Hey, it’s WWE NXT! It’s somewhere between big and small and I don’t know what to make of that!
The show started with Sami Zayn coming to the ring to talk about what his next move would be now he’s back on active NXT duty after February’s live Takeover loss to Kevin Owens.
Zayn, in hipster jacket and hat, said it was good to be back and that he’d realised that the Kevin Owens that beat him was not the Kevin Owens he knew before NXT. He’d made peace with that had a plan.
The crowd chanted “KICK HIS ASS!” but Zayn said he would start by using his re-match clause to get his title back. “And kick Owens’s ass!” Good stuff.
Hey, it’s Rhyno! He’s fighting an unnamed Area Jobber (actually “Mr 450” Jesus de Leon)! The crowd love Rhyno and he seems to like being here. Why wouldn’t he?
Anyway, he won in, like, twenty seconds, after a clothesline and a gore. After the “match”, he cut a promo putting Zayn, Finn Balor, and Owens on notice. He said it didn’t matter who had the title, they’d get gored.
They showed a hype video for Dana Brooke. She’s here in two weeks.
After a re-cap of last week’s Owens versus Balor title match, they cut to Kevin Owens, backstage after the match. He looked fucked. He said that all that mattered was that he won and no-one will take the title from him.
Hey, it’s Bayley! She’s out to face Emma because Emma slapped her face off last week. She looks a bit off. Emma came out and DEFINITELY looked off. She danced half-heartedly, and teased skinning the cat but didn’t do it. Heel Emma is LAZY.
So they had a match. And it was a really odd match. Like two women who really didn’t want to be out there. Bayley won with a roll-through.
After the match, Bayley offered Emma a hand up and Emma smiled at her, but frowned when Bayley’s back was turned. Really weird.
Backstage, Devin Taylor spoke to Becky Lynch who was FURIOUS that she hasn’t had a shot at the NXT Women’s title. Just ask William Regal, that seems to work…
Hey, it’s Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy! DUBSTEP! They’re fighting the Lucha Dragons for the NXT Tag Team titles. The same Lucha Dragons that just debuted on Raw!
They had a decent match, and Blake & Murphy worked some good heel spots together. The Lucha Dragons hit their dives and popped the crowd, who were a bit flat all night. Blake & Murphy retained their titles with the running suplex and frog splash combination.
Backstage, Devin Taylor spoke to Sami Zayn but before he could say much he was interrupted by Rhyno, who told Zayn that the line for a title shot started behind him. Hopefully, afterwards, someone took Rhyno aside and explained re-match clauses.
Back in the arena, Tye Dillenger was out, ready to face Jason Jordan, because Jordan walked out on him a few weeks ago.
Jordan dominated early, with some amateur wrestling and hard elbows, but Dillenger came back. Jordan got the win with a suplex. Not bad.
They showed a video package for the Hideo Itami-Tyler Breeze feud. It’s been a long build. And a good build. They’re fighting in a two-out-of-three falls match next.
Hey, it’s Tyler Breeze! He came down to the ring with his furry selfie-stick. Itami came out next, and the announcers talked about his participation in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at Wrestlemania. At least there’s no Big Show on NXT.
Breeze had the edge early doors but Itami came back with a clothesline, and then his machine gun kicks. He hit a running dropkick for the first fall.
Breeze took the second by playing possum to lull Itami in and then hit the Beauty Shot out of nowhere to even things up. Total *lucha* pacing so far.
After a break, Breeze was stomping on Itami in the corner. He continued his domination but Itami dodged a dropkick and hit a high knee in the corner, and a tornado DDT.
Itami went up top but Breeze ducked out of the way. Itami ducked Breeze’s comeback and hit a clothesline for a nearfall.
Breeze blocked a suplex and almost got a pin with an inside cradle. They trade back and forth, and Breeze gets another nearfall with a Supermodel Kick.
Itami came back with more kicks, and then went for the hesitation dropkick into the corner. Breeze dodged it and attempted a Beauty Shot, with Itami dodged. Itami hit the hesitation dropkick but Breeze came back with a Beauty Shot out of nowhere for the win.
This was a good match. These two work really well together, but this should end their feud. It’s a shame that Owens is such a fearsome champion because I’d love to see a Breeze title reign.
This was a Good Show but a treading water show. There’s a lot going on in NXT right now and it’s almost like the show’s in a kind of holding pattern. Although that maybe because I can’t help but compare it to Lucha Underground which moves forward at breakneck pace.