Submitted by Jared Walsh from the iWireless Center in Moline, IL
– Show opened with a video package promoting Wrestlemania. Eden Stiles was on the mic as the ring announcer.
– AJ Styles defeated the Miz via pinfall
Solid match to start the show. Miz opened the match by cutting a promo on the Quad City fans, letting them know how fat and sweaty they were. He then proceeded to beg off, complaining that AJ had previously knocked out his teeth and claiming he was getting recompense in this match. Miz drew a lot of heat after tearing up an AJ Styles sign held by a child in the front row. Lots of good action: Pele kick, AJ kicking out of the Skull-Crushing Finale, and AJ winning with the flying forearm.
– Darren Young and Jack Swagger defeated Curtis Axel and Adam Rose via submission
Rose and Axel opened with a promo stating that they’d be going viral and the fans were morons. Good back and forth action. Axel’s heel tactics were probably the highlight, as he interacted well with the crowd. He even told me to sit down and shut up on a few occasions. Swagger submitted Axel with the Patriot Lock after hitting the Swagger Bomb on both Rose and Axel.
– Kalisto defeated Wade Barrett via pinfall to retain the U.S. Championship
Barrett dictated the pace for much of the match with all sorts of unsavory tactics. Barrett worked the referee very well, holding until the five count on holds and refusing to break until then. Kalisto stole a victory after hitting the Salida del Sol as he dodged a Bullhammer.
– The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods with Big E at ringside) defeated the Usos and the Dudley Boys via pinfall in a triple threat tag match to retain the Tag Team Championship.
New Day opened with a scathing promo on the citizens of Moline, calling them the “butthole of the Midwest” and commenting on the unwashed nature of Midwest females. Lots of shenanigans before this bout began, as New Day and the Dudleyz really played to the crowd. Match was mostly shouting back and forth between the teams, but very entertaining nonetheless. The Usos stood tall after the match, as New Day quickly retreated and the Dudleyz sought to inflict punishment on the Samoans, but dual superkicks sent Bubba and D-Von from the ring.
INTERMISSION
– Charlotte (without Ric) defeated Becky Lynch via pinfall to retain the Divas’ Championship
Lots of good wrestling early in the match, highlighted by deep, Steamboat-like arm drags from Becky. Charlotte attempted to walk out on the match, but was chased down and dragged back by Becky. Very good action in this match throughout, and the fans were very into Becky during the course of this bout. Charlotte won the match with a school boy while pulling the tights after escaping from the Dis-arm-her. Glad to see no lasting effects from Charlotte’s injury scare last week.
– Sheamus defeated Neville via pinfall
This match was back and forth, and Sheamus was kind enough to respond to the multitude of “You Look Stupid” chants by telling the fans that they, in fact, were the ones who looked stupid. Neville hit a few high spots, including a flying crossbody to the outside and a standing shooting star press, but failed to capitalize on his opportunity to hit the Red Arrow. Sheamus won with a Brogue Kick after kicking out of a school boy.
– Dean Ambrose defeated Kevin Owens via disqualification in a match for the Intercontinental Championship
Very physical match between these two competitors. Owens worked Ambrose’s knee from the onset of the match after an awkward landing from the top turnbuckle by Ambrose. Dean sold it well throughout the match, earning a lot of sympathy from the fans and was probably the most over wrestler of the night. Owens attempted to hit Dean with a chair, but was stopped by the official and kicked out of a near fall after a quick roll up. Owens then tried to exit the match, but was pulled back in by Ambrose.
Owens was disqualified shorty after for not breaking after the five count while Ambrose was hung up on the turnbuckle. Owens got on the mic to let everyone know he was still the champion and is the greatest WWE Superstar of all time, but was interrupted by a Dirty Deeds from Dean to send the fans home happy. I was exceedingly impressed as Dean continued to sell the knee even after the match as he celebrated with fans at ringside.
Final Thoughts:
An enjoyable, entertaining show overall in Moline. The house show atmosphere is quite different than that of televised shows, as the wrestlers are afforded more of an opportunity to be themselves, interact with the crowd in unique ways, and put on a great show.
– Darren Young & Jack Swagger beat Adam Rose & Curtis Axel
– U.S. Champion Kalisto def. Bad News Barrett
– WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day def. The Usos and The Dudleys in a three-way
*Intermission
– Divas Champion Charlotte def. Becky Lynch
– Sheamus def. Neville
– Dean Ambrose def. I-C Champion Kevin Owens by DQ in a street fight when Owens was DQ’d for not letting go of a hold in time.
