Fun little comedy match, not a lot to it. The two teams did the chicken fight spot with Enzo on Cass’ shoulders and English on Gotch’s shoulders, and then Enzo and English had a fake boxing fight in the middle of the match with Gotch and Cass as the corner men. Got a nice “This is boxing” chant, rather than the “This is wrestling” chant. Cass got the hot tag, they won with the Rocket Launcher.
Carmella vs. Peyton Royce
Carmella isn’t very good, Peyton Royce got very little reaction but wrestled very well. Crowd wasn’t too into this, Carmella won with a Bronco Buster and then her flatliner/headscissors combo for the submission win.
Apollo Crews vs. Elias Samson
Drifter got booed to high heaven. Before the match started, he made the announcer hold the microphone so he could play his guitar and sing a song; I heard none of it because the crowd was booing and chanting “Shut the f*ck up” very loudly. Crews is great and why he isn’t a top guy on Raw is beyond me. This was an okay slow paced match, Crews won with his backdrop powerbomb.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss
Bayley was insanely over. She went out into the crowd twice before the match started to hug people and play with the fans. Fans did all of the Bayley songs that all of the other crowds have done, but I found it lame and annoying. This was a decent match, comparable to their TV match from a month or so ago, Bayley won with a Bayley to Belly out of nowhere.
Sami Zayn vs. Alex Riley
Sami was over like crazy, Riley was booed like crazy. Not much to this match at all. Riley got the heat, Sami made his comeback, won with the Helluva Kick. My section had a great time heckling Alex Riley.
Asuka vs. Eva Marie
Eva was also booed to high heaven and tried cutting a promo, but again I couldn’t hear anything over the boos. She is very very bad live. Yikes. She did a few suplexes that looked fine, but everything else she did, moves, strikes, selling, etc, was all bad. And I don’t know who decided to give Eva a 7 minute heat segment in like an 8 minute match, but that was not a good decision. Crowd had fun chanting “Is this wrestling” and “You still got it” to Eva, but I was very bored by this.
Samoa Joe & Baron Corbin vs. NXT Champion Finn Balor & Austin Aries
Joe and Corbin were out first and then Aries’ music hit and the place went crazy. I’ve not seen Aries wrestle much ever, but wow is he good. Him and Joe worked well together, Corbin did a good job with everyone. Corbin almost botched a tilt-a-whirl powerslam spot but saved it. Finn got a hot tag, and they did the spot where Joe has the choke, goes to lay down but Finn rolls out of it and hits a standing double stomp, but then sold the ankle after the move, so good little touch there for him if that was a sell job. Aries got the hot tag after that, cleaned house, and then Balor won after hitting a Bloody Sunday on Corbin for the win. They posed together after the match. This was definitely the best match of the night.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, it was a house show. A little disappointed no American Alpha or Dash and Dawson, and a little upset Sami didn’t wrestle someone better and have a better match, but it was fine. Last year in May in Philly, Bayley was over, but she was just a girl on the roster. Now, she has such an overarching fanbase and is so popular with everyone, including children. And she’s a great wrestler who is really developing a sense with the crowd and how to work with other people. She’s really a superstar. I’d say half the people tonight have so much talent and are capable of being megastars on the main roster. Just remains to be seen what they do with it.
From the Armory with estimated 150 in attendance. Good crowd tonight.
Hugo Knox beat Sawyer Fulton
A lot of kids were cheering for Hugo tonight with his dancing and party boy style. Sawyer was out with longer hair and a skunk trail. March was mostly Fulton wearing Hugo down until some flashy moves by Knox, a big dropkick and winning with a sunset flip.
Carmella beat Peyton Royce
The usual antics of these two with some comedy where Carmella took Peyton’s flower and moonwalked away from her. Carmella won with her STO and leg headlock for the submission.
Elias Samson beat Tucker Knight
Samson was out to sing a song about how he started in Palatka and how he wants to leave this crappy town. Knight entered to his live event fans singing songs for him about his silver boots. Samson was annoyed with people other than him singing so he was heckled with Drift Away chants. Finish saw Elias use the ropes to cheat and steal the pin.
