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  • WWE NXT results: American Alpha vs. Vaudevillians, Shinsuke Nakamura debuts

    The BIG News: Sami Zayn will face the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura at Takeover: Dallas

    The Medium News: Bayley will defend her championship against Asuka at the afore-mentioned Takeover: Dallas show

    The Little News: American Alpha became the new #1 Contender’s to the NXT Tag Team Title and will theoretically face The Revival at Takeover: Dallas

    Sami Zayn is out to kick off the show. I wonder when they taped this segment since theoretically it was taped minutes after the last show ended, but Sami looked refreshed.

    Zayn put Joe over, but said his focus is still the same and his goal is to still become a 2x NXT Champion. One thing does bother Zayn and that’s that he does not have a match at Takeover: Dallas.

    This brought out Mr. William Regal, who agreed that Sami deserves something special at Takeover and he deserves to face one of the best in the world. Mr. Regal announced Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura for Takeover. Now I can officially say how much I am marking out.

    They had a video with Nakamura saying he will see Zayn at Takeover. The fans chanted “Holy sh*t” as the announcers put over Nakamura huge.

    The Hype Bros defeated Angelo Dawkins & Kevin Crawford

    They announced American Alpha vs Vaudevillians for later. They did that last week and instead the opening match went 45 minutes. I will go out on a limb and say this match will not go that long.

    Dawkins and Crawford looked good working with Ryder. Mojo still hasn’t improved to do more than just the basic Mojo spots. Mojo did break out a discus punch to the face and the Bros won with a Hype Ryder in decidedly less than 45 minutes.

    -Dana Brooke and Emma were walking backstage when Deonna Purrazzo suddenly appeared. Emma told her the beating she’s going to get tonight is worst than the one Asuka gave her. Deonna said she would win and the heels laughed at her.

    Emma submitted Deonna Purrazzo

    Could they please change Deonna Purrazzo’s name? This match was not very good and downright clumsy at times. I know it’s important to get new girls on tv, but I feel bad if Purrazzo is the best of the next group of girls.

    The entire match seemed to telegraph a flash pin for Purrazzo. Emma hit several big moves and wouldn’t go for falls and act so cocky. Plus the announcers were blatantly pointing this out. It was all set up for Purrazzo to pin Emma, but before that happened Emma submitted her with the Emma Lock.

    Tommaso Ciampa defeated Jesse Sorensen

    Ciampa stampeded to the ring and got there before the ring announcer even introduced him. Ciampa ran across the ring and hit move after move on Sorensen. Ciampa hit a running knee in the corner and a discus clothesline for a 2 count.

    They went to the mandatory rest hold before Sorensen made his comeback. Sorensen went for the 10 punches of doom, but Ciampa tripped him up and kneed him in the head. On the mat Ciampa hit several knees to the head before submitting Jesse with a rolling armbar.

    Bayley & Asuka defeated Eva Marie & Nia Jax

    Izzy, the little girl who dresses like Bayley, was now moved to dead center in the front row, as opposed to by the ramp. I only noted that because Bayley didn’t go over near her and the announcers didn’t even bring it up. Nia started the match, Eva tagged in and quickly got caught in the ring with Asuka. I never felt so bad for Eva as Asuka beat the heck out of her.

    Nia blind tagged herself in and they got the heat on the champ when Nia laid her out with a Samoan Drop. Eva did that wacky stretch where you pull your opponents arms behind her back with your knee pressed into the back, but Eva forgot the second part.

    Eva slapped Asuka on the apron and then Nia accidentally legdropped Eva. This was not Eva’s night. Eva got a kick to the back of the head by Asuka before being pinned with a Belly to Bayley Suplex.

    – After the match Mr. Regal walked out, congratulating both Bayley and Asuka on winning before booking them against each other for Takeover.

    – We had a split screen interview where the announcers interviewed Austin Aries. Aries said he is happy to be here, but it’s too bad his debut got ruined by Baron Corbin. Aries said he told Mr. Regal, who apologized, that he should feel sorry for Baron. Aries said Baron will soon find out why Aries is the greatest man who ever lived.

    In a NXT tag team #1 Contender’s Match, American Alpha defeated The Vaudevillians

    Main event time! One of these two teams will become the #1 Contender’s to the NXT Tag Team Championship while the other team will move to the back of the line. Corey Graves alerted us to Dan Gable recently giving props to Chad Gable.

    Gable and Gotch worked really well together and made me wish I could see a match just between the two of them. Coming back from commercial the heels had cut off Gable and were wearing him down. The crowd wasn’t dead for this match, but they weren’t as psyched as they have been for Gable in the past.

    Jordan hot tagged in and suplexed everyone on their heads. Gable tagged himself in and had English pinned with Chaos Theory, but Gable broke it up. Jordan gave Gable a belly to belly overhead suplex on the floor and American Alpha won with Grand Amplitude.

    That does it for this week! Takeover is now 16 days away and the card is fricking amazing. Until next week when Asuka faces Emma, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers.

  • WWE NXT results: Samoa Joe vs Sami Zayn, 2 out of 3 Falls

    The Big News: It took him 45 minutes, but Samoa Joe defeated Sami Zayn and became the #1 Contender to the NXT Title.

    The Medium News: Mr. Regal also announced that Austin Aries would wrestle Baron Corbin at Takeover.

    The Little Beaver Sized News: Bayley did not get hit in the head by an asteroid.

    The first show at Full Sail in a month kicks off with NXT General Manager William Regal coming to the ring. Mr. Regal was angry at Baron Corbin for attacking Austin Aries last week. He would have suspended Corbin, but Aries asked him not to and instead made Aries vs Corbin at NXT Takeover: Dallas.

    -They announced American Alpha vs The Vaudevillians in a #1 Contender’s Match and Bayley & Asuka in a tag team match. Spoiler Alert: they do not happen.

    1.) In a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match to determine the #1 Contender to the NXT Championship, Samoa Joe defeated Sami Zayn two falls to one.