Notes:
– Lot of Owens and Ambrose merch being sold before the show.
– Leading up to the event, the match with Kalisto was advertised as against Alberto Del Rio for the U.S. championship. Right before the match was supposed to start, Barrett appeared on the arena screens and did a small promo which I imagine was him explaining why he would be facing Kalisto instead of Del Rio, but it was really hard to hear.
– “Let’s go Barrett/Barrett sucks” chants during his match. Interesting that he seemed to be the most polarizing guy there last night just based on crowd reaction.
– New Day cut a pretty good promo before their match. Basically a typical heel promo talking about how Big E was smart to get out of Iowa and that the Hawkeyes football team sucks now, referencing their loss in the Big 10 Championship game last December and the Rose Bowl. Got them good heat. Big E was covering his ears the entire time Kofi and Xavier were badmouthing the Hawks.
– Crowd popped huge for Dean. Not really unexpected, but it was the one guy everybody cheered for pretty unanimously.
NXT is in Largo tonight for a sold out show. Approximately 250 in attendance.
Mojo Rawley beat Alexander Wolfe
People were, in fact, hyped for Mojo. Everyone was cheering and encouraging his antics. Wolfe gets the “wienerschnitzel” chant to mock him, and allows Mojo to taunt him as well. Mojo hit his usual running spots and picked up the win.
Emma beat Aliyah
All Emma here, won it with the Emma Lock.
Levis Valenzuela beat Alex Riley
Levis hit the windup punch for the win.
Sami Zayn beat Manny Andrade
Excellent match that on par with their recent first encounter in Tampa. Everything these two do is crisp and smooth; just brilliant wrestling. This was all what you’d expect: teased dives, a moonsault from Manny into a standing moonsault when Sami rolled back. Zayn hits the Exploder and Helluva Kick for the win.
The Vaudevillains beat Kenneth Crawford and Patrick Clark
The Vaudevillains entered to their face music despite being the heels against the fresh new faces of Clark and Crawford. A few athletic hope spots yet it was mostly a showcase for the Vauds.
Apollo Crews beat Angelo Dawkins
This was an entertaining match. As per usual, Dawkins was jaw jacking with no one in particular. Apollo snatched his headband to taunt him. Some strong man slow lift spots by Crews, followed by his firy comeback to set up the win with his big slam.
– Chris Girard in-ring promo. He says he’s been a professional wrestler for 8 years and now he’s an NXT Superstar. He let us know he is the best wrestler here and vows to be champion.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Nia Jax
Slow paced match with Nia methodically working over Bayley, save for the ocassional hope spots. Nia used the over the top shoulder breaker, The Rock’s old finisher. At one point, Bayley ended up on Nia’s shoulders in the doomsday position and was able to roll forward to the mat and win via roll up.
NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival beat American Alpha
This was a good tune up for the NXT Dallas show. They did all the expected spots and of course, they built to a Jason Jordan hot tag. He ran wild, dropped the straps, took care of both men, and set up the assisted German suplex on Dash. But, Dawson held Gable’s feet from the outside which allowed Dash to fall on Gable and steal the pin.
Post-match, the entire locker room met The Revival in the entrance way, threw them back in the ring, surrounded the ring and pounded on the mat while the two teams had an intense staredown and brawl that finished with stereo ankle locks applied by Jordan and Gable. The locker room left as American Alpha celebrated.
Classic Miz promo about getting his tooth knocked out by AJ, AJ comes out and beats him in a really good match with near falls, winning with the Calf Crusher. AJ got biggest pop of night.
Social Outcasts (Adam Rose and Heath Slater) vs. Dudley Boys
Dudleys as faces win with a 3D
Baron Corbin vs. Fandango vs. Viktor of The Ascension
Corbin got an ‘NXT’ change. Fandango was the face. Corbin won.
Luke Harper and Erick Rowan vs. Neville and Kane
Kane hits Harper with the chokeslam and then tags Nevile who hit the Red Arrow for the pin.
Sasha Banks & Natalya & Becky Lynch vs. Team BAD and Cameron
Cameron fit in well with Tamina and Naomi. Becky and Sasha were even in popularity. Sasha pulled out the Banks Statement and Naomi tapped out.
Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores
Lucha Dragons got a huge pop as usual and won a good match with the Matadores.
