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Tag: Asuka

  • NXT TakeOver Preview: ‘The End’ is near for the Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor feud

    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.

  • NXT Crystal River, FL, live results: Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax

    Results c/o Wayne Mason who estimated a crowd of 200

    – Josh Woods beat Noah

    Woods was able to score the win via submission.

    – Cezar beat Bronson Matthews

    Cezar wins with an inverted stomp facebreaker.

    – Adrienne Reese beat Mandy Rose

    Good match. Reese hit the off the top rope stunner for the win.

    – Nick Miller beat Alexander Wolfe

    Both men had their tag partners in their corner. Miller picked up the win with a sit out powerbomb.

    – Hugo Knox beat Tucker Knight

    Hugo was back to being a heel tonight and got the win with a spinning neckbreaker.

    – In ring interview with Mada from Tough Enough. He mentioned wanting to be NXT champion and then becoming the first ever Egyptian-born WWE champion.

    – Steve Cutler beat Chris Girard

    Cutler takes this one with a lariat in a hard hitting match.

    – NXT Women’s Champion Asuka beat Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax in a three-way to retain.

    Great match. Bliss would try to pick her spots and not get involved when Jax had control. Asuka was able to submit Bliss with the Asuka Lock.

  • NXT Tampa, FL, live results: Austin Aries vs. Wesley Blake

    Image c/o Maryann Mason and results c/o Wayne Mason who estimated a crowd of 300.

    – Tucker Knight beat Josh Woods

    Knight stole this one with a roll up.

    – Alexa Bliss beat Liv Morgan

    Bliss wins it with the Sparkle Splash. The Tampa crowd was giving Morgan the business for being from Jersey but she rolled with it.

    – Dan Matha beat Steve Cutler

    Crowd is all over Matha lately, calling him “Mr. Clean” due to his white trunks and shaved head. Big Dan won it with a big boot.

    – NXT Women’s Champion Asuka and Adrienne Reese beat Mandy Rose and Nia Jax

    Asuka Lock on Rose for the win.

    – Noah beat Cezar Bononi

    Big sit-out slam by Noah for the win.

    – In ring interview with Brazillian talent Adrian Jaoude, the Ollympic hopeful who is still working at the Performance Center.

    – Sawyer Fulton and Alexander Wolfe beat Mojo Rawley and Hugo Knox

    Hugo is back to being his happy dancing face persona to team up with the hype man Rawley. However they were no match for the power of Fulton and Wolfe.

    – Austin Aries beat Wesley Blake

    Pre match, ring announcer Mike Rome introduced Blake as “Murphy” to set him off and continue the ongoing break-up story. Aries wins it with the Last Chancery to send everyone home happy.

  • WWE NXT results: Bayley vs Nia Jax: Austin Aries & Nakamura team up

    • The Big News: Nia Jax flat out destroyed Bayley in the main event, laying claim to #1 contender status
    • The Medium News: William Regal made Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor a steel cage match at NXT TakeOver.
    • The Little Beaver Sized News: Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura made a tremendous team.

    Austin Aries & Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Blake & Murphy

    Tag team action kicks things off this week. This was set up last week when Blake & Murphy stormed into Mr. Regal’s office and demanded a title shot while he was having a meeting with Austin Aries. Aries was told to find a partner and he did find quite the teammate in Shinsuke Nakamura.

    Blake & Murphy were in disarray from the start. There was a disagreement over who would start, so Aries ran across the ring with a dropkick and almost pinned Murphy in 10 seconds. Aries and Nakamura worked very well together..,so well that I was hoping they would become a full time team, but alas that probably ain’t happening any time soon.

    Blake ran away instead of dealing with Nakamura, so Nakamura gave Murphy the Kinshasa for the pin. Aries wanted the tag, but Nakamura either didn’t see it or ignored it. Blake, Murphy and Alexa argued after the match with Alexa walking off on them and then Blake walking off on Murphy.