Apollo Crews beat Alex Riley
This was a very good match where crowd was split. Dueling chants and pockets of fans cheering for both. Riley was on top of his game tonight, responding to hecklers with “I main evented WrestleMania 27!”. Was all Riley early, even connected on a superkick for a strong near fall late. Apollo fought back, fired up and hit his big slam for the win. Post match Riley asked for a handshake, Apollo accepted and Riley also raised Crews’ arm.
Enzo Amore & Big Cass beat The Vaudevillains
Vaudevillains enter first with their new/old heel music, Enzo and Cass received the largest reaction thus far and do their usual mic work. The heels worked over Cass a lot in this one so we got a chance to see an Enzo Amore firey comeback. He ran wild with a lot of running and knock down moves, was able to get Cass back in to finish the Vauds off before Enzo got the assisted splash for the win.
Levis Valenzuela beat Angelo Dawkins
Dawkins controlled most of the match and talked a lot of smack to no one in particular. Crowd was not familiar with Valenzuela so they weren’t sure how to react. Levis waged his come back and hit the wind up punch for the win.
– In ring promo with Manny Andrade who, in Spanish, says he wants to be the NXT champion someday.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley beat Liv Morgan to retain
A clean wrestling match between the two friends. The kids in the crowd were starting their own Bayley chants and overall, the crowd was very into Bayley’s offense. Liv had some athletic moves of her own including the Matrix and some roll through pin attempts. Finish saw a Belly To Bayley for the pin followed by Bayley embracing Liv in a show of sportswomanship.
NXT Tag Team Champions Dash & Dawson beat The Hype Bros to retain
The people were, in fact, hype for this match. Dash & Dawson were taunting fans at ringside with Mojo then putting the fans over. Classic heel work by the champions cutting off the ring and keeping Mojo and later Zack isolated. A big comeback by the hypes including a Broski Boot and an attempted Hype Ryder before the champions stole the pin with a roll up on Mojo while Zack was tied up in the ropes.
From the University Area CDC Gymnasium in Tampa, FL
The Hype Bros beat Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa with the Hype Ryder
A lot of silly dancing by Mojo and the crowd was in fact hype.
Tino Sabatelli beat Alexander Wolfe
This was was a much longer match than the two of them are used to.
Peyton Royce beat Aliyah
Royce won via submission with her new hold. She has been working singles matches lately and has done a good job.
Alex Riley beat Patrick Clark
This was a good match where Patrick even countered Riley’s finish in to what looked like an RKO. The place bit on the near fall and was really pulling for Patrick before Riley got the win.
Enzo, Cass, and Carmella beat Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss
It was billed as an intergender match, but that’s just NXT speak for a mixed tag match. Crowd was in to this, getting fired up for every tag and when Enzo hit the big splash for the win.
Sami Zayn beat Manny Andrade
Zayn won with the Helluva Kick in an excellent match. One of the best 1-1 live event matches I’ve ever seen. They did mat work early, both teased dives to each other to the outside, Sami with his flip back in to the ring, Manny with his Tranquilo Lounge on the middle rope. A huge Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall followed by some strong chops took us to the finish where Sami hit the Exploder in to the corner and ran in for the kick to win it. Post match Sami raised Manny’s hand and the two embraced.
– Dallas Harper did a promo about being 6’9″ and “Ohhhh so fine”. He was heckled by the crowd with a “Where’s Your Shirt” chant.
Nia Jax beat Adrien Reese
This was a short, painful match. Nia destroyed her.
America Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) beat NXT Tag Champions Dash and Dawson in a non title match
This was a very good match that got a lot of time. The action was well paced and the heels kept just enough heat on the faces to keep everyone rooting for them to wage their comeback. Gable scored the pin on Dash with the assisted suplex for the win.
– Hype Bros beat Blake & Murphy. During the Hype Bros celebration, Mojo Rawley picked up an adorable child and flew him like an air plane.
– Elias Samson beat Patrick Clark. Samson taunted the crowd with a song before the match.
– Liv Morgan beat Adrien Reese with a moonsault splash similar to Alexa Bliss’ finish but facing away on the top turnbuckle.
– Levis Valenzuela beat Steve Cutler. A lot of comedy and the fiesta rolls on.