Chris Jericho vs Bray Wyatt (w/Braun Strowman)
Back and forth match the whole time and Jericho really performed great. Jericho got in the Walls of Jericho and hit a Lionsault. Strowman tried to distract Jericho on the apron, but Jericho sidestepped a charging Wyatt, sending him into Strowman and then hit a Codebreaker for the pin and win.
Submitted by Max Schwager of WrestlingInfos.de from the SAP Arena in Mannheim, Germany (2/12)
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose defeated Rusev (w/ Lana) via Dirty Deeds in 15:00.
– Cesaro and german musician Eko Fresh were in the ring. Cesaro announced tonight’s main event: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio in a street fight.
– Jack Swagger defeated Tyler Breeze via Patriot Lock in 10:00.
– Goldust defeated Bo Dallas in 01:00. Dallas protests after the match, challenges anyone in the back to a match. R-Truth answers.
– R-Truth defeated Bo Dallas via Lie Detector in 00:10. After the match, Truth and Goldust had an dance battle. No winner was announced.
– The Big Show & The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) defeated WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) via chokeslam from Big Show to Big E in 10:00. Usos facepaint was in black-red-gold.
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte (c) (w/ Ric Flair) defeated Paige via roll-up in 10:00 in a non-title match with Summer Rae as special ref.
– Dolph Ziggler defeated Kevin Owens via superkick into the ZigZag in 12:00.
– Roman Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio via spear through a table in a street fight.
Submitted by Max Schwager from the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany (2/11)
– Dolph Ziggler defeated Kevin Owens via Superkick (10:00).
– Cesaro was in the ring. He announced tonight’s main event: Roman Reigns vs. Alberto Del Rio in a Cologne Street Fight.
– Jack Swagger defeated Bo Dallas via Patriot Lock (10:00). Neither guy got a reaction.
– Goldust defeated Tyler Breeze via powerslam (2:00). Again, neither guy got a reaction. Breeze protests after the match, challenges anyone in the back to a match. R-Truth answers.
– R-Truth defeated Tyler Breeze via Lie Detector in five seconds.
– WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose def. Rusev (w/ Lana) via roll-up (15:00). The crowd chanted “We want Lana”. She answered with “That’s nice, but I don’t like you”.
– WWE Divas Champion Charlotte (w/Ric Flair) def. Paige via Natural Selection (10:00) in a non-title match. Summer Rae was special ref and was very slanted toward Charlotte. At one point, he pulled the “I can’t count because my hand hurts.” After the match, Paige put Summer Rae in the PTO.
– Big Show & The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso) defeated WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) after Show hit the chokeslam on Big E. (10:00). Big Show was super over.
– Roman Reigns def. Alberto del Rio in a Cologne street fight after hitting the spear.
– AJ Styles b The Miz by submission with the calf crusher. AJ was super over.
– Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady (w/ Carmella) b The Ascension. Seemed like most of the crowd knew Enzo and Cass.
– Jack Swagger b Curtis Axel by submission with the Patriot Lock.
– The Lucha Dragons b Los Matadores. I guess Sin Cara is healthy again.
– Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) b Rusev (w/ Lana) in a short match.
– Divas Champion Charlotte b Becky Lynch to retain in the only title match on the card. Solid work from these two. With the referee distracted, Charlotte poked Becky in the eye and pinned her with a handful of tights. Daddy would be proud.
– Ryback & The Usos b WWE Tag Champions The New Day (w/ Francesca II) in a six-man.
– Roman Reigns b Alberto del Rio. Pretty good, easily the longest match of the night. Del Rio pulled out a table during the match but they never used it.
The Dudleys and Titus O’Neil vs. The Social Outcasts (Rose and Slater) and Fandango
Bubba worked the crowd hard and had a fine 10 minute 6 man tag to get the crowd going. Dudleys and Titus went over with a 3D.
Goldust vs. Darren Young
This match was very quick with Young working heel. There wasn’t very much offense going on. Goldust won with a quick rollup.
Team B.A.D. (Tamina and Naomi) vs. Paige and Natalya with Alica Fox as the special guest ref
Natalya, notably, got a huge pop. B.A.D. was on the offense the entirety of the match, until Nattie got the hot tag and threw on a sharpshooter onto Naomi. Fox then kicked Nattie in the back of the head to end the match in a no contest. B.A.D. and Fox gave a beatdown on both Natalya and Paige before Sasha Banks came in with the save. She helped even the odds, and put on the Banks Statement on one of them while Paige and Natalya put on sharpshooters in stereo.