    ********

    Bayley was backstage and said she is not afraid of Nia Jax and while she is tough the same thing that happened in London would happen tonight and after this she is going after Asuka again.

    ********

    We got a music video with clips of Asuka interspersed throughout.

    ********

    No Way Jose is really excited to be on NXT, happy to show off his smile and hope people don’t underestimate him. This is just Jose being Jose and he is here to have fun, have a fiesta and have a fight.

    ********

    Carmella submitted Peyton Royce

    Backstage, Carmella cut a promo looking to the left of the camera, talking about her boys Enzo and Cass before saying she wants to be Women’s Champion. Peyton calls herself the Venus Flytrap of NXT…and no one has a clue as to what she’s talking about.

    Peyton got a near fall with a kick to the face and a version of the Three Amigos where she used a Fisherman’s Suplex at the end. Carmella looked good on her comeback, picking up the win with a Flatliner, followed by the Headscissors.

    ********

    Last Saturday night in Portland at an NXT house show there was mass chaos with Joe and Balor, necessitating the entire locker room emptying to pull them apart. This led to the announcement by William Regal announcing a cage match with Samoa Joe and Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver.

    ********

    Blake, Murphy, and Alexa were backstage arguing. Alexa shouted that she was tired of them constantly losing, so she is dumping 470 pounds of lifeless weight in order to win the NXT Women’s Championship.

    ********

    Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa defeated Danny Burch & Rob Ryzin

    After being in NXT for close to a year, Gargano & Ciampa have, I believe, their first squash match. Corey Graves made a point that the fans always chant Johnny Wrestling but never chant for Ciampa.

    Gargano and Ciampa made fools out of Burch for several minutes until Ryzin distracted Ciampa just long enough for Burch to take over. Even then, the heels didn’t last very long on offense. Gargano did a spear through the ropes on Ryzin before Gargano and Ciampa finished him off with a double superkick to the head.

    ********

    Mr. William Regal was backstage and he congratulated Enzo & Cass and The Vaudevillians on being called up to Raw before booking American Alpha vs The Revival at TakeOver.

    ********

    Nia Jax pinned Bayley

    This wasn’t officially a #1 contender’s match, but it is a safe bet that the winner here will probably face Asuka at TakeOver. These two faced off in London last December with Bayley winning by tapout.

    Bayley started by using the same strategy at TakeOver, working for the guillotine but constantly getting thrown off, including landing face first. Nia played monster while Bayley did everything she could to try to slay the dragon a second time, but no matter the move, Nia seemed to have a counter for it.

    Nia used a tilt-a-whirl shoulderbreaker on Bayley and used that to begin an assault on her shoulder, which would prevent any attempt at a guillotine or a Belly to Bayley Suplex. Nia used a Cobra Clutch and her jumping bearhug to wear down the former champion. Bayley made her comeback using leg kicks, but she could not maintain a sustained offense. The closest Bayley got was using a crossbody off the top rope, but Nia kicked out.

    Bayley finally got on the guillotine, but she was thrown off, landing awkwardly on her knee. Nia squashed her in the corner and then picked up the win with a legdrop! Nia Jax has completely dominated the former champion! What will happen if and when she gets her hands on Asuka?

    Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • WWE announces sold-out shows in Tokyo; Nakamura & Asuka booked

    On Thursday, WWE announced its two annual shows in Japan at Sumo Hall in Tokyo which have already sold out with Shinsuke Nakamura as the primary reason. 

    The most notable aspect of the announcement is that WWE did not at all cater the shows for the Japanese audience, but instead just did a regular show with Nakamura and fellow NXT star — women’s champion Asuka — working down on the card instead.

    In particular, Asuka is not working at all with WWE women’s champ Charlotte on the tour even though Asuka would be the lead babyface to the audience in the women’s division. Instead, both women will be defending their respective belts.