– Jason Jordan & Chad Gable beat The Vaudevillains. Match of the night in the ring, these two teams work well together so that’s no suprise.
– Apollo Crews beat Tino Sabbatelli. These two have been having good matches lately.
– Interview segment w/ Mandy Rose. She was heckled, and “What?”‘d down while promoting Total Divas.
– Asuka beat Alexa Bliss via submission with the Asuka Lock.
– Sami Zayn, Enzo Amore, & Big Cass vs. Riddick Moss, and NXT Tag Team Champions Dash, & Dawson went to a no contest when Moss was apparently injured during a triple suplex spot.
The referee put up an X and the medical team assisted Moss. Sami let the people know Riddick said he’d be okay, and the good guys hit finishers on the tag champions to send everyone home happy.
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.
– They are expecting about 150 here tonight at the Bartow Armory in Bartow, FL.
Josh Woods beat Steve Cutler with a spinning kick.
A lot of heel work and jaw jacking by Cutler as he wore down Woods with head locks and holds. Woods took control, fighting back with strikes and hit a nice spinning kick for the win.
– Tom Phillips introduced King Constantine and Tom Kingdon for an interview. They proclaimed to be what real men should look like and they push the most weights in the gym. They even said the tag titles would not fit on them. They jokingly slapped Tom on the back which he sold with a face plant and the crowd followed up with a “You killed Tom!” chant. They were interrupted by Kenneth Crawford and Caesar who challenged them to a match.
King Constantine and Tom Kingdon beat Caesar and Kenneth Crawford via submission in a short match.
Kingdon got Crawford on his shoulder for a rack type submission.
Alex Riley beat Angelo Dawkins in a hard hitting match
They had dueling crowd reactions with Riley getting much larger cheers when he stood on the turnbuckles. Dawkins did a lot of crowd taunting and Riley shut him up and scored the pin.
Manny Andrade beat Chris Girard with the running knees
A lot of violent and aggressive action from Girard to try and keep Manny grounded. Big finish saw Manny armdrag Chris in to the corner and follow up with the running knees. Good match, Manny is winning over the local crowds.
Apollo Crews beat Elias Samson with the Too Easy standing moonsault
This was a tune up for Takeover Dallas. Elias put down Bartow, and did a lot of headlocks to wear down Crews. Samson was able to counter the moonsault once but not the second time.
– Tom Phillips announced that our main event would be a 2/3 Falls tag match between The Hype Bros and The Vaudevillains.
Hugo Knox, Tucker Knight, and Aliyah beat Tino Sabbateli, Riddick Moss, and Mandy in what was billed as an intergender match
Tino and Moss worked over Knight most of the match with some limited and safe interaction between the two women. Knox took the hot tag and scored the win for his team.
Peyton Royce beat Liv Morgan via submission
Royce won with some sort of hold from behind with her legs and arms involved. Haven’t seen it before and looked good.
The Hype Bros beat The Vaudevillains two falls to one
The crowd was very in to the Hype Bros and the Vauds were acting completely heelish tonight even using their old ominous music from the last time they were heels. Hypes took fall one, Vauds fall two, then had a good final fall of Mojo getting a hot tag, running wild and nailing the Hype Ryder for the win with Zack off the top for the pin.
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.
– Hugo Knox beat Tucker Knight with the split leg moonsault after an evenly fought match. Early on, they allowed the fans to decide who the favorite would be, and tonight, it was Hugo. Tucker wore Hugo down before a hot comeback and the flashy moonsault for the win.
– Adrian Reese and Mandy beat Aliyah and Daria. Reese controlled most of the match, and picked up the win in a pretty quick match.
– Riddick Moss beat Patrick from Tough Enough, making his NXT debut. Quick match. The crowd was behind Patrick for his comeback before Moss put him away.
– Elias Samson beat Chris Girard. Intense action by the former Biff Busick, grunting and laying in his holds. Elias took control and heckled the crowd. Samson picks up the win with his neckbreaker. Before the matc, Tom Phillips interviewed Samson who sings a song about how awful Lakeland is.