    The show is completely backwards, the main event is on first. Larry Zbyszko, Mauro Ranallo, Adam Jones, Michael Hayes, Sasha Banks and Hideo Itami were all shown sitting ringside watching the show. Itami looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world as opposed to watching this match.

    Back in January we had a Triple Threat match with these two men and Baron Corbin. Then after a double submission we got a one on one match, which ended in a double pin. Now, can we finally see these two men finish a match?

    We got a commercial break before the introductions to the match, which was literally the point when I realized they were going a full hour.

    They started slow, even slower than they started a few weeks ago. Neither man taking the advantage and both men grappling and angling to be the one to take over. Joe used a headlock to gain the advantage, with a couple side headlock takeovers and then leaning all 280 pounds down on Zayn. However Sami used his speed and technique to get out of it, taking Joe down with armbars.

    We came back from commercial and Joe has officially taken over, using a jumping elbow drop and then a back elbow to the mush. Joe used the face wash kick and Zayn checked to make sure his nose was still there. At one point it looked like Joe was going for a flapjack, but Zayn flipped over at the last second for a belly to belly overhead suplex.

    Zayn made a comeback and was able to get out of a Muscle Buster, but he immediately got kicked in the head. Zayn at this point was just taking a beating. He would get to his feet, hit a single punch or kick and then get slammed down. The booking of this match was brilliant as Joe beat Zayn from head to toe and Zayn kept getting back to his feet.

    Zayn was able to send Joe flying out of the ring and hit his sitting Asai Moonsault to the floor! Zayn rolling Joe back in and got a near fall with a dive off the top rope. The first fall passed 20 minutes when Zayn went for a Blue Thunder Bomb, but Joe shifted his weight and fell on top for a 2 count. An exciting series of counters led to a Joe corner Uranage and finally getting the first fall with a Muscle Buster.

    The second fall started with Joe flying across the ring and going for another Muscle Buster, but Zayn blocked it. Joe continued the beating he was giving Zayn until a series of headbutts led to a Missile Dropkick to Joe. Samoa Joe is wearing a crimson mask! Well a crimson trickle. Joe saw the blood and became more vicious. Joe missed a knee drop, so Zayn almost won with a crucifix.

    Joe’s beating continued outside the ring and they teased a count out on several occasions, including with an STO on the floor. Zayn used the energy from getting back in the ring to fire into yet another comeback, hitting a huge suplex and a flip dive over the top rope. Back in the ring Zayn used an STO and the Koji Clutch for the tap out! It’s all tied at 1!

    At the start of the third fall they announced that the other matches would be rescheduled for another time. Joe kicked out of a Blue Thunder Bomb and then a sunset flip power bomb. Sami even broke out his awesome move where Joe is outside the ring and Zayn runs across the ringside area, dives over the bottom rope, through the ring and hooks Joe with a Tornado DDT.

    Joe blocked the Halluva Kick and turned it into a power bomb, turning it into a Boston Crab and then a Crossface. Joe pulled back the other arm too, but Zayn was able to get his foot on the ropes. 40 minutes into the match and Joe was now trying to win the match by knockout, using all of his strikes to knock Zayn down. Zayn had one last gasp and locked on the Coquina Clutch! Sami Zayn is using Samoa Joe’s own submission hold against him! Joe got his foot on the rope, but when he got up he got the Exploder Suplex in the corner!

    Zayn went for the Helluva Kick, but Joe sidestepped him and locked on the Clutch! Zayn was just inches from the ropes and scratching and clawing, but Joe changed it slightly, wrapping his leg around Zayn’s arm. Sami was inches away from the ropes, coming oh so close, but he passed out! Zayn was inches away from a rope break, but he couldn’t make it!

    Samoa Joe is finally your #1 Contender. It took over 3 matches over 5 weeks and then it took 45 minutes to get it done. We now know that at NXT Takeover: Dallas on April 1, Finn Balor will defend the NXT Title one more time against Samoa Joe.

    After all that, that does it for this week. Thank you all for reading and until next week make sure to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • NXT Columbus, OH, live results: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe; Bayley vs. Emma

    Image: JJ Williams

    I’m here at the Arnold Classic for the NXT show in Columbus, Ohio tonight in front of a sold-out house. 

    Asuka beat Alexa Bliss 

    Big reaction for Asuka and also a good one for the hometown girl Bliss. This was all Asuka, nailing the Yes Kicks and finally applying the Asuka Lock for the submission.

    Johnny Gargano and Tomaso Ciampa beat The Vaudevillains

    The Vaudevillains were obviously the heels tonight. There was a lot of ‘Johnny Wrestling’ chants and the match built to a hot tag. The big finish saw Johnny as the legal man get the pin after double low angle superkicks on Gotch.

    Apollo Crews beat Tye Dillinger 

    Dillinger’s first match back from injury got a great reaction then he did some heel mic work pre match to give Apollo a big entrance. Very good match including NXT chants from the crowd. Big Apollo Slam for the win.

    Eva Marie and Nia Jax beat Billie Kay and Peyton Royce 

    Major heat on Eva. Nia hit a big Samoan Drop and allowed Eva to get the pin. 

    Sami Zayn beat Baron Corbin 

    Great reactions for both in their own ways as Baron soaks in the booos and Sami is beloved. Slow start to the match with Baron winning a test of strength, then hitting some great looking punches with Sami just making the count of ten. Big fired up comeback by Zayn including a dive off the entrance way a blue thunder bomb and after nearly connecting once before, hits the Helluva Kick for the win. 

    GM William Regal welcomes us back from intermission and speaks highly of the roster. An NXT chant leads to him giving us what we want, more NXT action. 

    NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival beat American Alpha 

    Excellent match. The heels used the ring and worked the ref to keep Gable isolated until the big hot tag to Jordan. As per usual, Jason Jordan has the best hot tag in wrestling. The straps came down, then went back up, then back down. That’s how wild he ran. Suplexes, dropkicks, backdrops. Alpha had Revival set up for the German yet Dash held Jordan’s feet, then pulled Jordan out of the ring and held Gable’s feet during a sit out pin by Dawson to steal the win. Post match, we had “Yay – Booo” spots when the champs and challengers lifted their arms. 

    NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Emma 

    Superstar reaction for Bayley. Emma got a lot of punishment in early and the crowd just chanted and sang for Bayley. Good action here with Bayley firing up after refusing to feel the pain of being rammed in to the turn buckle padding. Belly To Bayley for the win. 

    NXT Champion Finn Balor beat Samoa Joe 

    Huge reactions for both men, dueling chants at times. Finn took a lot of punishment from the big man. These two always work great together. Finn hit the running dropkick and the Bloody Sunday ddt for the win. No top rope stomp tonight. Post match, Finn celebrated with the crowd and put up the gun sign.

  • NXT Nashville, Tennessee, results: Finn Balor ankle injury

    Editor’s Note: Finn Balor suffered an ankle injury in doing the double foot stomp finisher against Samoa Joe. There is no update past that he left the arena on crutches.

    Submitted by Lou Pickney

    Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss

    Asuka won by submission with the Asuka Lock. Asuka received a strong ovation, and Bliss plays the heel role really well.  Bliss got most of the offense in what was a slow-paced but fun opener, though at one point Asuka slapped her hard across the face.  Asuka has amazing natural charisma, connecting with the crowd without saying a word.

    Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa vs. Blake/Murphy

    Blake and Murphy won with the combo suplex/top rope frog splash on Gargano. The crowd cheered Gargano and Ciampa wildly and really didn’t like Blake and Murphy, including the poodle braids or whatever it was in Blake’s hair.  Gargano and Ciampa got most of the offense before the finish.  Solid match.

    Nia Jax vs. Billie Kay

    Nia Jax won with a leg drop in a nothing match. Kay is gorgeous and athletic, but with the lumbering, plodding Jax in there, you couldn’t hope for much from this match.  Luckily they at least kept it short.

    Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn

    Zayn pinned Corbin after hitting the Helluva Kick.  The fans popped big-time for Zayn, who carried Corbin to an excellent match.  And, to his credit, Corbin took a couple of bumps over the top rope that were impressive.  After teasing a pair of planchas early, Zayn hit Corbin outside the ring off the stage area (where the entrance was) with a flip dive to the floor.  Corbin had several great near falls on Zayn and played the heel role well.

    Intermission — Eden Stiles plugged the merchandise, not that she needed to as fans were crowded around it wanting to buy to an almost comical level.

    NXT Tag Champions Dash Wilder/Scott Dawson vs. Chad Gable/Jason Jordan

    Gable and Jordan won via DQ when one of the D&D team pulled the ref out of the ring as he was about to make a three count.  Gable is as great as advertised, but I was really impressed by Jordan, who is showing considerable improvement.  This ended up being the longest match of the night, and the crowd loved American Alpha and didn’t need much convincing to boo Dash and Dawson. One of D&D screwed up a move early and landed ass-first on Jordan’s head as he laid prone on the mat.  Luckily he seemed to be okay after it, not looking groggy or whatever, but it was the lone legit scare of
    the night.  I would have noted which one landed on him if I hadn’t immediately been more concerned with Jordan’s well-being. Gable and Jordan doing the Rockers/Rock and Roll Express double dropkick is a great spot, by the way.

    NXT Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Emma

    It’s Bayley (as they actually called her in the ring introduction) won by pinfall after the Belly to Bayley.  As the match began, the smarks in the section next to mine went from tolerably amusing to annoying, cheering for Emma and yelling things like “Bubbles” loud enough to distract the crowd from the match. One especially really loud guy screamed for Emma to “burst her bubble” and a bemused Bayley looked over in the crowd.  I shook my head and pointed at the guy who shouted it, lest she think it was me being disrespectful. On the upside of crowd stuff, the balcony started singing “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie (a song from 1989), replacing baby with Bayley in the chorus. After the match, Bayley did her best to hug the handful of young kids at ringside.

    NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe

    Balor retained his title, pinning Joe after the Coup de Grace.  Balor was doing the Too Sweet thing like crazy as he approached ringside from the stage, then did the gun hand motion that had seemingly the entire house chanting “Bullet Club” very loudly. The annoying smarks tried to start a TNA chant that was quickly booed down.  Match was fine, solid execution as you would expect. After the match, Finn got on the house mic and mentioned that he had wrestled around the world, including spending “a few weeks” in Japan which was clever.  He said he wasn’t kissing ass, but that he’s proudest of what he has done in NXT. He then did the New Age Outlaws gimmick “If you’re not down with that…” and even did the DX-style crotch chop.

    – Eden then plugged Raw on 2/29 one last time and wished the fans a good evening.

    OVERALL:

    – Before the show, ring announcer Dasha Fuentes played a trivia game with two kids for tickets to the 2/29 Raw show in Nashville. The answers were all NXT wrestlers. Some jerk in the balcony yelled out “Chris Benoit” as an answer and got summarily booed and shouted down by the audience. One of the kids hilariously guessed Bull Dempsey on one of the questions, which popped those in the crowd who knew he had been released today.  Another guessed Ultimate Warrior on a question, which amusingly led Eden to remind them that they were talking about NXT wrestlers. In the end, both kids ended up with tickets.

    – Most of the audience was young males, some families and kids but not many. There were a good amount of women there too.

    – Fun show, definitely got my $65 worth for my seventh row seat.  That actually was my first time at the War Memorial Auditorium ever, and it’s amazing that it isn’t used for non-WWE TV tapings of some sort since it has an ideal capacity for a mid-major promotion, a great setup with the balcony area like the Manhattan Center in some ways, and an overall awesome vibe.

  • NXT Pittsburgh live results: Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe; Sami Zayn vs. Johnny Gargano

    Submitted by Ryan Dunch w/additional notes from Joe Kazmer

    Stage AE was sompletely sold out, with a substantial amount of a standing room tickets sold.

    – The night started with a pre-taped intro from Triple H thanking the fans for making NXT.