    July 1st lineup

    • WWE Champion Roman Reigns vs. A.J. Styles vs. Kevin Owens
    • John Cena vs. Chris Jericho
    • WWE Tag Team Champions New Day vs. Usos vs. Vaudevillains vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
    • Nakamura vs. Bray Wyatt
    • WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte vs. Natalya
    • Titus O’Neil vs. Baron Corbin
    • NXT Champion Asuka vs. Becky Lynch

    July 2nd lineup:

    • WWE Champ Reigns vs. Styles vs. Jericho
    • Cena vs. Owens
    • WWE Tag Team Champs New Day vs. Vaudevillains
    • Nakamura vs. Wyatt
    • Usos vs. Gallows & Anderson
    • WWE Women’s Champ Charlotte vs. Lynch
    • Ziggler vs. Corbin
    • NXT Women’s Champ Asuka vs. Natalya

  • WWE NXT results: Eric Young debuts, battles NXT Champion Samoa Joe

    • The Big News: Eric Young debuted calling out the new NXT Champion Samoa Joe. However….
    • The Medium News: …he then got choked out by Joe in the main event as Joe showed the world what happens when you challenge him.
    • The Little Beaver Sized News: Alex Riley said he will beat Shinsuke Nakamura next week because he is bigger. No, seriously.

    Before starting, I want to announce to everyone who doesn’t already know that I have come out as transgender. I do want to thank everyone here on F4WOnline.com for their support through this process of coming out. With that out of the way….

    NXT kicks off with the brand new NXT Champion! Samoa Joe is here! Joe proclaimed that he is a man who keeps his word and despite the best efforts of the former champion, he is your new champion. If anyone has a problem with him being the man, he has no problem beating them down and choking them out. This was the queue for the debuting Eric Young! EY got a really big reaction, including a “Holy Sh*t” chant, followed by a chant of “EY”.

    Eric acknowledges that they know each other, and called Joe a bad ass wrecking machine and said the only thing guaranteed in life is change. Young said he collects championships and while things have changed for Joe things will now change for Young. Joe just walked away, stopping on the ramp to say Young doesn’t belong in the same ring as him and if he does Joe will beat his ass.

    We then got an awkward cutaway to our opening match.

    ********

    Nia Jax defeated Tessa Blanchard

    Blanchard is back, having lost her debut at the Axxess NXT taping. However, her second match didn’t turn out much better as she took on the massive Jax who has only lost one match — to Bayley back at Takeover: London.

    Tessa went running off the ropes for a crossbody, but Nia just stood there, absorbing the blow and letting her crash to the mat. Nia laid her out with a corner splash, Samoan Drop, and won with the legdrop.

    ********

    A No Way Jose vignette aired to build up his Full Sail debut tonight

    ********

    Austin Aries defeated Tye Dillinger

    It is time for the Perfect 10! Mind you, Tye has been the Perfect 10 since July and has still yet to win 10 tv matches. Heck I don’t think he’s won five, but despite that the fans really get into the 10 gimmick. His win-loss record doesn’t seem to be improving since he’s squaring off with Aries tonight who is already the third former TNA Champion on the show tonight.

    Aries had a much better match here than with Baron Corbin since Dillinger is not a foot taller (and is also underrated as a worker). Aries used a slingshot senton into the ring and a slingshot corkscrew plancha out of the ring at one point, but Dillinger used a Fireman’s Carry where he dropped Aries head-first on the back of his knee for a very believable near fall. Dillinger pulled down his knee pad, but got hit with a Rolling Elbow and a 450 Splash and Aries is your winner.

    ********

    The Revival defeated The Hype Bros

    This match was set up last week when The Revival laid out Zack and Mojo after the faces defeated Blake & Murphy. This was a showcase match for Dash and Dawson as it was all about them, as opposed to being a serious back and forth match. Mojo got to run wild for 20 seconds on the hot tag, but got hit with the Shatter Machine out of nowhere  to give the former champs another win.

    ********

    Alex Riley was asked about his match with Shinsuke Nakamura next week. Riley said Nakamura is half his size, has no athletic ability, and when he punches Riley in the face Riley will punch him and his will be harder. He finished by saying next week is time to rage.

