This week’s NXT television taping featured a number of newsworthy happenings. In addition to this noteworthy item, there was a big heel turn that took place during this week’s taping.
A match that featured NXT Champion Finn Balor defending his title against Apollo Crews took place at the NXT television taping on Thursday night in Winter Park, Florida, and featured a big heel turn from none other than Samoa Joe.
The Balor-Crews match ended in a disqualification as Baron Corbin hit the ring and attacked both Crews and Balor. This led to Samoa Joe coming out. Joe took out Corbin and then shocked everyone by attacking Balor. This was described by fans in attendance as a “real heel turn” with lots of heat from the crowd directed towards Joe.
The Balor-Crews title match and post-match Samoa Joe heel turn is scheduled to air as part of the November 4th episode of NXT TV.
Below are some photos of Samoa Joe’s post-match heel turn.
At Wednesday’s NXT Takeover: Respect special on the WWE Network, the first-ever “Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic” tournament winners were crowned.
The teams of Finn Balor & Samoe Joe, The Mechanics, Baron Corbin & Rhyno and Chad Gable & Jason Jordan advanced to tonight’s WWE Network special, with Balor and Joe eliminating The Mechanics in the opener, and the team of Corbin and Rhyno taking out the team of Gable and Jordan to advance to the finals.
In the finals, which were held in the co-main event spot of the NXT special, Balor and Joe ended up defeating Corbin and Rhyno, who put up a good effort.
Cody Rhodes came out to do the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic Cup presentation to Balor and Joe. He mentioned that tonight everyone is a “Rhodes” member as “The American Dream” theme music played and the fans echo’d chants of “Thank You Dusty! Thank You Dusty!” to close out the first ever Dusty Classic Tournament and move on to the 30-minute “Ironwoman Match” for the NXT Women’s Champion.
– WWE has announced that Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin will be one of the main events at the NXT event in Houston, Texas on Thursday, September 17th.
– The guest on this week’s edition of Jim Ross’ “Ross Report” podcast is former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts. The show will be available on Tuesday at 9pm EST. at PodcastOne.com.
– As reported over the weekend, WWE has created a new three-person faction called “Cosmic Wasteland,” which consists of Stardust and The Ascension. Konnor from The Ascension recently posted the following tweet praising Stardust, who appears to be the leader of the group:
– NXT stars Tyler Breeze and Baron Corbin will be on the road with WWE’s main roster this weekend’s live events from
– NXT’s Rich Brennan has been promoted and is now the lead announcer of SmackDown.
– On last night’s SmackDown, Seth Rollins reacted to Sting’s surprise return on RAW and their upcoming title match at WWE Night of Champions. Rollins vows to crush Sting’s “old bones to dust.”
– WWE recently applied to trademark the term “Cryme Tyme.” JTG and Shad Gaspard have been using the name “Crime Time”on the independent scene.
– WWE has published a video of former NXT Champion Sami Zayn, who says he’ll be out of action for a few more months as he recovers from his injury. Zayn told fans “don’t hold your breath” expecting him to return anytime soon. He also said he’s pulling for Finn Balor, who will defend the NXT Championship against Kevin Owens in a ladder match this Saturday night at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.
– Baron Corbin says he’s going to demolish Samoa Joe at Takeover: Brooklyn:
Following this week’s edition of NXT TV, below is an updated look at the scheduled lineup for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, which airs live on the WWE Network on Saturday, August 22nd.
NXT Championship (Ladder Match)
– Finn Balor (c) vs. Kevin Owens
NXT Tag-Team Championship
– Blake & Murphy (c) vs. The Vaudevillians
NXT Women’s Championship
– Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley
– Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Tyler Breeze
– Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
– Apollo Crews (formerly known as Uhaa Nation) will make his NXT debut
– Appearances by Hideo Itami and others are expected as well
– It was reported back in May that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon did not make this year’s Forbes list of billionaires, however it’s worth noting that Forbes’ profile on McMahon currently has his net worth listed at $1.21 billion, as of Wednesday, August 5, 2015. The profile does, however, note that McMahon “dropped off” this year’s billionaire list. You can check out McMahon’s Forbes profile at Forbes.com.
– The following matches were taped for tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the WWE Network.
