rollins who took the title and proclaimed himself the rightful world heavyweight champion. This match got great reactions and the crowd was into every nearfall and double down. Towards the finish, Seth missed a frog splash and both slowly made their way to their feet, trading punches for the boo / yay reaction.
Seth went for the Pedigree, yet Dean countered and hit the Dirty Deeds to get the win. Place erupted and Ambrose celebrated his hard fought victory. Match of the night.
I’m here at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL, for NXT’s tv tapings.
– Dark Match: Tye Dillinger beat Kai Katana
Over the knee neckbreaker by Dillinger for the win.
– Bayley beat Alexa Bliss
Bayley wins via Belly to Bayley in a great match. Her post match promo was interrupted by Nia Jax as the build to their eventual rematch has begun.
– Blake & Murphy vs Hype Bros never happened as Rhyno returned to destroy them all
– NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival beat American Alpha in a two-of-three falls match
First fall went well over ten minutes with Jason Jordan catching Dash Wilder with an ankle Lock for the submission. Second fall happened rather quickly thereafter with Scott Dawson catching Jordan in a leg lock submission of his own. Third fall had some amazing nearfall attempts early on. Finally, The Revival hit an apron shatter machine on Gable for the win.
– NXT Champion Samoa Joe/s in-ring promo is interrupted by Rhyno. Joe backs away.
– Austin Aries beat Patrick Clark
Aries won with the Last Chancery submission. Post-match, No Way Jose ran down and attacked Aries.
– Andrade cien Almas beat Angelo Dawkins
Running knees in the corner followed by a moonsault for the win for ACA.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Eva Marie
Eva made Dasha Fuentes read a custom ring introduction for her, and it was amazing. The champ wins with the Asuka Lock. Crowd was actualy all over the place for this one.
– NXT Champion Samoa Joe beat Rhyno
Physical match to set up Joe vs. the winner of Finn v Nakamura. Joe clamped on the Coquina Clutch for the win after a mean guy match.
– The Authors Of Pain beat American Alpha
– AOP jump American Alpha as they made their way to the ring. They brawled in the ring with Alpha getting the upper hand. All four men were in the ring and a ref called for the bell to start the match. Great action early on with Gable and Jordan suplexing the much larger men all over the place. Dive to the outside by Jordan, to get the place going. Authors took control and hit their double team assisted lariat finisher to win it.
– Bayley beat Nia Jax
Physical match. Bayley took a lot of punishment early on before getting fired up and finally hitting the middle rope Belly To Bayley for the win.
– Shinsuke Nakamura beat Finn Balor
Spotlight introductions. Crowd loves both so a mix of cheers, chants, and even respectful silence early on. Finn showed up Nakamura by Too Sweeting him in the face on a break. Incredible match with all of the key spots. It went a good twenty minutes and Shinsuke won it with the Kinshasa. Post match, they celebrated together, and Finn went around the ring telling fans thank you for their support. This seems like this finally might be it for Balor in NXT.
The Big News: Finn Balor will wrestle Shinsuke Nakamura on July 13!
The Medium News: Bayley returned to the ring after 5 weeks, picking up a big win
The Little Beaver Sized News: Chris Girard changed his name but shockingly won a match
Oney Lorcan pinned Tye Dillinger
We start things off with the Perfect 10. Dillinger had won a match 3 weeks ago, but since that, he has straight losses to Andrade Cien Almas. Lorcan is the new dumb name for Chris Girard. This is the first time Dillinger has wrestled where his opponent was already in the ring, which gave him a really good chance of winning as per the rules of wrestling.
Lorcan got more offense than you would think, including nearly taking Dillinger’s head off with an uppercut. Lorcan hit a series of elbows in the corner until he got smacked right in the jaw with a superkick, which popped the crowd. Dillinger went for the 10 Punches of Doom, but Lorcan pushed him off…and pinned him with a neck breaker?
So much for the rules of wrestling.
*******
Austin Aries cut a promo backstage with Cathy. He said he will prove his greatness and one day become NXT Champion. You don’t become the greatest in one match and you don’t lose it in one match. He is now more focused and has a bigger chip on his shoulder.
Up walked No Way Jose, who told him to stay positive.
*******
Bayley was standing outside in her wrestling gear and announced that she just found out she has been cleared to return to action.
*******
No Way Jose pinned Josh Woods
Woods looks like an indy MMA fighter, but we proved that the real tough men are in WWE. This match was 95% Jose and he won with the Full Nelson Slam.