    NXT Tag Champions Dawson & Wilder def. Big Cass and Enzo Amore

    People were really excited and chanted along with the whole Enzo/Cass intro. Lots of How You Doin and other chants. Wilder and Dawson won after hitting their finisher on Enzo. Enzo and Cass got a standing ovation after they were left alone in the ring. This was a theme for the night anytime someone the crowd liked lost a match.

    Nia Jax pinned Carmella after the big leg drop

    Wasn’t very good but not as bad as I was expecting. Poor Nia was cat called early on when the crowd was otherwise pretty silent. 

    Elias Sampson def. Tye Dillinger

    Sampson, who is from Pittsburgh, claimed that he wrote a special song about returning to Pittsburgh​ which was comically bad:

    “Back in my hometown of Pittsburgh for the sold out show tonight
    and I’d say it’s nice to be here but that would be a lie,
    You can all tip me money for playing my guitar
    cuz I’ll never turn it down,
    In fact I should get a lot of money for even coming back to this crappy town!”

    Met with boos and an inaudible chant, and actually was worse than it looks on paper. Dillinger was cheered, mostly just people having fun with the 10 chants. Sampson defeated Tye Dillinger after raking Tye’s eyes while the re​f was distracted, and pinned him following a swinging neckbreaker. Then he kissed his guitar and carried it over his shoulder as he exited. 

    Baron Corbin pinned Apollo Crews after the End of Days

    Baron out to good heel reaction, Apollo got a decent pop. “Boring Corbin” chants. Mostly an anti-Corbin crowd as opposed to a pro-Crews crowd.  Corbin looked strong for a lot of the match and Crews got a lukewarm response for his comeback. People were into some of his athletic spots and did react to those – including a plancha to the floor. Crowd got into the last bit with trading shots and some near falls. 

    Sami Zayn pinned Johnny Gargano

    They had a lively match, and both men were over with the crowd. A lot of singing for Zayn, and “Johnny Wrestling” chants for Gargano. Really a great final few minutes which led to Sami pinning Johnny with a Heluva Kick. After the match was over, Sami helped Johnny up and embraced him and raised his hand. The crowd gave Gargano a really nice standing ovation after the match while Zayn hopped out of the ring and applauded him on the outside. Really loud sustained “Johnny Wrestling” chant here as well.

    > Intermission

    Women’s Champion Bayley pinned Alexa Bliss with the Bayley to Belly suplex

    Bayley is very beloved by this audience. Little girls with Bayley shirts in attendance, Bayley made sure to give them hugs. There was a lot of stalling at the beginning with lots of people in the crowd screaming for hugs and Bayley hopping out to give some. There was a fun spot where she popped out and hugged a guy in the front row for a big pop and as she ran back in Alexa gave her a cheap shot. They did some mat wrestling and traded near falls in the final sequence which ended with Bayley catching Alexa with a sudden Bayley-to-Belly for the pin.

    American Alpha (Jason Jordan & Chad Gable) def. The Vaudevillians

    Gable pinned English with their back suplex finisher. Jordan and especially Gable were over huge. Good technical stuff here early on. Both teams looked sharp, all of the stuff was tight. Jordan and Gable are really impressive to see live, lots of spots I’ve never seen anyone do, and it all looked great. Big this is Wrestling chant for the earlier mat wrestling. 

    NXT Champion Finn Balor def. Samoa Joe

    They had a good match. It was quiet early. When the match went on, the show had been on for a solid 2 hours 30 minutes if you include the intermission. But they pulled the crowd in after some mat wrestling when Joe bailed to the outside. This led to brawling on the floor. Joe got some solid heel heat. He made a comeback and hit his flying kick thing in the corner. Crowd started with a “Joe Joe Joe” chant after all the boos and Joe just looked at the crowd and shook his head.

    Finn threw Joe back outside and his a baseball slide. He hit the footstomp to Joe while Joe was still standing and hunched over for a nearfall. This is Awesome chants. Joe hit a bad ass clothesline for a 2 count. Dueling punches, Joe catches Balor in a rear naked, Balor escapes, misses a corner kick. Joe went for the Buster and Balor countered it into a sunset flip pin for another near fall. Final sequence was really good. Balor ended up hitting his kick to the corner and the Coup de Grace for the win.

  • WWE NXT recap for 1/13/2016: Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin all compete plus Bayley!

    Check out WrestlingOutsiders.com for 100% free MMA and Pro Wrestling podcasts!

    The Big News: All three participants in the triple threat #1 Contender’s Match had singles matches this week and all three came out victorious

    The Medium News: Bayley and her #1 Contender Carmella continued the build to their title match by teaming up to defeat Emma and Alexa Bliss.

    The Little Beaver Sized News: Rich Swann debuted, in a losing effort to Baron Corbin.

    1.) Sami Zayn submitted Adam Rose

    All three men who will compete in the #1 Contender’s Match next week will have matches tonight, so of course we kick things off with Sami Zayn! This is Zayn’s first match in Full Sail since May. The last time Rose was here on NXT he didn’t allow his music to be played, which got him heat. Now he just let it play while he implied he hated his own theme.

    Rose got just enough offense so that this wasn’t a total squash. One person in the crowd tried to get a “Leo Kruger” chant going, but everyone else ignored it and chanted for Sami. Rose hit a Diving Headbutt, which you could tell he was afraid of the landing as he braced himself to the point that it looked ridiculous on slow motion replay. Out of nowhere Zayn hit the STO and slapped on the Koji Clutch for the submission.

    -Alex interviewed Johnny Gargano about his match with Samoa Joe. Gargano pointed out that Joe has been upset about not winning the NXT Title at Takeover and has been taking it out on everyone. Gargano said he is all heart and as long as there is a heart beat he will not back down.

    -Gable and Jordan were outside the arena, talking about being the Alpha Males of NXT. After talking back and forth they named their team American Alpha and said they will beat Blake & Murphy next week.

    Jordan finally said the “Ready, Willing and Gable” line.