Tyler Breeze vs. Dolph Ziggler
This was the match of the night. Breeze came out first with the biggest pop of the night. People went ballistic because hometown boy. Ziggler also got a huge pop, but had a lot more boos. Five minutes into the match, Ziggler realized that the fans were cheering hard for Breeze and started playing heel. He started to show mannerisms of his Show Off character, including more hip shaking and mocking Breeze resting on the turnbuckle. It was a very fast pace finish with Ziggler going for a Sweet Chin Music, blocked by an Unprettier, then countered by a backslide pin, which was then followed by a back and forth of pinning combinations.
People were freaking out at every nearfall, which chants of “This is Awesome” filling the SOEC. Ziggler finally won with a Zig Zag, to a huge applause. At the end of the match, Ziggler helped Breeze’s up and was trying to shake his hand. After hesitation, he finally did but then immediately super kicked Ziggler. Breeze got a huge cheer and knocked Ziggler out. The ref came and did the arm raise thing, then on the third arm raise it stayed up. Ziggler spaghetti legged to his feet and walked to the back.
Intermission
R-Truth vs. Stardust
It started with a flurry of ‘CODY’ chants. R-Truth would play to this. He got a microphone and was doing a “remix” where half the crowd was saying Wassup, the other one screaming Cody. It was a fine back and forth, Stardust took of a glove and was whipping Truth with it. Truth took it and started whipping back. Truth won after his flatliner maneuver that I cannot remember the name of. For some reason, a fellow hated Stardust. Like, truly despised him. He would come from his seat in the middle of the floor, run up to the rail and throw up double birds. I did not see what happened or what caused it to happen, but he was tackled and forcefully escorted away.
The Wyatts (Harper and Rowan) vs. Kane and Big Show
I will be honest, I haven’t been paying complete attention to WWE programming, but Harper was flexing on everyone and everything.After hitting a move, he would flex on Kane or Big Show. Kane was in the ring and getting beatdown most of the match, Show hot tagged in and threw the Wyatts around. it ended with Kane chokeslamming Rowan, and Show chokeslamming Harper.
WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
People went nuts for Ambrose. It was a fine back and forth match, but I and a quarter of the audience was checked out. There was a little bit of frustration before them because Owens, who was advertised before, was not there. The rumour was that he was bumped for Breeze. Anyway, after an Sister Abigal attempt, Ambrose spun around and hit a double underhook DDT for the win and retained the belt.
Submitted by Thomas Green from Indianapolis, IN – Old National Centre Egyptian Room
Asuka def. Emma via submission with the Asukalock (crossface chicken wing)
This wasn’t as good as the Takeover: London match, but it was a pretty good opening match. They did a lot without having to do a lot, if that makes sense. No big bumps, no nearfalls, but lots of action. Asuka is so much fun to watch when it comes to finding unique ways to transition from spot to spot, and Emma’s no slouch. Can’t complain.
Blake & Murphy def. Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa via pinfall with their running suplex/frog splash combo
Blake & Murphy often get overshadowed due to the immense talent in NXT, but seeing them live on shows like this, you can tell how good they are. It’s like going to a WWE main roster live event and noticing how much more polished someone like a Kofi Kingston is than all but the top level indie guys. Blake & Murphy are always in the right place, everything they do looks good, and they’re good at interacting with the front row fans. Ciampa & Gargano showed so much poise and as technically good as they are on indie shows, they felt like WWE-level workers in the stuff between the moves. They worked the match in a way where, even with Blake & Murphy winning, it was designed to build to Gargano & Ciampa getting a big reaction doing their bow post-match. This wouldn’t blow anyone’s mind on a TV show, but you couldn’t ask for a more fun undercard house show match.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley def. Alexa Bliss with the Bayley-to-Belly Suplex
You can’t really put into words how special Bayley feels in front of the NXT crowd. After years and years of awful dudes catcalling even the best of female wrestlers on WWE shows, it’s refreshing to see an entire audience so emotionally invested in a female character. There were no rude comments that I could hear, nothing remotely sexual from any of the drunkards in the audience. Other than a couple of guys shouting that Bayley was “adorable”, this was a crowd that wanted to boo the bad guy and cheer their favorite on. Bayley’s work is something to behold live.
You don’t really notice it on TV, but she works in this way where she kind of moves like an ungraceful, awkward child at times (in a way that fits the character where you can tell it’s something she’s trying; not trying to bash her), but can kick it up to where she’s a credible champion wrestler. That probably reads really dumb to most people, but that is about the best way I can express that thought. Alexa Bliss isn’t technically on the level of most of the NXT roster of either gender, but she has absolutely stellar heel facials and is great at getting boos without having to do a thing.