Jose danced after the match when he was interrupted by Aries. I guess that’s only apropos since Jose interrupted his promo time. Aries told him that in this industry, you are not defined by your victories, but by your victories. He was not 100% at Takeover, but will not make excuses.
Aries then realized what Jose taught him. Aries forgot that NXT is about having fun and thanked Jose for reminding him of that and reminding him what he needs to be. Aries shook his hand and went to leave, but Jose dragged him back into the the ring to dance.
This actually happened.
Jose and Aries danced all the way up the ramp and over to the announce position…and then Aries finally turned on Jose. Aries beat Jose back to ringside and eventually slapped the Last Chancery on on the ramp.
*******
William Regal met with Shinsuke Nakamura and informed him that in 3 weeks it will be Balor vs Nakamura.
In walked Buddy Murphy who was mad that Mr. Regal wasn’t treating him like a top star. Nakamura basically informed her that they would be wrestling.
*******
Bayley defeated Deonna Purrazzo
This is Bayley’s first tv match in 5 weeks since a worked injury angle in a match with Nia Jax. The fans exploded for her. This match was all about Bayley, which is exactly what the fans wanted. Bayley won with the Bayley to Belly Suplex.
*******
Carmella wants to be the face of the women’s division and wants to be the next champion. Up walked Alexa Bliss who said no one knows who she is. They argued over who was more important to their respective team.
They challenged each other and will wrestle next week.
*******
We got a video package for Samoa Joe and then a video package of the Asuka-Nia Jax match from Takeover. If that wasn’t enough for you, we also got a video package for The Authors Of Pain.
*******
Nia Jax destroyed Liv Morgan
Morgan went for a headlock in the first ten seconds, which caused Nia to squash her like a bug. Morgan did her best to run from Nia, but Nia ran at her, smashing Liv with her entire body and winning with a power bomb.
*******
Shinsuke Nakamura pinned Buddy Murphy
Blake and Murphy seem to have finally thrown the towel in on the team. However, I do remember saying that about Jason Jordan and Tye Dillinger, but they kept breaking up for months until they finally did.
The match didn’t even start until 8:55 and the first thing that happened was Nakamura kicking poor Murphy. Murphy got to use both an armbar and a headlock before resuming his position as Nakamura’s kicking bag. Nakamura eventually got tired of kicking Murphy and won with the Kinshasa.
So, that does it for this week. It’s almost a skippable episode, but we are just three weeks away from Nakamura-Balor! Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
Knox was pretty over, really green but athletic. He won with a split-legged moonsault.
– Alexander Wolfe b Angelo Dawkins
Fulton was ejected for interference, but came back down for the finish. He distracted the ref, allowing Wolfe to rake the eyes and score the pinfall. More D’Lo chants for Dawkins, but he took it with good humour and did the old D’Lo head shake as he left the ring.
– Bayley and Carmella b Alexa Bliss and Peyton Royce
Good match that got better as it went on and Bayley was involved more. Baymella win after Bayley to Belly.
– Bobby Roode b No Way Jose
Roode wins with a spinebuster. Good pop for him after the fans realised who it was. Jose was pretty over, but the fans much preferred Roode. Big near fall towards the end with Jose hitting Roode with the discus punch for a believable near fall.
– Andrade Almas b Tye Dillinger
Dillinger got a huge reaction from the crowd with sustained “10” chants. There seemed to be more signs and talk about him than anyone else. He cut a promo to turn the crowd against him, but the people were so into his gimmick they continued to cheer. Not much of a reaction for Andrade (although he did get some “Cien” chants towards the end). Very solid match. Crowd loved the moonsault spot to end the match.
– American Alpha b NXT Champions The Revival by DQ
These teams are just great and work so well with each other – an abridged version of the latest TakeOver match, so naturally very good. Both teams have impeccable timing. Crowd really bought the titles changing hands after Alpha hit the Grand Amplitude, but the ref was pulled out for the DQ. Alpha really know how to work the crowd.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka b Nia Jax to retain
Jax had decent heat for her entrance, and Asuka was really over. Asuka hit the buzzsaw kick to the win in a decent match that was almost identical to their TakeOver encounter. Asuka got a decent reaction, quite a few “Asuka’s gonna kill you chants”. Very similar to the Takeover match – they did a fantastic spot with Asuka putting a standing guillotine on Jax who turned it into a stalling suplex for a near fall.
– Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura b Austin Aries and NXT Champion Samoa Joe
A fantastic main event with the crowd completely into it. Chants for all four men who seemed to relish the atmosphere. Joe responded to crowd taunts brilliantly. Finn got the hot tag before Nakamura hit the Kinshasha on Aries and Finn hit the Coup de Grace for the win. Balor thanked the fans, calling them the heart of the NXT universe.
Brilliant event overall – a crowd that was clearly incredibly happy to get NXT action.
The Big News: Shinsuke Nakamura appeared at the end of the show, declaring himself to be the next opponent for Finn Balor.
The Medium News: Andrade Cien Almas defeated Tye Dillinger in a rematch of TakeOver.
The Little Beaver Sized News: In perhaps the first time in WWE history, we had a tag team match where neither member of either team had their name mentioned.
The Authors of Pain (w/Paul Ellering) defeated Two Nameless Opponents (Sean Swags and CJ O’Doyle)
The first show after TakeOver kicks off with Paul Ellering and his giant new tag team, the Authors of Pain. At the big show last week, they attacked American Alpha after their title loss to The Revival.
This may be the most unique match in WWE history as neither the winners nor the losers were named by the announcers. This was just an out and out squash match. It was something completely different than just about anything else on NXT. AOP won with a combo Side Russian Leg Sweep/Clothesline.
*******
Andrade Cien Almas attempted to cut a promo backstage when Tye Dillinger walked up and said he wants to right the wrong from last week. They set up a rematch.
*******
Backstage, Ellering said he will let everyone know what they’re doing here in due time.
*******
Carmella submitted Tessa Blanchard
The biggest news of this match was they announced the Almas-Dillinger rematch would be tonight’s main event. The nicest thing to say is this has was better than most of Carmella’s matches have been and she submitted Tessa with the legscissors, which is now called the Code of Silence.
*******
After his match last week, NXT Champion Samoa Joe declared this the start of his era and no one has enough to sacrifice to take the belt from him.
*******
Blake & Murphy cut a promo. Yeah they broke up a few weeks ago, but they are giving teaming up the old college try tonight to face TM61. They blamed their problems on Alexa Bliss.
*******
TM61 defeated Blake & Murphy
The Mighty 61 lost their debut match 3 weeks ago to Ciampa & Gargano, so they are looking to even up the old win-loss column. However if they lose they shouldn’t worry too much since Sami Zayn has easily lost 75% of the matches he’s wrestled in WWE and NXT. In case you forget, their new names are Shane Thorne and Nick Miller.
This match was a backdrop to Corey Graves openly making things up about Murphy and Miller’s respective backgrounds and Tom Phillips calling bs on it. If you actually paid attention to the match, it was a fun bout that the crowd was into.
Blake and Murphy crossed themselves up on two different occasions, knocking themselves out. Unfortunately it was not something they could come back from and TM61 won with Thunder Valley, which is a double team Gorilla Press into a reverse slam.
Blake and Murphy stared at each other after the match.
*******
After their match last week, The Revival bragged about doing exactly what they said they were going to do. They talk heavy and hit hard
*******
Bayley has a doctor’s appointment next week and if all goes well, Mr. Regal will let her back in the ring. (Just don’t tell William about all the matches you have had on house shows the last few weeks.)
*******
Andrade Cien Almas defeated Tye Dillinger
Main event time. Last week these two had a very good match that got the crowd into Almas, who they reacted tepidly to at first.
The match wasn’t at the same level of last week, although both men seemed at times to be recreating the match move for move. The fans had a half hearted dueling chant of “We Want Almas/Perfect 10” during a chin lock spot. Just like last week Almas won with the running double knees to his seated opponent.
*******
The final segment of the show saw Finn Balor come out to address the audience following his loss in the steel cage match to Samoa Joe last week. The fans loved Balor, giving him a standing ovation and chanting at him to please not go.
Balor talked about watching NXT for the first time, seeing Enzo & Big Cass and saying he wanted to be a part of this. As much as he became a part of NXT, NXT became a part of him and became what he was. He put over his wars with Neville, Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe and yet, here he stands not the champion. The question being what’s next for Finn Balor? The fans chanted Balor Club, which he acknowledged by saying “Too Sweet”. He asked what was next for Finn three times, almost as if the production team messed up cuing the music, but I think he was just going for a dramatic effect.