    2.) Apollo Crews pinned Tye Dillinger

    This is a rematch of Crews debut back at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. Dillinger, despite being the Perfect 10, didn’t win 5 matches in 2015. Him and Jason Jordan broke up as a team 10 times and then he has lost almost every match since becoming the Perfect 10.

    Crews picked Dillinger up for a suplex. In his efforts to get out of it Dillinger dropped knees down to Crews’ head, but Apollo still dropped him with the suplex. Apollo went for a Springboard WhatAManeuver, but Dillinger tripped him up and hit a nice looking Suicide Dive. Back in the ring he even got a near fall with a Running Twisting Knee to the face. The announcers talked about how no one had ever kicked out of that move. You know, the one he has used maybe one other time. Whatever. Crews won with a twisting sit out power bomb.

    After the match Crews talked about not liking matches that end in DQ, so he wants a match with Finn Balor.

    -Alex was trying to interview Blake and Murphy, but they were ignoring him. Alexa took over and said Blake & Murphy blew it in London, saying they are so much better than what they showed then.

    -A short video package for The Vaudevillians aired. They were angry young men.

    3.) Baron Corbin pinned Rich Swann

    It is the debut of Rich Swann, who got some screaming and hollering from the fans. The announcers mentioned that he was one of the top independent wrestlers in the world. Swann looked really good in the match. At one point he took a backdrop and did a full flip, landing flat on his face.

    Swann did his best to avoid Corbin like he had the Plague and chopped Baron down with kicks. Swann came off the top rope, but Baron avoided him and hit something that looked more like a Black Hole Slam for the win.

    -Alex interviewed Bayley and Carmella. Carmella was happy about being #1 Contender and getting to wrestle her friend. I smell a heel turn. Bayley just started talking about their upcoming tag match when Dash & Dawson came up and made Carmella go crazy when pointed out that Enzo & Cass can never win the big one.

    4.) Bayley & Carmella defeated Alexa Bliss & Emma

    Emma and Alexa attacked Bayley before the bell, attacking her ribs before the match even started . Despite that Bayley still started the match despite being injured. This was an alright match, but was almost a handicap match. They got the heat on Bayley. When Bayley scratched and crawled and dragged himself to the corner Alexa knocked Carmella off the apron.

    Bayley made her own comeback, which got halted when Dana Brooke interfered to give the heels back the advantage. Finally Bayley was able to avoid her foes and make the tag. Carmella went nuts on both girls and made Alexa tap to a leg scissors.

    -Alex interviewed Finn Balor. Balor accepted Apollo Crews challenge to a non title match.

    5.) Samoa Joe submitted Johnny Gargano

    The fans chanted Johnny Wrestling until half of the crowd decided to chant for Joe. Gargano got a little bit of offense, so Joe went outside the ring. Gargano went to run down the apron at him, but Joe tripped him up and Gargano crashed face first on the apron.

    Gargano made a brief comeback, including hitting a slingshot DDT, but ended up kicked in the face and locked in the Coquina Clutch for the tap out. Good match, but not nearly as good as the Ciampa match a few weeks ago.

    The announcers ended the show by wishing good luck to Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin, putting over that they have to face a monster next week.

  • WWE NXT results: Women’s #1 contender battle royal, Sami Zayn returns to Full Sail

    Before starting, please check out WrestlingOutsiders.com for 5 days of free wrestling and MMA podcasts every single week.

    • The Big News: In two weeks Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin will square off in the triple threat #1 Contender’s match.
    • The Medium News: Carmella won a battle royal to become Bayley’s next challenger.
    • The Little Beaver Sized News: Asuka kicked Eva Marie’s head clean off her shoulders.

    After a 2 week break, let’s see if I remember how to do this.

    *****

    Rich Brennan and Byron Saxton are gone, Tom Phillips is here and Corey Graves never left. The show starts with the return of Mr. William Regal! Mr. Regal thanked the fans for making NXT the fastest growing promotion in the world before announcing a battle royal with the winner getting a shot at the Women’s Championship.

    Mr. Regal introduced Sami Zayn before leaving. This is Sami’s first appearance in the NXT Arena since NXT Takeover: Unstoppable in May. He got quite the reaction coming out, with a standing ovation and chants of “Welcome back” and an extended “Ole” song.

    Sami loved being back and announced that he is here to be the first ever 2x NXT Champion, which led to chants of “two times”. This brought out Samoa Joe, who is not happy about losing to Finn Balor at NXT Takeover: London.

    Joe stated that he is happy Sami is back and he can appreciate Zayn wanting to be champion, but he doesn’t deserve the title match. The last time Sami was in the ring he had to be saved by Joe after a beating by Kevin Owens. Joe pointed out that Finn Balor said he did not beat Joe, he survived. Joe finished by saying that if Sami wants to not get injured again he will leave the ring.

    That brought out Baron Corbin. Corbin agreed with Joe and said Zayn belongs in the back of the line. At Takeover he beat Apollo Crews, while Samoa Joe failed in his shot at the gold. While Sami was at home he was passed by someone hungrier and more durable. Corbin proclaimed himself to be the uncrowned NXT Champion.

    Joe pointed out he choked out Corbin in Brooklyn, so he doesn’t belong in this conversation. Joe threatened Sami again before leaving. Sami said he was standing in the ring and Baron attacked him from behind as Joe walked away. Baron went for End of Days, but Sami got around it and booted Corbin out of the ring. Joe teased attacked Zayn from behind, but stopped when Zayn turned around.

    – Bayley cut a promo saying that she survived the match with Nia Jax and honestly didn’t know she still had all that in her. She is jealous because she loves battle royals and may give the winner a hug.

    -They announced the 2015 NXT Awards:

    • Tag Team of the Year: Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady
    • Female Competitor of the Year: Bayley
    • Male Competitor of the Year: Finn Balor
    • Takeover of the Year: NXT Takeover: Brooklyn
    • Match of the Year: Bayley vs Sasha Banks from Brooklyn
    • Overall Competitor Of The Year: Finn Balor

    All the winners got a plaque with a golden ring bell and hammer on it.