– Apollo Crews beat Tino Sabbateli with the standing moonsault. This is the match of the night thus far. Tino was impressive and was able to keep up with Apollo’s athletic ability. They traded reversals early on with Tino following up by taunting the crowd. By far, this is Tino’s best match which says a lot about Crews.
– Manny Andrade beat Steve Cutler with the running knees. Manny is winning over the locals with great moves and action.
– Tom Phillips interviewed Dallas Harper, the 6’9″ signee who was brought in last October. He was wearing classy attire with suspenders and a bowtie. He put down the fans and the town, saying he would not be shucking and jiving.
– Peyton Royce beat Liv Morgan. Royce took most of this match other than a few Morgan hope spots. These two worked well together.
– The Hype Bros beat The Vaudevillains in our main event with the Hype Ryder. This featured a lot of Mojo comedy including kicking a field goal out of Aiden English. Vaudevillains broke up one Hype Ryder attempt and almost stole the victory before the Hype Bros hit it and scored the win.
Submitted by Adam Kirby from the sold-out Minglewood Hall in Memphis, TN
Asuka over Emma
Solid back and forth with everyone over with the crowd which has been the case for every match. Crowd is electric for NXT’s first time in Memphis.
American Alpha over Blake and Murphy
Another very solid and competitive match. Already this show feels different from last Fall’s show in Nashville. This feels more like an ROH house show than a WWE house show, which the Nashville show in October felt like.
Alexa Bliss over Billie Kay
Not much here. Alexa worked over Billie Kay’s arm only to beat her with the sparkle splash. Alexa has definitely grown as an in-ring worker and had pretty fun crowd interactions. Alexa had most of the offense here and this was felt like a definite cool down match.
Samoa Joe over Sami Zayn
This continues the theme of the night of very competitive back and forth matches. Samoa Joe wins with the Coquina Clutch. Afterwards, extends a hand to Zayn only to flip him off instead. Very fun but short. Ready to see their next two matches on TV.
– Intermission. Dasha Fuentes is very good in her role tonight as announcer/time keeper. I’m impressed. Maybe it’s just because I was right behind her, but she was as into it as the wrestlers and ref. Great job.
NXT Tag Team Champions Dash and Dawson over Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa
Maybe the worst match of the show. Fell apart at the end with nobody knowing who was legal. Very much a whatever match. Great crowd interaction though.
NXT Women’s Champion Bayley over Nia Jax
Bayley hit the Bayley to Belly after a throw into an exposed turnbuckle. Good match, never quite reached the heights of their Takeover London match, but played off of that match with Bayley repeatedly going for the guillotine. Crowd was very into it.
NXT Champion Finn Balor over Baron Corbin
Decent and competitive match with Corbin controlling most of it. This guy was constantly getting boos and jeers about how much he sucks or can’t wrestle or is going bald. Constant interaction with all the shit talkers in the crowd. Match went outside with Balor hitting the dropkick into the barricade and then rolling Corbin into the ring for the Coup de Grace. Balor finished the show with a rendition of “Walking in Memphis” about going to the top rope and driving his feet into Baron’s throat.
Very fun show with a lot of good and interesting work up and down the card from everyone involved. Definitely catch the Nashville and Indiana shows this weekend if you can.
WWE has hired new talent, but there is at least one departure as well in the last day.
Bull Dempsey (James Smith) was released Friday, confirming via Twitter. “It’s been real @WWENXT. Amazing group of coaches and coworkers and a helluva boss. Thank you for the opportunity @TripleH. See ya down the road. That being said, I’m available for bookings, appearances, birthdays, bar mitzvahs and everything in between.” He also gave a Gmail address where he’s now taking bookings.
Dempsey had gotten a push on NXT TV in the past, portrayed as a tough guy and then as a comedy figure, making fun of his weight issues. He was an audience favorite, but you could see they had lost interest in pushing him in recent months, similar to what happened with Sami Callihan before being let go.
The new hire is Cathy Kelley, 27, who is the latest person from Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzz network to be hired by WWE following Ryan Katz, an NXT producer, and Daria Berenato, who came from Tough Enough and was the first member of last season’s cast to be put in live matches. She has wrestling experience as an interviewer of the Championship Wrestling from Hollywood television show.
