Hey, it’s WWE NXT! It’s that show that laughs at fat people at the same time as having fat people kick ass!
The show started with The Vaudevillains coming down to the ring for a match with Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder, who used to be The Mechanics but now I’m not sure.
Sightings of The Vaudevillains have been scarce of late as post-Lucha Dragons energy was spent getting Enzo & Big Cass over, but they’re back and right back in the mix.
They had a short, but sweet, match, which The Vaudevillains won with their Whirling Dervish finisher. Aidan English looked a million dollars coming in for the hot tag, although his grasp on his hair seems to be eluding him more every time we see him. Dawson & Wilder were fine.
“Earlier this week”, Becky Lynch had a chat with Devin Taylor for WWE.com. She said she’d hurt her hip at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable and had tried to work on it since but had only made it worse. She said she’d be back stronger than ever and made that dreadful “N-Bex-T” pun.
Hey, it’s Baron Corbin! He came out to face Tucker Knight, who was already in the ring. Knight looks like Bull Dempsey’s older brother and showed no fear of the Baron, which was his undoing as Corbin took him apart and finished him with the End of Days for the win in less than a minute.
Backstage, in William Regal’s office, The Vaudevillains and Enzo & Big Cass were arguing over who was the number one contenders to Blake & Murphy’s tag-team titles. Regal put a stop to the rowing by announcing a match for next week between the two teams. The winner would be number one contenders. Enzo tried to get a better deal but a withering stare from regal shut him up. Enzo & Big Cass then said they had to go and be ringside with Carmella for her match.
They showed part three of “Who Is Finn Bálor?” and it was pretty good again. They’ve put all three parts together as a show on the WWE Network and it’s worth a watch. This week was about his transition into NXT and his path to becoming the number one contender. There was lots of sweet bits, with Dusty Rhodes featured and Becky Lynch crying again. Super personality piece on a guy who seems to lack one sometimes.
“Earlier today”, William Regal and Sara Del Ray were shown watching Eva Marie as she trained at the Performance Centre. The thought of her having to prove her readiness is laughable when you remember Dana Brooke’s first match.
Hey, it’s Emma! She came out, accompanied by Dana Brooke, to take on Carmella, who did NOT have Enzo & Big Cass with her. Liars. Carmella did her version of Enzo’s schpiel, which really doesn’t work as well as his, but the crowd didn’t get on her back like they usually do when she’s out alone.
So they had a fair match – nothing spectacular and nothing blown. Emma got the win with the Emma Lock to continue her rehabilitation and the whole thing has a feel of needing a few stronger women soon because some might be disappearing. I’d have mixed feelings about that because you know what’s waiting for them on the main roster.
Backstage, Bull Dempsey was raging at a vending machine which had stolen his money. Referee Drake Wuertz tried to calm him down but it didn’t work and Dempsey grabbed a stool to throw through the glass door. William Regal stopped him and made him sit down. He wiped chocolate off of Dempsey’s face and scalded him. Dempsey looked like he might cry. Poor Bull.
They showed another cinematic Finn Bálor demon vignette. Again, a great way of getting over something that, while it works for the live crowd, may not be solid in the viewers’ minds.
“Last week”, Devin Taylor interviewed Jason Jordan about his failure to find a winning tag-team partner. Chad Gable walked up and tried to sell himself to Jordan again but Jordan didn’t seem convinced. That’s GENUINE OLYMPIAN Chad Gable. Jordan is an idiot.
Hey, it’s Tyler Breeze! He came out to fight Tye Dillenger, who was already in the ring and isn’t using his new gimmick on TV yet. That gimmick, giving marks out of ten to his fellow competitors, has been taken up by the fans, though, who awarded him a “ten” later in the match.
So, yeah, Breeze & Dillenger had a match and it was a solid, very short contest. Dillenger got some shine but Breeze hit the Beauty Shot out of nowhere for the win.
Backstage, in the locker room, Emma and Dana Brooke were admiring the NXT Women’s title belt, hanging on a locker room door. Devin Taylor was there, to interview Sasha Banks, who walked in and wanted to know what they were up to. Challenges were issued and a tag-team match set for next week’s show. Emma & Brooke pointed out that Banks may have trouble finding a partner because of how she had treated everyone, but she vowed to find one. So Sasha Banks is a babyface now?
Hey, it’s our main event! It’s Samoa Joe & Finn Bálor versus Rhyno & Kevin Owens!
Joe and Rhyno started out, and Joe bulled him into the corner before charging at Owens, who dropped off the apron to the floor. Rhyno hit a cheap shot but hit back with an enzuigiri in the corner. Bálor came in and went at it with Rhyno, who over-powered him into his corner, where Owens took over. Owens & Bálor traded before Owens got the better of him and dumped him over the rope to the outside as the show went to a commercial break.
After the break, Owens had Bálor in a headlock as the crowd chanted “Chinlock City!” Owens and Rhyno both got nearfalls on Bálor, and Owens mocked Joe as he went about his business. Owens took Bálor to Chinlock City once more, before Bálor broke out. Owens stopped this brief comeback with a series of shoulder tackles, a Fisherman’s suplex, and the Five Knuckle Shuffle, stolen shamelessly from John Cena. Owens then went to hit the AA but Bálor slipped out and made the hot tag to Joe.
Owens had also tagged out to Rhyno and Joe took Rhyno apart. He hit a running senton for a nearfall but then got distracted by Owens, allowing Rhyno to get a nearfall of his own with a spinebuster. Owens tagged in and charged at Joe but got hit with an uranage. The good guys looked for a superplex-Coup De Grace combo but Rhyno knocked Bálor off the top rope and Owens hit a pop-up powerbomb on Joe before they could do it.
Bálor ran in, and Owens tried the AA again. Bálor slipped out but got hit with a superkick. Bálor replied with a Pele Kick and then got out of the way as Rhyno charged in for a Gore, and owens took it instead. Bálor hit a hesitation dropkick on Rhyno, sending him flying into Owens in the corner, and then another on Owens, who stay lay in the turnbuckles. One Coup De Grace later, and Bálor got the pinfall victory for his team.
That was a solid contest with not too much interaction between Bálor & Owens to keep things fresh for their title match on the Beast In The East special on Saturday. Joe & Rhyno, as seasoned veterans, are adding so much to the product that was maybe missing a year ago. Interesting times.
This was a Good Show. It skipped along, with some good – if short – matches and some fine backstage development. After a little bit of a lull, possibly brought on by late changes due to injuries, things are picking up again in NXT…