    Tommaso Ciampa submitted Danny Birch

    20 minutes in and we get the first match of 2016. Tommaso Ciampa, complete with correct spelling of his name, one on one with Danny Birch. Birch didn’t get an entrance, but he got a bit of offense. Ciampa hit a really nice draping STO, which should have been his finish, but Birch kicked out. Birch got a near fall with a punch to the face. No, really. Ciampa picked up the win with an armbar after rolling over Birch’s back. That looked really nice.

    – Enzo and Cass said they will not forget being injured by Dash & Dawson. Enzo said real G’s never lose and real men don’t hide behind women. They vowed to finish the business between them.

    -A promo package for Billie Kay, Deonna Purrazzo and Emma, all of whom said they would win the battle royal. The highlight was Billie starting her promo by saying “In case you forgot, I am Billie Kay”. I guarantee 90% of the people watching had no idea.

    -Mr. Regal announced Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe vs Baron Corbin in a #1 Contender’s Match in 2 weeks.

    NXT Tag Team Champions Dash & Dawson defeated The Ascension

    The Ascension continue to be God’s to the NXT crowd. I always think it’s funny how much they put over their Tag Title reign when there were literally no other teams for about 6 months and the gimmick was every week they would take on a different jobber team.

    Viktor started the match by beating the living crap out of Dash Wilder. Honestly he probably beat the dead crap out of him too. Dash got tired of being stiffed, so he leveled Viktor with a couple blows too. The champs got the heat on Viktor while the announcers talked about Enzo & Cass being tag team of the year. Konnor got the hot tag and used the Dusty Rhodes flip, flop and fly routine on Dawson.

    We had a Pier 6 break out before Dash & Dawson got the win with their finish.

    – Nia Jax was being worked on by the trainer and the trainer did not clear her to compete in the battle royal. Mr. Regal refused to let her join while Eva Marie was quite happy that her largest opponent (even though she is a friend) wasn’t in the match.

    – Carmella, Peyton Royce and Alexa Bliss all said they would win the battle royal. Carmella spent Christmas in a tanning bed.

    Elias Sampson pinned Corey Hollis

    Elias Sampson does not use public transportation. Seriously that is the tidbit we got from Corey Graves. Corey Hollis is the foe this week. Hollis looked at him like “Dude, remember when we were nameless jobbers together?”

    This is Sampson’s second match since being repackaged. The first one saw him beat Bull Dempsey in a bad match no one cared about. This one saw him win with a swinging neck breaker in a meh match that a couple people cared about.

    After the match Sampson announced that what NXT needs is what he is.

    – Alex Reyes interviewed Finn Balor about the upcoming #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match. Balor said the Joe match was physically and mentally draining. Joe is a monster, but as champion he never rests and faces every challenger. He said all of the three challengers plead a good case as to why they should get the title match. As far as he is concerned the title will stay with him regardless who wins.

    – Cameron, Aliyah (making her debut), Liv Morgan and Asuka all said they will win the battle royal.

    Carmella won the #1 Contender’s Battle Royal, last eliminating Eva Marie

    Emma, Alexa, Carmella, Eva Marie and Asuka were the only ones to get an entrance. Eva pouted when her music was cut off for Asuka’s. Eva took offense to Asuka walking by her, so when the bout started Eva had something to say, so Asuka kicked her head off.

    This was an over the top rope battle royal, so Eva was allowed to roll under the bottom rope and have emergency head re-attachment surgery before continuing. Aliyah, in her debut, was the first one out. That was followed by Deonna Purrazzo, who can go lose a battle royal in TNA now, Cameron, Liv Morgan, Bliss, Emma, Royce, Kay, Asuka and Eva Marie.

    Morgan lifted Cameron up for a power bomb, but dropped her, so they went right back to the spot, which led to Bliss throwing them both out. Bliss should have been the favorite since she is shorter than the top rope, but she didn’t make the final four. Eva stayed on the floor the entire match until Asuka eliminated everyone else in the ring. Eva threw Asuka over the top rope to the floor, but she forgot one person. Earlier Carmella was knocked to the floor and the entire crowd knew what was going to happen. Sure enough Carmella got in and threw out Eva Marie to win!

    After the match, Bayley ran down and hugged her new #1 Contender as the show ended.

    So that does it for this week. Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers.

  • NXT announces Bayley title match, Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe for January 22nd

    Fresh off her successful title defense submission victory over Nia Jax at NXT TakeOver: London in December, NXT Women’s Champion Bayley now has her next challenger set: Carmella. 

    NXT announced Thursday night via Twitter that title match will take place at their Friday, January 22nd event at the CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida. 

    Additionally, Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn will hook it up to determine the new No. 1 contender to NXT Champion Finn Balor. On the aforementioned London show, Balor successfully defended his belt against Joe in the main event via pinfall. Zayn returned on that same show after a long layoff following shoulder surgery, and will be looking to regain the title he lost to Kevin Owens.

    The event is part of an aggressive January calendar for the popular WWE-created brand where they will run 15 total shows, including several on the same night in two locations.

    In a coincidence, Bayley tweeted out Thursday that today marks her fourth year in NXT.

  • WWE NXT recap: Finn Balor & Apollo Crews vs Samoa Joe & Baron Corbin

    Check out WrestlingOutsiders.com for free wrestling podcasts four days a week (and one awesome podcast that has nothing to do with wrestling the fifth day)!

    The Big News: Samoa Joe choked out Finn Balor in the main event, just seven days before their championship match at NXT Takeover.

    The Medium News: Bayley vs. Nia Jax was made official for Takeover, which threatens the streak of eight straight great Takeover women’s championship matches.

    The Little Beaver Sized News: The Hype Bros did a promo talking about poop.

    **********

    Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady defeated Corey Hollis & John Skylar

    The #1 Contender’s are here to kick off the go home show to Takeover! Next Wednesday night Enzo and Cass get their second shot this year at the Tag Team Titles, this time held by Dash & Dawson. This was a very different Enzo & Cass, as they didn’t do their usual entrance, which is so weird.