* Charlotte vs. Bayley
* Baron Corbin vs. Steve Cutler
* Tyler Breeze vs. Aaron Solow
* The Mechanics vs. The Hype Bros
* Samoa Joe vs. Rhyno
As the road to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn continues the WWE Network presented yet another packed episode of WWE NXT taped in Full Sail University, Florida.
Below are the results:
– Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass
Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are shown backstage, mocking the other tag teams in the division.
A video package is shown to build up the Dana Brooke/Charlotte feud.
– Baron Corbin defeated Jesse Sorenson with the End of Days
Tyler Breeze visits William Regal in his office and demands a match at Takeover, Regal tells him to be careful what he wishes for.
– Jason Jordan & Chad Gable defeated Elias Samson and Manny Garcia (Levis Venezuela Jr.)
Devin Taylor is backstage with Dana Brooke and Emma. Dana says that she’s going to beat Charlotte and once again taps Devin on the head as she walks off.
A video package showing Bull Dempsey trying to get “Bull Fit” is aired.
– Charlotte defeated Dana Brooke with the Natural Selection
Samoa Joe is shown backstage talking about his goal in NXT is to win the title and talks trash about Rhyno and says that his future will end during their match next week.
Kevin Owens is shown backstage apologising to William Regal for striking him during the contract signing with Finn Balor last week.
– Kevin Owens defeated Martin Stone with the pop-up powerbomb and attacked him afterwards by planting him on the ring apron
– Blake & Murphy defeated The Vaudevillains to retain the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships
After the match, Alexa Bliss is left alone in the ring with The Vaudevillains, they allow her to leave unharmed but as she leaves she slaps them both across the face.
Former TNA Wrestling star Jesse Sorensen worked the NXT television tapings at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida this past Thursday evening.
Sorensen worked a match with Baron Corbin at the taping, which should air on the WWE Network at some point in the next four weeks as Corbin faced all “enhancement talents” during the tapings.
Additionally, former NXT talent Danny Burch (Martin Stone) worked the NXT TV tapings this week. Burch lost to Kevin Owens in a match that should air on the July 29th edition of the show.
– WWE announced that there will be NXT matches at the “Aftershock Festival” in Sacramento, California on October 24th and October 25th. Names advertised for the shows include Finn Balor, Sasha Banks, Baron Corbin, Charlotte and Blake & Murphy. For more, visit WWE.com.
– ROH issued the following press release today regarding the release of their new action figure line, which includes WWE Superstar and current NXT Champion Kevin Owens.
(Baltimore, MD – May 26th, 2015) – Get ready for the best wrestling figures on the planet! Ring of Honor Wrestling (ROH) and Figures Toy Company are proud to announce the official lineup for the debut series of ROH Wrestling action figures! Series 1 will feature four of the top names in Ring of Honor history, and this series marks the first time that any of them have been released in action figure form!
From “DemBoys” to a ruler of a Kingdom, ROH and Figures Toy Company will be releasing four major names to launch the line:
Jay Briscoe: The current Ring of Honor World Heavyweight Champion, Jay Briscoe is an ROH Original in every sense, including being the very first ROH match ever. With his roughneck reputation and the in ring skills to back it up, Briscoe is one of ROH’s most recognizable stars.
Mark Briscoe: Brother of Jay and another ROH Original. Together, The Briscoes wreaked havoc on the ROH tag division, and have held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championship an unprecedented 8 times! Now Mark and Jay Briscoe team up to make history once again as a part of the very first Ring of Honor action figure series.
Adam Cole: The former Ring of Honor World Champion, and the leader of The Kingdom. Cole’s brash attitude has not endeared him to the ROH fanbase, and now he has something new to brag about, as he’ll surely be flaunting his Ring of Honor action figure for all it’s worth.
Kevin Steen: The “Throwback” star in Series 1, Kevin Steen has a long and storied history in Ring of Honor. From his tag team with El Generico to wreaking havoc as the Ring of Honor World Champion, Steen has made a name for himself not only in ROH but throughout the wrestling world. He may not be raising hell in ROH any longer, but he is still a force on the rise, and collectors everywhere will be clamoring for their very first Kevin Steen figure.