Out came Shinsuke Nakamura, with the fans singing Nakamura’s theme song and chanting “This is awesome” before anything happened. Nakamura said that when he was in Japan he watched Balor and watched Balor become the icon of NXT. Nakamura said that even though he is not champion anymore he is still an icon. Nakamura said if he wants to be champion he has to beat the icon. To become the icon he has to beat Balor. The fans chanted “YES! YES! YES!” and then “Match of the Year”
Balor accepted the challenge, they shook hands and the show ended there. That should be one amazing match when it happens.
Until next week, thank you for reading, say your prayers, and take your vitamins!
A lot of the upper section was empty. Pre-show, Dasha interviewed some fans asking who they wanted to see tonight. Also, there was a pre-show vote to see a past NXT match: Rollins vs. Mahal, Neville vs. Zayn or Bayley vs. Banks. The latter won the vote so they showed highlights of the match.
Hugo Knox vs Wesley Blake
Fairly basic match. Crowd started chanting in the middle of the match but wasn’t into either superstar much. Knox won with a split leg moonsault on the second attempt after messing up the first one.
Alexander Wolfe & Sawyer Fulton vs. American Alpha
Loud pop when American Alpha’s music hit and a loud chant for American Alpha before the match had even started. Crowd chanted “Jordan give us a wave”. Crowd booed him when he didn’t but when Gable did a takedown in the ring, he waved to a big pop. After early back and forth action, Gable is worked on until he makes the hot tag to Jordan to a loud pop.
Match then ends quickly after two belly to belly suplexes and two German suplexes. AA wins with the double ankle lock spot and a double tap out. Post match, The Revival come out and cut a promo putting over the TakeOver title match from last week. They offer AA a tag title match, then change their mind and walk off before running to the ring to attack. AA then hit Grand Amplitude on Dash and count to 3 for a good pop.
Bobby Roode vs. No Way Jose
Roode comes out to generic music which confused the crowd until he walked out and the crowd popped for him. Good reaction for Jose. Crowd was into him. Comedy spots early in the match then mid match, Jose’s music plays and they both dance before Roode attacks Jose. Jose in control for a short while until Roode makes a comeback and wins with the Double A spinebuster.
Nikki Glencross & Peyton Royce vs. Carmella and Bayley
Good reaction for Carmella who cut her usual pre match promo. Bayley came out to loud pop, loudest so far. Crowd sang to her then sang Happy Birthday to her. Peyton and Nikki work over Bayley until she makes the hot tag to Carmella. Peyton tries to kick Carmella but hits Nikki instead. Carmella tags in Bayley who pins nikki with the Bayley to Belly for the win.
Tye Dillinger vs. Andrade Almas
Dillinger out to a loud pop and loud 10 chant. He cut a pre-match promo and revealed he was wearing a football shirt belonging to a rival team to a loud chorus of boos. Early part of the match saw the 2 of them play the crowd with the football shirt with Almas making Dillinger stamp on it. Fairly basic match with the odd high spot. Almas wins with the running double knees to Dillinger in the corner.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax
Good reaction for Asuka, but little reaction for Alexa & Nia. Good back and forth action. Alexa was impressive in the match. Asuka makes a comeback after a few near falls and hits Alexa with a jumping knee and makes her submit to the Asuka Lock for the win.
Finn Balor & Shinuke Nakamura vs. Austin Aries & NXT Champion Samoa Joe
Good pop for Balor but really loud for Nakamura with the crowd singing his theme song during his entrance and after his music had stopped. Another good reaction for Joe as well. Good back and forth action with Balor getting the hot tag to Nakamura. The finish comes when Balor kicks Aries as he attempts a suicide dive followed by Nakamura hitting Aries with the Kinshasa followed by Balor hitting him with the Coup de Gras for the 3.
Post match, Balor cuts a promo on Liverpool and puts over Robbie Brookside, saying how he welcomed him to the Performance Centre and helped so many NXT stars and helped NXT as a whole. Balor and Nakamura then pose for the crowd to complete a good show.
While it might not be “The End” of NXT, tonight’s TakeOver show from Full Sail University in Florida will likely be the end of one of the longest and most entertaining rivalries in NXT history as Samoa Joe and Finn Balor will battle in a first for NXT: a steel cage match.