After the match, Bayley called out Finn Balor to come in front of the audience, which led to Bayley doing Finn’s entrance (the video of which is all over the place online right now). It was interesting in that it kind of felt like a parody of those lame ECW angles where the valet would offer her “services” and the male wrestler would have to act like he was going to get some right in the middle of the ring, but it ended in a funny moment and a hug – and the audience LOVED it. I thought this was the evolution of wrestling on this level in a nutshell – an audience who, fifteen years ago, would’ve been chanting for the woman to do lewd things to the man, now going crazy because they’re doing goofy stuff and displaying genuine friendship. It was a really cool moment.
NXT Tag Team Champions Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson defeated American Alpha in a 2/3 falls match
Holy cow – I absolutely LOVED this match. I’m not a stranger to good live wrestling, but this might have been the single best tag team match I’ve ever seen live (and up extremely high on the best matches I’ve ever seen live). This felt like top-level 80’s teams with 2016-level athleticism, where they weren’t afraid to break from the formula and tell a different type of tag team story, but they didn’t have to do a million false finishes or do anything intelligence-insulting.
As graceful as Chad Gable looks on TV, he really is incredible to watch live. He’s at a different level from even the big name indie/Japanese stars when it comes to quickness and movement. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a pro wrestler be able to work as fast as he does with the quality of his wrestling. Saying all of that, Scott Dawson was the best overall wrestler in the match. He was able to keep up with Gable so all of his acrobatic and fast wrestling looked perfect, but also was a lot of fun to watch stooging from the babyfaces and filling the time between the stuff. This might be hyperbole, but watching these two at the beginning of the match felt like Satoru Sayama hooking up with Dynamite Kid in one of their earlier matches. As good as Gable is, Dawson is the heel he’s needed. There’s no one that Gable has worked that has been able to be on the receiving end of his stuff and make it look that good, while also providing the dimensions to the match that Gable is still learning how to perform. Gable & Dawson are absolutely perfect opponents and I hope eventually get a long singles run against each other.
Dawson gets the Arn Anderson comparison often, but I see a lot of Dennis Condrey in him too. It was like watching one of those old vets on nostalgia shows who still blows away most guys in wrestling with his basics, but with the athleticism of a young wrestler who almost never is at that level at the little stuff. Dawson also has the best-looking punches I’ve seen on a WWE show in a long time. He punches like Bobby Eaton; it’s crazy.
This was likely the only town NXT will run where Jordan is the more popular American Alpha member, as he wrestled for Indiana University and this is a crowd that is knowledgeable about stuff like that. He got “Hoo-Hoo-Hoosiers” and “IU” chants the entire match. Jordan reminds me of 1989 Rick Steiner, but with the charisma of a way more “with it” Sonny Siaki – in that he has a lot of Rock-like tendencies, but without that over-the-top next-level presence. I mean all of this as a compliment, but I can’t think of anyone other than Siaki to bring up.
I didn’t time it, but it felt like they went 30 minutes, with each fall timed out well (not the usual “two quick falls and a regular one-fall match” style that WWE does often). I don’t know how else to put it, but it really felt like a top-level 80’s top heel tag team wrestling a more athletic and more charismatic Steiner Brothers-type team, but with a few 2016 moves sprinkled in. Jordan & Gable are maybe the most natural and advanced WWE developmental homegrown guys out of developmental (meaning that most homegrown guys out of developmental don’t get this good until they hit the main roster and work with the top guys).
Even on Raw/Smackdown/PPV, most matches feel like someone put them together and they’re often going “step A, step B, step C…”. This didn’t at all, but they also did a lot of dynamic offense and innovative stuff. This was a house show in front of “smart” fans that knew this wasn’t even being taped for a video package for TV, and most of the crowd seemed to be biting on the American Alpha nearfalls. They did such a great job of building the drama. It was the absolute best of every single world with something to make most wrestling fans happy and a really hot crowd.
The short version: Gable pinned Dawson with a small package in the first fall, Dash/Dawson cheat to win the second fall, and then Dawson pinned Gable clean after a series of reversed cradles to win the third fall.