    Hollis and Skylar looked similar to the champs in the way they dressed, which I guarantee wasn’t coincidental. Colin managed to still scream “How you doin” while beating the snot out of one of his foes. Enzo tagged in and collided with Hollis before dropping him a second time with a nice looking dropkick. The #1 Contender’s picked up the win with the Rocket Launcher.

    After the match they cut a promo talking about how this is how they put food on their table. They have been teaming longer than any team in NXT history (which really isn’t saying too much, but they have been teaming well over 2 years). They stated Dash & Dawson will not effect their future, the only people that will effect their future are in the ring.

    Colin said they have fought too hard for too long to let Dash & Dawson get in the way of what they want. They promised to get retribution, they will leave the champs laying and will walk out as Tag Team Champions.

    -Backstage Tom Phillips interviewed Emma & Dana Brooke. Emma asked why the red carpet has been rolled out for Asuka since Day one. Emma stated that she is the one that paved the way long before you ever heard of Bayley, Sasha, Charlotte or Asuka. Dana made Tom squat down to pat him on the head.

    -NXT Takeover is LIVE at 3:00pm EST. I am sure Dave and the crew will have live play by play. I will be at work, so you will be spared from that.

    -A video for Tye Dillinger aired. I’m not sure if you heard the rumors but he is the Perfect 10.

    Asuka defeated Deonna Perazzo via ref stoppage

    It’s Asuka time. She has added the horizontal line across her face that is similar to the one Havok used in TNA. They could not have given Deonna a wackier name if they tried.

    Asuka with some really nice wrestling before snapping off an armbar so beautiful that Alberto Del Rio could take lessons. Thankfully for Deonna, Jimmy Uso did not dive off the top rope onto the arm, but instead she got the ropes.

    Asuka hit a Hip Attack, so Emma decided now was the best time to stand on the ramp, looking amazing in her jeans. Asuka then took off Deonna’s head with a spin kick and won via ref stoppage.

    -The Hype Bros were being annoying and talking about poop.

    -Alexa told Blake & Murphy that she was embarrassed. Alexa is really upset that she lost to Bayley and it’s her mens’ fault. They did vow to break the Hype Bros.

    -The Drifter is Elias Sampson and I assume he is re-debuting soon. Honestly I think NXT should have a grifter character.

    The Hype Bros upset Blake & Murphy (w/Alexa)

    Blake is now wearing a ripped shirt that looks like he tried to wear one of Alexa’s shirts. Not sure if that’s better or worse than when I couldn’t tell the two apart. My least favorite announcer’s Heel Rant Of The Week was about the Hype Bros.

    The former champs tried to double team Mojo, but Mojo ran through his foes and then Irish Whipped Zach, who took the Chris Hamerick bump through the ropes with a dropkick to the heels outside the ring. Ryder went for the Broski Boot on Murphy, but Blake broke it up. Unfortunately Blake then got hit with the Broski Boot, but Murphy cut off Ryder for the heat.

    Mojo got the hot tag and did a really good comeback, featuring a discus lariat to Blake. The faces actually won with the Assisted Rough Ryder (Hype Ryder) in an upset.

    This was a decent match that was given quite a bit of time given that neither team is currently on the Takeover card.

    -Samoa Joe and Baron Corbin had a meeting backstage. Tonight is not about how they don’t like each other, it’s about taking out Finn Balor & Apollo Crews. Corbin called Apollo a rookie who doesn’t deserve anything while Joe said Finn betrayed him and not the other way around.

    Women’s Champion Bayley pinned Peyton Royce

    Next week on Takeover Bayley will defend the eight pounds of silver and purple against Nia Jax. While I like both ladies, I suspect that the streak of amazing womens championship matches ends at eight. Peyton now comes out with a flower.

    The story of this match was if Bayley was making a mistake by taking a match with Takeover next week, especially since Nia has beaten her down the last two weeks. Peyton got a bit more offense than you would expect, but it did further the story. Bayley made her comeback, hit the Belly to Bayley and picked up the win!

    Bayley had no time to celebrate when Nia Jax and Eva Marie strolled out onto the stage. The fans made so much noise to avoid hearing Eva talking. Shockingly they didn’t get any quieter when Nia took the mic, so Nia spoke louder. Nia said if she got to NXT sooner then Bayley never would have become champion.

    Nia vowed to win the strap because she is destined for greatness.

    -The NXT Championship is hanging around backstage, while Finn Balor stood nearby and threw kicks. Apollo Crews walked up and they discussed whether or not Finn’s head was in the game.

    -Apollo reminded him they have unfinished business and that he is coming for the strap.

    -The video of Sami Zayn injuring his shoulder before his match with John Cena aired. He returns soon!

    Samoa Joe & Baron Corbin defeated Finn Balor & Apollo Crews

    Baron Corbin still has a great entrance. Finn started the match, so Joe made sure to tag out to Baron. Baron and Finn wrestled for a minute until Finn tagged out to Apollo. Baron didn’t want to wrestle Apollo, so he tagged out to Joe. Apollo dropkicked Joe’s head off, but Joe screwed it back on and beat down Crews. With his hated rival down, Baron agreed to tag in to beat down Apollo.

    The match built to Apollo making the hot tag to Finn while Baron tagged Joe in. Finn got the best out of the interaction with Joe, including a beautiful running kick and several running chops. Joe went for the Muscle Buster, but Finn rolled behind for a two count.

    Apollo and Baron fought out of the ring, while champ and challenger fought inside. Balor hit The Slingblade and went for the Coup De Grace, but Corbin pushed him off the top rope. Joe laid out Finn with the Death Valley Driver and then choked the champ out.