    ********

    No Way Jose pinned Noah

    Jose was already embraced by the crowd in his Full Sail debut. His opponent was only called Noah and he didn’t last long, getting pinned with a winding punch to the face and then a Full Nelson Slam.

    ********

    Aries was interviewed by Cathy, saying he is the Perfect 20. He said something seems off about Aries and people don’t know how to take him. He said he is going to take the initiative to become a bigger star.

    ********

    We got a Finn Balor video package, which included clips of Joe beating him for the title. It built up to promoting his return next week.

    ********

    NXT Champion Samoa Joe submitted Eric Young

    Young debuted less than an hour ago and now is in the main event, going one on one with the NXT Champion himself.

    This match was to establish Young as being on the same level as Joe. Early on, every time Joe would hit a move, Young would either reverse it or do the same thing just better. Joe dumped Young outside the ring, hit a big Suicide Dive and took over from there.

    Joe slapped him hard, which was the encouragement for Young to make his comeback, but towards the end of the match, Young just couldn’t put together multiple moves in a row and absorbed loads of punishment. Young took Joe over with a suplex that looked like a legit feat of strength and did hit his top rope elbow, but only got a 2 count.

    Joe countered out of a Young piledriver and hit his corner uranage before picking up the win with the Muscle Buster, followed by the Coquina Clutch. Joe refused to break the choke afterwards to prove a point to not only Young, but to the entire wrestling world that this is what happens when you try to face the NXT Champion.

    That does it for this week. Until we talk again, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!

  • WWE NXT results: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. The Drifter; Samoa Joe title win footage.

    • 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!

  • NXT TakeOver Dallas live results: Nakamura debuts; Finn Balor & Bayley defend their gold

    Friday’s NXT TakeOver: Dallas show on the WWE Network is one of the biggest the brand has produced up to this point with three big main events that sound great on paper, and should be great in execution.

    If given time, the top three matches have a chance of being some of the best matches this weekend will provide:

    – Reigning champion Finn Balor will defend the NXT title against Samoa Joe, a rematch from TakeOver: London event.

    – Women’s champion Bayley defends against Asuka, who has a ton of momentum since debuting.

    – Sami Zayn, who is making what will most likely be his last appearance on the NXT brand, will square off against a debuting Shinsuke Nakamura, who stunned the world by signing a WWE contract a few months ago after having a great run in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    – Austin Aries will take on the man who attacked him in his debut, Baron Corbin

    – Apollo Crews faces off against “The Drifter” Elias Sampson

    – NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival (Dash and Dawson) defend against American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan).

    Join us at 10 PM EST for our coverage!

    Apparently, the Apollo Crews/Drifer match was bumped to dark match status. Apollo won in what was said to not be a very good match.

    In case you were wondering, no, we didn’t have Triple H open this broadcast.

    NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival (Dash and Dawson) (c) vs. American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable)

    Crowd was really hot for this. Gable worked a lot of the match, and was the one being worked on as Jordan was waiting for a tag. They worked on him forever, though there were a few clever spots like Dash going through the ring and taking out Jordan just as Gable was going for a tag. They completely messed up a spot where the Revival were going for a powerbomb/clothesline off the top rope combo but didn’t get Gable up all the way and it looked really bad, and on top of that Dash went for a cover when he wasn’t the legal man and they just stood there for a few seconds, lost. “Botchamania” chants after that one. It picked right back up after that as Jordan was tagged and they went for a bunch of fun near falls that the crowd ate up. Gable had a bunch of clever nearfalls, he’s such a terrific athlete. They did a phantom tag as Gable had Dawson in the corner. Jordan surprised him with a spear, Gable tagged back in and hit their drop/suplex bridge finisher to win the titles. Good match despite the botch with some great heat.

    Jim Ross, Michelle Beadle, Funaki and, most interestingly, Kota Ibushi were shown in the crowd. Announcers specifically mentioned the cruiserweight tournament when talking about Ibushi.