Also on the show, Nakamura and Austin Aries look to advance to the next step in their respective NXT runs while NXT tag champions American Alpha are hoping this will be the end of their multi-month run against The Revival. NXT women’s champion Asuka looks to make a statement as she battles Nia Jax for the first time with the belt on the line, and Andrade Cien Almas finally makes his TV debut after months working NXT house shows, winning over crowds.
Almas won his debut in a hot five minute match. This was similar to Apollo Crews’ debut last August in that it was a more competitive match than most NXT debuts have been over the years. The fans at one point did dueling chants of “He’s 100” and “Perfect 10” as it was mentioned that Cien means one hundred in Spanish.
There was a hot move where Andrade went for a moonsault, but Dillinger rolled out of the way. However, Andrade landed on his feet and immediately hit a standing moonsault to Dillinger. Dillinger got several near falls, including one after a superkick when Andrade was upside down on the top rope. In the end, Almas won with a running double knees in the corner while Dillinger was sitting in the corner.
**********
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha vs. The Revival
Revival became the first team to become two-time NXT Tag Team Champions as they won clean with Shatter Machine on Jordan. This was different than the usual American Alpha match as it didn’t start with several minutes of Gable and Jordan suplexing their opponents all over the place. Instead, it was more of a fight than a wrestling match.
At one point, the fight broke down into a 4-way with Jordan and Gable doing simultaneous takedowns and then using a double ankle lock, which made the fans go bananas.
Dawson hit a Spinebuster which looked nicer than Triple H’s. Dash and Dawson clipped Gable’s knee out during the heat and used a real nice double team combination legdrop for a near fall. Jordan made the hot tag and went all Full Suplex University on both men. Revival got many near falls before the finish, making you believe that they would lose at the end, but alas, they did not.
The fans were legitimately shocked by the finish and then they were shocked further when The Authors of Pain (Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani) attacked American Alpha after the match was over! They laid out Gable and Jordan before WWE Hall of Famer and Road Warriors manager Paul Ellering appeared on the ramp nodding his approval. The fans chanted “Who are you?” at Ellering.
The Authors of Pain have been working the Florida NXT house shows for a few months.
Asuka was warming up with Seth Petruzelli backstage and Bayley walked in, offering a handshake.
**********
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Austin Aries
Nakamura won with his second attempt at the Kinshasa. As expected, this was an excellent match. Aries had his ribs taped for some unknown reason, but that didn’t really play into the match. The fans sang Nakamura’s theme song, which, if you recall, is completely instrumental. It was pushed in commentary that no one had ever controlled Nakamura the way Aries was, while Aries stretched Nakamura on the mat. The story told was every time Nakamura would go for one of his moves, and Aries would have the counter.
Nakamura kicked Aries seven ways from sideways when he was on offense. Nakamura, at one point, went for the Kinshasa, but Aries blocked it and suplexed Nakamura before locking on the Last Chancery. Aries gave Nakamura a death valley driver on the ring apron, which looked like it killed him. The crowd did that annoying thing where they count one number ahead of the referee during a countout. Aries went for a Suicide Dive, but Nakamura moved causing Aries to crash into the barricade. Nakamura threw him back in the ring for the finish.
**********
Tickets are on sale this Saturday at 12Noon for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
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NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
A much better match than expected. This built similar to the Nia-Bayley match from a few weeks ago where Jax just completely dominated Asuka from the bell. Every time Asuka went for a move, Nia would either block it or power out of it. Asuka’s biggest move was a kneebar, but Nia was right near the ropes.
Asuka made her comeback using a series of spinning back fists that Nia was blocking with her face. Nia used a power bomb like during the contract signing last week, but Asuka somehow turned a pinfall attempt into an armbar. Asuka won with several hard kicks to the face and head.
Not at the level of the great TakeOver matches, but still really really good.
**********
Earlier today, Mr. William Regal was talking to Cathy Kelly when Bobby Roode entered, walked past Mr. Regal, and entered the locker room.
**********
NXT Champion Samoa Joe vs Finn Balor in a steel cage match with pinfall, submission or escape rules
Joe retained the title with a Muscle Buster off the middle rope in yet another excellent match. This was exactly the physical match you expect from these two and at least this time Joe didn’t accidentally bleed in the first 30 seconds of the match. Joe on two occasions hip tossed Balor into the cage.
There was an amazing spot where both men were on the top rope and Finn went to hoist himself over the top of the cage, but Joe did his jumping Inzigiri to the back of Finn’s head, causing both men to crash onto the mat.