The Ring of Honor action figures will be 6 inch tall figures with multiple points of articulation, and will be compatible with other wrestling figures on the market. Each figure will come packaged with assorted accessories such as realistic cloth clothing, figure sized title belts, and weapons. Each figure will be released in a resealable clamshell package. Figures Toy Company will be releasing pre-order information for Ring of Honor Series 1 action figures in the near future, so make sure to follow them on social media for updates on upcoming Ring of Honor products!
Follow on Twitter: @RingofHonor, @figurestoyco and @wres_superstore
Instagram: RingofHonor, figurestoycompany and wrestlingsuperstore
Facebook: RingofHonor, Figures Toy Company and Wrestling Superstore
– In addition to the previously reported Chris Jericho vs. Finn Balor match scheduled for an upcoming WWE live event, Jericho is also officially booked to work a match against “King” Bad News Barrett at the San Diego live event on Friday, July 31st.
– Tommy Dreamer, who worked the NXT live events in Philadelphia and Albany this weekend, losing to Baron Corbin at both shows, acknowledged the fact that he appeared on a NXT show and a TNA show (Impact Wrestling) on the same night this past Friday. Dreamer compared it to Rick Rude appearing on RAW and Nitro on the same night during the Monday Night Wars. He tweeted the following:
I appeared on @IMPACTWRESTLING & @WWENXT last night. I'm just like Rick Rude minus the muscles & abs. What I'd like to have right now is..
– Speaking of the NXT Albany event on Saturday night, Triple H tweeted the following photo of Kevin Owens making his entrance for the triple-threat main event with Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze, which he went on to win via pinfall.
– Solomon Crowe debuted new theme music at the NXT television tapings on Thursday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Fans will get to hear the new theme when his match with Baron Corbin airs on the May 13th edition of NXT TV.
– Speaking of last night’s NXT tapings, WWE had the new Performance Center female recruits work matches against the NXT Divas during the show. If the matches make it to air, they will be included on shows that air in May. The new male recruits from the Performance Center worked as security guards in an angle during the taping involving Rhyno.
– Seth Rollins and Kane are featured in this week’s edition of SmackDown Fallout, which you can check out below.
– WWE recently applied for a number of new trademarks. WWE has applied to trademark the term “Superfriends Crew,” possibly for a new stable. They also applied for “New Face of Fear” for Bray Wyatt, “Lone Wolf” for Baron Corbin, “The Vigilante” for Sting, “Anti-Diva” for Paige, “The Beast Within” for Brock Lesnar, and other terms such as Starrcade, Halloween Havoc and WWE Nation.
– UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey has signed with Dany Garcia, The Rock’s ex-wife and business partner, to be her new business manager. With a budding movie career (Fast 7, The Expendables 3) and a new book coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.
It’s worth noting that Rousey and The Rock also share the same agent, Brad Slater.
– It’s believed that stipulations will be added to the Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton WWE title match and John Cena vs. Rusev U.S. title match at the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view. Also expected for the PPV is Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler in singles action, and either Big Show vs. Roman Reigns or Big Show & Kane vs. Roman Reigns & Ryback. Already scheduled for Extreme Rules, in addition to the two aforementioned title matches, is an Intercontinental Championship bout between Daniel Bryan and Bad News Barrett.
– WWE referee Scott Armstrong celebrates his 56th birthday today. Armstrong was born on March 4, 1959. Also celebrating birthdays today are former WCW star Crowbar (41) and former TNA Knockout Sarah “Sarita” Stock (36).
– WWE taped the following matches for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network.
Adam Rose comes vs. Tyler Breeze
Blake and Murphy vs. Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins
Baron Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Solomon Crowe vs. Bull Dempsey
Charlotte vs. NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks
– Toronto Blue Jays MLB players Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez were among those that Roman Reigns was taking pictures with in the crowd during Daniel Bryan’s match on this past Monday’s RAW.
– There’s talk within WWE right now of pairing NXT Diva Zahra Schreiber with Baron Corbin because they both have a lot of tattoos. Zahra is the same NXT Diva who was involved in the Seth Rollins nude photo controversy last week.
– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:
February 12th in Abu Dhabi drew 5,000 fans
February 13th in Abu Dhabi drew 4,700 fans
February 14th in Abu Dhabi drew 4,500 fans
February 14th in Tampa drew 7,000 fans
February 15th in Ft. Myers drew 4,500 fans
February 13th in Ft. Pierce for NXT drew 530 fans
February 16th in Orlando for RAW drew a sellout of just over 12,000 fans
February 17th in Ft. Lauderdale for SmackDown drew 8,000 fans
Last night, NXT held their fifth special event, entitled Rival. It was a night of change, as two titles changed hands and a new number one contender was crowned.
The jewel of the night was easily the main event, where fans saw Kevin Owens destroy his former friend Sami Zayn and snatch away the NXT Championship almost as quickly as he won it. The match started off well, with Owens initially playing the cowardly heel, leading to an impressive spot where Zayn leaped over the referee and top rope in order to take out Owens.
In all, the match was booked perfectly. There was some great in-ring psychology between the two, as Zayn injured his head at one point in the contest after performing a moonsault to the floor. While being checked out by the medical staff, Owens capitalized, hitting multiple powerbombs before the referee was forced to stop the contest. In the end, the juxtaposition of Owens laughing and celebrating his victory while Zayn lay motionless was the perfect way to pass the title to Owens while furthering the “broken friendship” storyline.
The other title change involved Sasha Banks finally capturing the NXT Womens Championship from Charlotte in a fatal four-way match. Anyone who’s seen Charlotte and Sasha compete over the past few months knew this wouldn’t disappoint and it certainly didn’t, as each competitor had some time to shine.
One of the more impressive moments was Charlotte performing a diving crossbody to take out all three of her opponents. Overall, it was nice to see Sasha pick up the victory, and ultimately the title, by pinning the champ in the middle of the ring.
WWE has published interviews with Baron Corbin, NXT Tag Team Champions Blake & Murphy and newly crowned NXT Champion Kevin Owens after their big wins at NXT TakeOver: Rival.
In case you missed the show, check out our NXT TakeOver: Rival Results, including video clips from each match.
Here are the interviews:
Baron Corbin reflects on his match with Bull Dempsey
Blake & Murphy welcome all challengers
Kevin Owens lets his NXT Championship victory sink in
The following are results of the NXT TakeOver: Rival special, which aired live on the WWE Network on Wednesday, February 11, 2015.
– Hideo Itami def. Tyler Breeze in an excellent opening match. This was a solid match to kick off the special. The crowd was hot for it throughout. In the end, Itami picked up the “W” with a running kick to the face.
– Baron Corbin def. Bull Dempsey in a No DQ match. Dempsey dominated a lot of the action throughout the majority of the match, however in the end, Corbin hit his End Of Days finisher for the 1-2-3.
– Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy def. The Lucha Dragons to retain the NXT Tag-Team Championships. This was a solid tag-team match with a ton of fast-paced, high-flying spots. In the end, Blake hit a top rope frog splash on Sin Cara for the pinfall victory.
– Finn Balor def. Adrian Neville to become the new number one contender to the NXT Championship. Balor did his elaborate entrance, which as usual, received a big reaction from the crowd. Neville dominated a lot of the action throughout, including multiple believable near falls, however in the end, Falor hit a giant double foot stomp off the top rope to score the win.
– As noted recently, Randy Orton has been advertised locally to return at several of the past WWE television tapings, but was held back due to creative decisions made by the company. Orton is being advertised for the February 16th edition of RAW in Orlando, which is the Fast Lane “go-home” edition of the show. With Orton scheduled to return in time for a program at WrestleMania 31, one would assume that if he doesn’t return on the 2/16 RAW show, he will be returning either at the pay-per-view itself, or at RAW the following night.
– The following matches were taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:
– Emma vs. Carmella
– Adrian Neville vs. Baron Corbin (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender’s Tournament)
– Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
– Hideo Itami vs. Finn Bálor (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender Tournament)
– Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville vs. Kevin Owens and Tyson Kidd
Check out the official video promo for tonight’s NXT show below.
– It was announced on this week’s episode of NXT that Sami Zayn’s NXT Championship will be on the line when he battles Kevin Owens at the next live NXT TakeOver special on February 11th. After Kevin Owens refused to sign his contract to fight Zayn because the title was not going to be up for grabs, NXT General Manager William Regal announced that it will be a championship match.