    Baron Corbin vs. Austin Aries

    Corbin has a cool new jacket. I know Aries is on the small side anyway but Corbin absolutely dwarfed him in comparison. Aries started off hot but Corbin cut him off and got the heat on him. He’s really found himself in terms of agressiveness which I think he didn’t have even going back a few months ago, he continue to improve well. Aries made a comeback but Corbin laid him out with the deep six (spinning side slam) on the outside. He went for the End of Days but Aries countered with a roll up into a bridge and got the win. Right finish as it protected Corbin and Aries got the needed win in his debut. Pretty good match.

    Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

    Crowd went ballistic the minute Nakamura came out. Song, entrance, everything fit him and was instantly over. Crowd is SUPER into this, far beyond anything else on this card so far. Good back and forth between both throughout. Nakamura was extremely comfortable doing his own thing and did all of his trademark spots. He’s one of the best in the world in terms of charisma and presence and it was completely represented here Zayn did the big running senton to the floor. Great back and forth sequence. Nakamura’s nose was busted open. “We want strong style” chant. More back and forth until Nakamura hit the spinning clothesline, like from the G1 final from a few years ago. He transisitoned into a triangle. Zayn tried to counter but Nakamura escaped. Zayn got in the koji clutch but Nakamura countered out of it. Zayn went for the helluva kick but Nakamura  escaped and hit the reverse exploder and went for the boma ye but Zayn countered. Just great back and forth and the heat was incredible. Nakamura hit the knee strike to the back of the head then pinned Zayn with a high knee strike to the face for the win. Absolutely incredible match that is a surefire match of the year candidate. I think Nakamura’s going to be just fine in WWE.

    Nakamura and Zayn shook hands after the match. Zayn stood in the ring as people were chanting “Ole” and “Thank You Sami”. He left to his own music to a big reaction. 

     NXT Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Asuka

    Both women worked really well with one another and everything looked right on the money. A lot of back and forth. Asuka went for a kick but Bayley immediately latched on a kneebar in a cool submission. She worked on both Asuka’s knees. Asuka came back with the flying armbar and went into the seated position but Bayley countered with a roll up. Asuka latched on the Asuka lock, taking her to the floor. Bayley fought and fought, but eventually passed out and Asuka got the win, becoming the new Women’s champion. Crowd was stunned by this but ultimately cheered Asuka. Tough to follow the previous match but this was really good.

    Bayley looked dejected after the match. Asuka left the ring, stared at Bayley, then headed up the ramp, posing with the title.

    They showed Bobby Roode in the audience, so at the very least he’s on the radar.

    NXT Championship: Finn Balor (c) vs. Samoa Joe

    Balor came out with a chainsaw, I guess since it’s in Texas. Maybe he borrowed it from Dean Ambrose and will give it back after the match. Balor did a flying senton to the floor and Joe’s eye was immediately busted open big time, blood everywhere. It was actually from a headbutt sequence at the start of the match. Joe did a sick suicide dive to the outside. They had to stop the match several times as Joe’s eye was still bleeding, which the crowd didn’t like, chanting “Bulls***” and “F*** PG”. I don’t think it’s a PG issue but rather a a medical/commission issue. Some good back and forth once that was all cleared up. Balor went for the coupe de grace but Joe cut him off and hit the muscle buster for a nearfall.  Balor got back up and hit the coupe de grace then tried to follow with the Bloody Sunday DDT but Joe came back with the kokina clutch. They did the Piper/Bret finish from Wrestlemania 8 where Balor used the turnbuckle as leverage and bridged himself over Joe on the floor, pinning him. Heat and intensity was there, and it wasn’t bad but the constant stoppages hurt it from being really great.

    Joe looked both stunned and angry after the match, and simply left with Balor celebrating in the ring as the show ended. Another great NXT Takeover event, watch the Zayn/Nakamura match above everything else but each match was good to great in it’s own right.

  • 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: 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.