Joe at one time was caught between the ropes and the cage. Balor was on the top rope and kicked Joe in the face, causing Joe to hunch over on the top rope, crotching Balor on the ropes. Later on in the match they were back on the top rope and Balor gave Joe a Slingblade off the top rope and then one normal one. Balor kicked out of a Muscle Buster and Joe kicked out of a Coup de Grace before the finish.
For the first time since October, an NXT TakeOver event comes home to Full Sail University! NXT’s 11th quarterly special may be living up to its own subtitle as this may be the end for several of the men and women on the show. With the WWE brand extension just five weeks away, odds are half of the competitors on this show won’t be on NXT in time for SummerSlam weekend.
Before we deal with the future, let’s deal with the now, shall we?
NXT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor in a steel cage match
This is the first ever cage match in NXT history and has the potential to be the most violent match in NXT history. This is the culmination of the longest feud ever in NXT and one of the longest continuous feuds in WWE, period. Samoa Joe has been NXT Champion since April 21 when he beat Balor in Lowell, Massachusetts. However, this was after Balor had defeated Joe at TakeOver events in London and Dallas. On a side note, Joe is the first man to win the NXT, TNA, and ROH titles — one of the more random accomplishments in wrestling today.
Each match was better and more violent than the previous bout, with the two men waging war on each other. Now NXT is locking them within the confines of a cage, which should only encourage the match to be more violent. My only hope is Joe does not bust himself open in the first 30 seconds causing the ridiculous sight of a cage match being halted due to blood.
– Prediction: Balor has been in NXT longer and Joe just won the belt. I’m going with Joe to win, setting up a series of matches with the winner of the semi-main event.
Austin Aries vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT’s acquisition of Nakamura has led to a series of never before seen, one of a kind matches. Some have been excellent (Sami Zayn) and some not so much (The Drifter), but this could very well not only steal the show, but steal the pro wrestling month.
Aries debuted in March and has had quite the different road than Nakamura as he hasn’t had the chance to have that one amazing showcase match. While Aries hasn’t had any bad matches, he has obviously been holding out for the right time and this is it.
While not officially announced as such, this match will probably set up the next challenger for the NXT title. Aries is better off as a heel and has been teasing aturn the last few weeks, bringing up that Nakamura’s debut got all the press clippings, leaving Aries in the lurch.
Prediction: Nakamura wins, setting up future title matches with Joe, pissing off Aries more, and setting up his eventual heel turn.
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
This match has the chance to overachieve. Jax is a lot better than she’s given credit for, while Asuka is arguably the best woman wrestler under WWE contract. While the money, for lack of a better word, is in an Asuka-Bayley rematch, Jax has been a very effective monster and laid out the champ just last week.
This match has really been built up from each lady’s debut. Both ladies had their debuts being built up at the same time and had their first tv match within a week of each other. Asuka has had a series of hard hitting bouts with Emma, Dana Brooke, and Bayley, while Nia has beaten every B-level NXT woman before flattening Bayley just 3 weeks ago on TV.
Prediction: Asuka wins and leads to Asuka vs Bayley in Brooklyn, one year after Bayley won the title the first time.
NXT Tag Team Champions American Alpha vs. The Revival
This is a rematch of a solid match from Dallas with both teams just getting better since. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are easily the most popular team on NXT while The Revival have become better characters since losing the titles. This is yet another match where the losers will probably end up on the main roster, so you are left wondering if WWE needs a third super popular baby face tag team or another team of solid, yet unspectacular workers.
Prediction: American Alpha wins because WWE doesn’t care enough about tag teams to have 3 super popular teams at the same time.
Andrade Cien Almas vs. Tye Dillinger
My #1 question is wondering why they changed Manny Andrade’s name — a perfectly fine name that rolled off the tongue, while Andrade Cien Almas sounds forced and fake. Dillinger has won less than five tv matches and despite winning last week, I doubt he picks up two in a row.
The TakeOver: Dallas dark match against Chris Girard was a better match than three other matches on that show, so I am expecting a really good showing here. Dillinger has a fun gimmick and is popular with the crowd. However, his job is to lose.
Prediction: Almas wins and moves into a feud with Austin Aries.
**********
I honestly believe this could be the best TakeOver show since Brooklyn and possibly even better. Money in the Bank is being built up as perhaps the best PPV in WWE history, but after tonight, it will be second best of the month…at best.