– The NXT #1 Contender’s tournament continued this week, with Baron Corbin defeating Bull Dempsey and Adrian Neville defeating Tyson Kidd to advance. Next week’s episode will feature Neville vs. Corbin and Finn Balor vs. Hideo Itami in the semi-finals. The finals will take place at NXT TakeOver.
– Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake are the new NXT Tag Team Championship after defeating The Lucha Dragons on this week’s show. Murphy and Blake were interviewed after the win:
The WWE’s next generation was back in class last night, meaning it’s time to grade their performances. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, crowd involvement, and overall impact on the storyline. Important promos will also be graded based on entertainment value, believability, and originality.
Without further ado, here is this week’s NXT Report Card.
Tyson Kidd vs. Finn Balor
This week’s show kicked off in a big way, as two of the most talented athletes in NXT locked up. Balor came out firing, going for the diving double foot stomp just seconds into the match.
Kidd eventually took control and slowed the match to a methodical pace, at one point driving Balor through the barricade into about the third row. Balor eventually turned it around after hitting the move Alex Riley so eloquently described as a “floating, spinning neckbreaker of some kind.”
After delivering a kick to the head and hitting a somersault over the top rope to the floor, Balor dominated the rest of the contest (aside from a minor Kidd offensive), eventually picking up the victory after hitting a diving double foot stomp.
Result: Finn Balor wins via pinfall
Analysis: Most importantly, I think it’s awesome that Tyson’s gimmick is basically a guy who loves cats and Beats headphones. With that said, these two worked very well together. The action was fast paced for the most part, and it was nice to see Balor get the win. He definitely needed the win more, and as much as I love seeing Balor and Itami together, I’m hoping he starts his solo career in the near future.
The future of the WWE went to school last night, and I’m here to grade their performance. Matches will be graded based on usual factors such as workrate, in-ring psychology, crowd involvement, and overall impact on the storyline. Important promos will also be graded based on entertainment value, believability, and originality.
While this is supposed to act as a weekly report and recap for NXT, more importantly, it’s a place for you, the SEScoops readers, to discuss this week’s episode, dole out your own grades, and discuss the future of the product. Without further ado, here is this week’s NXT Report Card.
Adrian Neville/Kevin Owens Opening Promo
This was a pretty good way to start the show and the crowd really seemed to be into it. Neville did his best to make amends with the fans and put over Sami Zayn, saying things like, “We went to war” and “The better man won.”
Neville isn’t the strongest promo man in the game, but he did his best, even if he can be a bit redundant at times. Owens, on the other hand, cut an intense and articulate promo that seemed to have the crowd on the edge of their seats. Overall, it was a good way to start the show and set up the main event between Neville and Owens.
Grade: B+
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
This one started off a bit sluggish, with most of the early action consisting of Bayley throwing punches and not utilizing many wrestling moves. The action picked up toward the end, however, with the ending sequence being particularly impressive. The counter into Lynch’s finisher was fresh and it worked well with the in-ring psychology due to Bayley’s injured knee.
Sometimes things work out. Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins.
Other times, things don’t. Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Fandango.
After last week’s NXT Takeover: R Evolution special, which fans are still raving about a week later, it became crystal clear to me that WWE is developing a number of future Superstars that have the potential to lead the company into the next generation.
Today, we are going to look at ten current performers/acts in the NXT system that I feel have the best shot at achieving success on the main WWE roster. With that being said, lets jump right into the list at number ten….
#10. The Lucha Dragons
The Lucha Dragons — Kalisto and Sin Cara, two talents that as individuals could flourish, but as a unit, make up one of the best tag-teams in WWE’s developmental system. Their ring work is solid and entertaining. Crowd pleasing. The gimmick is another story, but unfortunately, with WWE being in the middle of their PG-era, gimmicks and characters such as these two are unavoidable.
With that being said, they are what they are, and that’s a great tag-team combination. They’re the Los Matadores, only better. That’s not a knock against them, despite the fact it could be seen as one. If they remain under their current gimmick, it’s pretty much a given that they’ll never reach past mid-card, comedy-team status, but like I said, we’re going to have that one way or the other. Since that’s the case, it might as well be two guys who are as talented as these two.
