Hey, it’s WWE NXT! And it’s Disrespect Devin Night!
The show started with Finn Bálor coming out. He’s fighting Tye Dillenger, who is wearing a MASSIVE scarf. Seriously, this thing must have been ten feet long.
So they had a match, and Bálor dominated but Dillenger got some shine. Standard TV match. Bálor won with the Coup de Grace double foot stomp.
After the match, a Tyler Breeze selfie video appeared on the big screen, sarcastically congratulating Bálor but pointing out that Prince Pretty is very much his superior.
Backstage, Devin Taylor spoke to Dana Brooke, who treated Devin like a child and talked up her game. She’s the re-birth of the NXT women’s division, apparently.
After a break, we’re backstage with Devin again. This time she’s talking with Kevin Owens, who pretends not to hear her. DISRESPECT DEVIN NIGHT! He said that Alex Riley surprised him and put up a good fight in Ohio, but he won. And the same thing will happen tonight.
Hey, it’s Bayley! She came out, looking a tiny bit tentative, to take on Charlotte and Becky Lynch in a Triple Threat for the number one contendership to the NXT Women’s title.
And they had a hell of a match. Really, really good. Becky picked up the win when she pinned Bayley as Charlotte had Bayley trapped in the Figure Eight Leglock. Charlotte was angry at first but then seemed to appreciate the sneakiness of it.
CJ Parker with a sign saying “It’s Earth Day” (it was when this show aired), only the Earth was crossed out and replaced by “My”. It’s both a good and bad thing that Parker’s leaving – this is his last NXT match – because he’ll get some good experience which may sit well if (when?) he comes back, but I’d like to have seen a crazier, wilder CJP.
He’s fighting Hideo Itami tonight, and the announcers sell it as the first time we’ve seen him since Wrestlemania. Remember Wrestlemania? When he got rag-dolled out of the ring by a piece of shit?
So, yeah, Itami looked good here – CJ Parker, jobber to the stars – but there’s no programme for him right now. Sort that out!
Backstage, Sasha Banks congratulated Becky Lynch on her win but says she’s got no chance of beating her for the title.
Hey, it’s Rhyno! He won a squash match against an unnamed Jesús De León in forty-five seconds. The crowd loved it.
Now, while I went searching for his opponent’s name in that Twitter thing, I saw a lot of people questioning why we get Rhyno squash matches on NXT when it’s a development territory. Here’s the thing: Rhyno has a cache. But it’s not bottomless. So you need to build him a little to make it mean more when the development talent beat him. Professional Wrestling 101.
Backstage, Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy serenaded Carmella. They’re really bad at singing. Of course. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady chased them away and got mad at Carmella for wearing the jewellery that Blake & Murphy bought for her.
“You never get me jewellery!” said Carmella, to which Enzo replied, “Get you jewellery? I got you a job!” Gold.
Hey, it’s our main event! It’s Kevin Owens versus Alex Riley in a non-title match! It’s all about RAGE!
They locked up and Owens bulled Riley into the corner. The ref broke it and they had a stare down full of intensity. They locked up again and the same thing happened. Again, and this time Riley came out on top, and they went at it before Owens rolled out of the ring to stall a little.
Riley came out after him with a baseball slide, but Owens dodged it and started to put the boots to him on the outside as the show went to a break.
After the break, Owens was still on top, and got a nearfall with a senton. Owens then changed up to a wear-down strategy but Riley got some hope with a rebound clothesline and a spinning neckbreaker.
He went up top but Owens hit the ropes to send him off, and then hit his cannonball in the corner. Owens then smashed his pop-up powerbomb in for the win.
After the match, Owens dumped Riley out of the ring and made to leave. Then he thought better of it and came back to powerbomb Riley on the apron, because he likes to do that.
Before he could, Sami Zayn raced out and they brawled until a bunch of refs and other geeks tried to break it up. They eventually separated them but Zayn went into the ring and did a HUGE plancha over the turnbuckle onto Owens and the geeks.
Owens crawled away, Zayn got back into the ring, and the crowd chanted “Olé! Olé! Olé! Olé!” as the show went off the air. Sami’s back, baby!
This was a Good Show. The Triple Threat was the best match, but the closing angle was a reminder of just how good a world they’ve built down there in Florida.