    -Seven days before Takeover Samoa Joe has choked out the NXT Champion! What will happen next week? That will do it for this week! Until Takeover, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

    **********

    Next week:

    Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe for the NXT Championship
    Apollo Crews vs Baron Corbin
    Bayley vs Nia Jax for the NXT Women’s Championship
    Emma vs Asuka
    Dash & Dawson vs Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady for the NXT Tag Team Championship

  • WWE NXT recap for 11/25/2015: Bayley vs Eva Marie

    -Just a fun reminder to check out the Wrestling Outsiders Podcast and our interview with Dave Meltzer, which is live right now at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/139049

    The Big News: Despite WWE Corporate stacking the deck in Eva Marie’s favor, Bayley retained her championship in a fun, well booked main event.

    The Medium News: Sami Zayn returns soon!

    The Little Beaver-sized News: Michael Cole is in charge with Mr. Regal recovering from surgery

    -Michael Cole is in the ring to oversee the contract signing for the Finn Balor-Samoa Joe title match at NXT Takeover. Cole is booed until he mentions that Mr. Regal has undergone successful surgery. Cole was booed again when he mentioned he was put in charge.

    Cole says that Mr. Regal ixnayed the Bayley-Eva Marie match, but WWE Corporate overruled Mr. Regal and that match will happen tonight.

    With that Finn Balor and Samoa Joe came to the ring for their signing. Balor came out first, took the mic and told Joe he is not entitled to the NXT Title and plans on sticking his foot down Joe’s throat.

    Joe stormed to the ring, signed the contract and immediately walked away without saying a word. Balor was calling him a coward and tried to get Joe to stick around, but Joe was having nothing of it.

    Finn walked away, but when he got to the top of the ramp Joe attacked him, ran him to the ring and threw him in there. After a brief flurry of punches by both men Joe locked on the Coquina Clutch and choked out Finn.

    1.) NXT Tag Team Champions Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson defeated The Vaudevillians

    It is a tag team championship rematch. Just two weeks ago The Vaudevillians dropped the belts to Dash & Dawson and now they are looking to reclaim the belts.

    The champs got the heat on English by dropping him with a single arm DDT. It didn’t last long as Gotch got tagged in and went all manly on their foes until Dawson knocked his head off with a clothesline. Both teams went for their finish, but it got reversed both times. However, at the end of the day Dash blind tagged himself in, the champs hit their move and retained the championship.

    As the champs celebrated we saw the return of Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady! The fans exploded as Enzo and Cass lay a hurting on the champions. Dash and Dawson are sent packing and it looks like their future foes have been decided.

    -Eva Marie was sitting on William Regal’s desk. When Tom Phillips asked her why, she simply said that it is because she needs more space to get ready. Eva then went on to say that Bayley is a swell girl, but we need a real woman to be champion. She says she is happy to have the support of the entire WWE Universe, before showing a bunch of gifts left for her.

    Eva then introduced her new friend, Nia Jax, and said nothing beats friendship.

    -A video aired with a bearded man playing guitar. I bet he’s coming to NXT. All we saw was his beard and his clothes, with the video in black and white.

    2.) The match between Asuka and Dana Brooke never started

    On October 7 Asuka debuted at NXT Takeover by beating Dana Brooke all over the arena. Well Dana did not learn her lesson and here we are for a rematch.

    Dana cut a promo while walking to the ring when Emma attacked Asuka from behind! Asuka took care of her quickly, but when Asuka turned her attention back to Dana, Emma attacked again and put her in the Emma Lock. The heel duo walked off together with no match.

    As she got back to her feet, Asuka smiled. Someone is going to die.

    -Bayley cut a promo saying that Eva Marie is pretty and has WWE Corporate on her side, but the difference is Bayley is a wrestler and tonight she will show Eva why she is the Women’s Champion.

    -Sami Zayn returns soon. That’s good.

    3.) Apollo Crews pinned Jesse Sorensen

    Apollo is three weeks away from going one on one with Baron Corbin at NXT Takeover. Tonight he does battle with the man most famous for breaking his neck on a live TNA ppv. He has been on the show at least twice already, but the announcers acted like this was new.

    The highlight of the match was Apollo holding Jesse up for a suplex for 21 seconds before dropping him. Sorensen got just enough offense so it wasn’t a total squash, but Crews won with a sit out power bomb.

    After the match Crews officially accepted Baron’s challenge. I actually thought he did that last week. Oh well.

    -Baron Corbin immediately replied with a promo saying Apollo is going to be the answer to a trivia question because no one will remember him.

    -Charles Robinson walked to the ring before the main event and was added as a second referee. Robinson is here to ensure there will not be controversy in the match.

    Next week: Samoa Joe vs Tommaso Ciampa

    4.) NXT Women’s Champion Bayley pinned Eva Marie (Thank God)

    This is not the first time these two wrestled. Last year they tried to re-debut Eva Marie and she had an atrocious match with Bayley that she was taken off tv for a year and it finished 5th in the Worst Match of the Year in the Observer last year. Eva Marie had Nia Jax for immoral support and Bayley had 300 screaming fans. They are really pushing the idea of WWE Corporate trying to set up Eva Marie winning here.

    When they dimmed the lights for the introductions Eva Marie posed like a model while Bayley stood there and shook her head at the challenger. Eva was doing everything well, but was doing it a step slowly. At least nothing got botched. Anyway Eva hit a suplex, Bayley got up and hit the Belly to Bayley Suplex, but Nia Jax pulled the referee out, injuring him.

    Charles Robinson took over as Nia jumped up on the apron and laid out Bayley with a headbutt behind Charles’ back, but Eva only got a 2 count. Eva used some more of her slow offense until the champ took her head off with a clothesline. Bayley went for a corner charge, but Charles stepped in front of her, claiming Eva was in the ropes.

    Eva hit The Kendrick NOOO! YES! Bayley kicked out. Eva went for The Kendrick a second time, but Bayley pushed her into Charles, knocking him out of the ring. Nia interfered yet again, but Bayley yanked her off the apron, laying her out. After that Bayley hit a Belly to Bayley Suplex from the middle rope for the win!

    That was a fun match. They kept it simple and threw in a lot of smoke and mirrors to cover up for Eva’s shortcomings.

    After the match Nia laid out Bayley before dropping the championship on her prone body.

    -That does it for this week. Thank you for reading and I wish my American readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!