I think it’s a given that these two guys will eventually make it to the main roster, and equally as predictable is the way in which they’ll be used. They’ll be two guys in a tag-team division on the main WWE roster that isn’t worth much, but for whatever it is worth, these two guys have the potential to be among the top teams in the company. While that’s not saying much, it’s saying something, and in this day and age, you pretty much have to take what you can get if you’re an aspiring wrestler.
#9. Tyler Breeze
Much like The Lucha Dragons, I feel that Tyler Breeze is an extremely talented worker, but is unfortunately stuck in a lame-duck gimmick. On social media, I’ve read a lot of comments that makes it seem like fans are actually believers of the Tyler Breeze gimmick in the sense that it could actually go somewhere on the main roster.
I am not one of those believers.
I’m of the opinion that if Breeze jumps to the main roster and is used with the same exact character that he has now, it’s one that has a ceiling that comes with it. This type of character can only go so far. Think of talents like Fandango and Adam Rose and how they are positioned on the main roster, and you’ve got my opinion of how Breeze would be used in this type of role.
If they were to change his gimmick, he certainly has the potential to go further than this type of character would allow. He’s got the talent in the ring, he has a unique charisma about him and he’s got a great look. His promo work is decent, nothing to ride home about in my opinion, but he’s got enough tools to work with that if he was given a different type of character, it would be interesting to see how far he could take it. Maybe if they started a character-change in NXT and let it grow a bit, that would be the route to take in terms of preparing him for a call up to the big leagues.
Whether or not that ever happens is another subject entirely.
NXT Takeover: R Evolution Results Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida December 11, 2014
– Corey Graves announced that his in-ring career was over and that he was retiring due to concussions. However, it was revealed that he is joining the NXT announcing team. He makes his debut tonight.
– Kevin Owens def. C.J. Parker in the opening match on the show. The fans were heavily into Owens throughout the match. Owens ended up getting busted open pretty badly near the end of the match, likely from a palm strike from Parker. It looked like he may have suffered a broken nose. In the end, Owens picked up the win with a big power bomb for the 1-2-3.
– The Lucha Dragons def. The Vaudevillains to retain the NXT Tag-Team Championships. This was a fun match with a lot of high-spots and high-flying offense. The finish saw Kalisto hit the Salida del Sol on Simon Gotch for the 1-2-3.
– Baron Corbin def. Tye Dillinger in a quick squash. The fans did the routine where they count from the opening bell. The count died down when it got past 30, although the match didn’t last much longer than that. Corbin hit Dillinger with the End Of Days for the pinfall victory. After the match, he and Bull Dempsey, who was in the front row, had a long staredown.
– Finn Balor & Hideo Itami def. The Ascension in an awesome tag-team match. Balor’s entrance alone garnered “this is awesome” and “marking out” chants from the fans at Full Sail University. He had the head gear and the full-body paint, etc. The finish in this one saw Balor and Itami both hit a double-foot-stomp off the top, with Balor scoring the pinfall.
– Charlotte def. Sasha Banks to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. This was an excellent NXT Women’s match that had a lot of positive chants from the fans, such as “this is wrestling!” In the end, Charlotte hit the Natural Selection for the pinfall victory to retain the title.
– Sami Zayn def. Adrian Neville to become the new NXT Champion in the main event of the evening. This match tore down the house, exactly as you would expect. Zayn hit his big running boot to the face in the corner for the pinfall victory after a bunch of teases with ref bumps, which at one point actually led to the fans chanting “this ref sucks.” Lots of cool spots throughout this one and lots of intensity from the fans in attendance. After the match, the entire NXT roster, including Pat Patterson, came out to congratulate Zayn. They put him up on their shoulders and it was a big, giant celebration.
As Zayn was at ringside taking in the moment, Kevin Owens came out to congratulate his friend once again. He then viciously attacked him, reigniting their classic rivalry. Owens power bombed the new NXT champion onto the ring apron and the show closed with Zayn selling the attack.
Overall, an excellent show that showcased NXT’s unbelievably talented top stars.
coming out next month, it will be interesting to see what’s next from UFC’s most dangerous female fighter.