Hey, it’s WWE NXT! It’s tomorrow, today!
The show started with Kevin Owens coming out to boos from the crowd (although there were some cheers from people who should know better). He came down to the ring and cut a talky on Sami Zayn.
Owens was mad that Zayn stopped him killing Alex Riley last week and offered to fight him right there and then.
Instead, William Regal came out and said that he would not let Owens use NXT! to further his agenda or make demands. Owens told him, “with all due respect”, he had called out Zayn and didn’t care what Regal had to say. The crowd chanted “one more match!” at Regal.
Sami Zayn came out and Regal told them he didn’t want a repeat of “last week’s circus”, when their brawl needed a dozen men to pull it apart. Zayn said he’ll fight Owens if that’s what Owens wants and Regal makes the match for the next NXT Takeover on May 20th.
Owens was happy about that but said that Zayn didn’t warrant a title shot. Zayn said that Owens was hurting and he knew why – nothing he’d achieved in his career hadn’t come without an asterisk with Zayn’s name next to it. Owens fumed.
Zayn then parroted back Owens’s words from their January contract signing, saying he doesn’t fight without a prize and the prize isn’t Owens, it’s the NXT Championship, and Owens gave in and accepted the title match. The crowd burst into a huge chorus of “Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!” as Regal books the match. Awesome segment.
Backstage, “Greg” hyped the next NXT tour, in May and June. They’re not coming to the UK, so my sadness continues. He’s interrupted by Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady & Carmella, and the camera just follows them and leaves poor “Greg” behind.
Enzo and Big Cass still aren’t happy about Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy hitting on their girl (and I don’t even want to try and work out what their relationship actually is) but she sends them away, saying she’s a big girl.
Blake & Murphy appear and try to hit on Carmella but she yells at them for insulting her boys. Alexa Bliss walks in and tells her a princess should be nicer, which earns her a slap. Blake & Murphy check on Bliss as Carmella stomps off…
In William Regal’s office, Sami Zayn is signing his contract for the title match at Takeover when Alex Riley rages in and rages at Regal. Regal says he is out of opportunities for Riley but Riley still has rage for Owens. Zayn tries to calm him down and it ends with Regal making a match between Zayn and Riley for tonight.
Hey, it’s Enzo & Big Cass! Yay! And Carmella! Booooo! They’re fighting Blake & Murphy in a non-title match, even though they’re number one contenders – that’s a bit Raw!
So they have a fun match and Enzo & Big Cass win with their press slam splash off the top rope. So much charisma in this pair.
They showed a sit-down interview with Becky Lynch, where she came across as a total babyface. I guess because she’s facing Sasha Banks, who’s a heel that people cheer. Odd dynamic.
Backstage, Devin Taylor spoke to Bayley, but Bayley didn’t say much because she was freaked out that she couldn’t find her headbands and t-shirt. Bayley looked like a total OCD-case here. She ran off to find her stuff and Emma appeared, holding the headbands and wearing the t-shirt…
They showed a Baron Corbin hype video. He’s a smouldering loner.
Hey, it’s Bayley! She looks happy! Who wouldn’t with inflatable wavey flailing arm men?
She’s fighting Dana Brooke, and they had a decent contest, especially considering Brooke’s level of experience. Brooke, in only her second match, took a drop toehold perfectly, so she’s already better than Bad Luck Fale.
Bayley was about to finish the match when Emma appeared on the ramp, wearing all Bayley’s stuff like that time Joey Tribiani did the same to Chandler Bing. Distracted, Bayley fell prey to a Samoan Driver for the Brooke pinfall victory.
William Regal was in his office and he officially announced Owens versus Zayn for the NXT Title for Takeover. He also signed a Number One Contenders’ Match between Hideo Itami, Tyler Breeze & Finn Bálor. Aces.
The aforementioned Hideo Itami came down to the ring! He’s fighting Adam Rose, for some odd reason, and completely no-sells Rose’s entrance as a bit of flim-flam. I still like it!
Rose gets some shine but it’s mostly Itami, as it should be. The crowd chant for the GTS but I don’t think we’ll see it before Takeover, or even until he wins the NXT Title. Itami picks up the win with the Running Kick That Needs A Name.
Backstage, OCD Bayley is looking for Emma. She said she thought she’d put her issues with Emma to bed last month so she’s mad, erm, angry.
Hey, it’s Becky Lynch! She’s fighting an Area Jobber named as Sarah Dobson, though weird shut-ins will recognise her as Crazy Mary Dobson! She was Kane’s boss at the concession stand last year!
This was an almost total squash, with Lynch underlining her title credentials. The crowd did chant for Dobson in places, weirdly. Shut-ins getting out, eh? Lynch won with an armbar, and they’re really going for her as a submission wrestler, which is a tough sell these days.
Somewhere in a boiler room, Rhyno cut a talky on Baron Corbin. He said that he grooved on making people hurt. And that he wasn’t just the past, he was also the present and the future. Erm…
Hey, it’s our main event! It’s Sami Zayn versus Alex Riley in a RAGE AT KEVIN OWENS match! Kevin Owens was doing commentary with the announcers because none of them were man enough to tell him no.
Riley bulled Zayn into the corner with RAGE, and dominated early doors while Owens was cutting him to pieces on commentary. Owens is so good at this stuff – he complained that they wanted him to talk about Riley or Zayn and then proceeded to trash them.
Back in the ring, Riley got some nearfalls before Zayn hit a flip plancha onto Riley which looked AWESOME. With both men down on the ramp, Kevin Owens ran over from the announcers’ table and attacked Zayn, leaving him lying. Some of the crowd chanted, “powerbomb!” at Owens, and he obliged them, crashing Riley into the apron. The show went off the air with Riley and Zayn broken in half and Owens laughing…
This was a Good Show. With Takeover officially announced, things will pick up pace from hereon in. A show with no Bálor, Banks, or Charlotte didn’t feel lacking in star quality, either. Good work, fellas!