Nia Jax def. Billie Kay
The crowd needed a breather and they got it. This was the only thing on the entire show that felt like a “developmental” match. I feel bad saying this since I know how inexperienced Nia Jax is, but while the in-ring inexperience is obvious to anyone, she doesn’t even have the presence that you’d expect her to have with her look and the WWE presentation machine behind her. This might raise the ire of fans of women’s wrestling who have seen her for years, but Billie Kay looked just as green as Jax, with awful stutter-step kicks and awkward bumping. Even as an obvious breather match, this got way too much time. The crowd didn’t turn on it in unison like an Eva Marie match, but you could hear scattered “TAKE IT HOME” and “STOP THE MATCH” chants among the silence. This would’ve been the worst thing on an OVW or FCW show, let alone a card with all of these top workers and super-indie names.
Sami Zayn def. Baron Corbin and Samoa Joe in a three-way dance
A step above their TV match a few weeks ago, but mostly because they got to do a lot more with the finish here. As much as Bayley and American Alpha felt like huge stars on the NXT level, it felt like the audience saw Sami Zayn as a superstar on the level above everyone else (like when The Rock comes back on Raw and interacts with current roster members). All night, you could hear people all over the building only talking about how excited they were to see him in between the frequent “OLE!” chants, and the only person who could come close to the pre-match audience buzz before their music was Bayley. As great as he was on the indies (and even in NXT during the first chunk of his run), he really carries himself like a top superstar now coming out of the curtain. He has SO much confidence and poise. There were a lot of great wrestlers on this show, but he was the best at being a “star”.
Baron Corbin was a pleasant surprise watching work in-person. He’s not the best wrestler in the world, but the Corbin of a year ago (or even six months ago) wouldn’t have been able to hang on this level. His work was air-tight and he carried himself like a top guy. You can see why the WWE brass has high hopes for him. This is such a small thing, but even the way Corbin grabbed and worked a wristlock early in the match felt like you were watching an experienced good worker and not the bland factory-made developmental guy that everyone dumped on when he debuted. I’m not saying he’s anywhere near him on any level, but he kind of reminds me of a young Undertaker in how he moves and carries himself.
Samoa Joe was the weird one here. It was almost like the TNA house shows of yesteryear, where the audience would react to guys based on past glory and had no clue about the TV show. Despite the crowd knowing every other performer and their characters, Joe felt like they were reacting to the Joe of 10 years ago and not an “NXT Superstar”. It wasn’t good or bad, in that he did get a nice reaction coming to the ring. But it wasn’t overwhelming like you would expect it to be. Joe was moving a lot quicker and seemed more agile than he has in years, so clearly the fire has been lit underneath him.
They did a really creative finish, where everyone hit each other with rapid fire big boots before Joe dodged one from Corbin into the Kokina Clutch. Corbin backed Joe up into a corner for a rope break and Zayn hit them both with the Helluva Kick before covering Corbin for the win. Zayn gave a really nice “rah rah” speech after the match about NXT and definitely used language that felt like he was doing a farewell speech without giving away the big farewell (assumedly for Dallas). It was reminiscent of when they would do the goodbye speeches at the end of early Dragon Gate USA shows.
Notes:
The general admission situation was a complete nightmare. GA was standing room only across the back of the room, behind the back row of seats across from the entrance. GA was full enough that there were issues with people trying to get to their seats having to shove through the GA audience because the aisle gap to get to the seating was non-existent, as well as stationed security being in bad spots that blocked off some fans’ views. It didn’t ruin the night, but if NXT ever runs the Egyptian Room again, I hope something is figured out (whether it be bleachers, extra seating, etc.).
In terms of an overall show, it was at least an 8.5/10. Other than the bad seating situation, the NXT live experience is highly recommended. Again, great pacing and timing with a roster full of stars that the audience is invested in, and solid-to-excellent work up-and-down the card. I kind of feel like the show would have benefited from American Alpha/Dash & Dawson going on last, but the crowd probably would have felt ripped off if the biggest star (Zayn) went on in the middle and wouldn’t have reacted as well to the tag match. I just can’t emphasize enough how stellar Dash & Dawson vs. Gable & Jordan was. On a show of top-level wrestlers, they stole the show and ran away with it. I really hope they eventually get to do the 2/3 falls format on TV in some way. Even if they don’t, I’d have no problem seeing them work with each other a hundred times.
Also, this was probably the most well-timed wrestling show I have ever been to. I’ve been to plenty of Raw & Smackdown tapings with the mandatory commercial breaks and running times that didn’t run as smoothly as this. They started at 7:30 on the dot, and crossfaded the show intro music right into Asuka’s song so the high energy stayed up from the start. The main event ended at 10:00 PM on the dot. They gave a lot in two and a half hours, but it wasn’t like an indie show where everyone felt the need to do the biggest match possible and you’re tired after a marathon session.
