NXT Results 28/1

NXT Tag Team Championship Match
Lucha Dragons (c) vs. Buddy Murphy & Wesley Blake

We get official in-ring introductions to kick off this show. Lots of “Lucha” chants, but the challengers get a warm reaction as well.

Sin Cara kicks things off in control of Blake, but Murphy blind tags and hits him with a dropkick. They slow it down with a rest hold until Cara hits a oner-arm dead-lifts powerbomb. Hot tags and Kalisto comes in with some crazy offense including a leg trap sunset flip powerbomb. Sin Cara does a plancha over the ropes but Blake catches him and slams him into the side of the ring. Murphy blind tags out just as Kalisto hits him with Salida del Sol, but Blake as the legal man rolls him up from behind for the 1-2-3.

Winners and NEW CHAMPIONS: Buddy Murphy & Wesley Blake

Backstage, Charlotte tells Bayley she’ll destroy her if she ever pulls a stunt like she did (re: attacking the champ from behind). Bayley doesn’t appologize and says she’s been too soft, and when Sami Zayn got serious he won the title. That said, she wants to get on the same page as they are partners tonight.

During Tyson Kidd’s entrance the screen cuts into a glitched-out hacker type thing. If you pause it at the right moments it’s an hype spot for Solomon Crowe.

NXT Tournament First Round Match
Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd

Tyson tries to get in Neville’s head early, but it’s the former NXT champ that pulls up short on a suicide dive, doing a backflip instead and playing some mind games. Kidd goes to the floor several times and eventually Neville goes after him, but is thrown hard into the steel steps. They go into a rest spot in the middle of the read as they cut to commercial.

After the break Neville fights out of the side headlock and plants him with a kick to the jaw, then throws him to the floor. Neville launches himself clear over the ropes with a corkscrew splash – big “NXT” chants. They start trading kicks and Neville gets the better of it, then follows up with a standing moonsault for two. Tyson fights back with a suplex into the ropes and a spinning neckbreaker for two. Fans are really into this match. He tries for a German suplex but Neville lands on his feet and hits a sit-down powerbomb for another nearfall. Kidd with a brutal kick to the head but Neville kicks out, fights back and ends him with the Red Arrow.

Winner: Adrian Neville

Charlotte & Bayley vs. Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch

Bayley starts out with Sasha Banks and eventually tags out to the champion. Banks doesn’t want any part of that and makes the panic tag to Lynch, who gets to take a half dozen knife-edge chops. Charlotte drops a few elbows and mocks Sasha. Bayley wants back into the match, and the heels work her over with quick tags, building up some heat.

Eventually the champ makes the hot tag and starts to clean house. She takes out Lynch and then finally gets her hands on Banks. Charlotte puts her in the Figure Four leglock and adds a nice bridge for fun, until Becky breaks it up with a baseball slide. Banks with her finisher, but Bayley breaks it up and accidentally takes out her partner in the process. Charlotte shoves her and Bayley loses it, pie-facing the champ and the two end up brawling. The heels hit the ring and add to the chaos so the referee throws out the match.

NO CONTEST

Finn Balor cuts a promo about colliding with his good friend Hideo Itami. He sets he didn’t expect to face him so soon. Itami cuts him off and says he brought Finn into NXT, and if he has to, he’ll be the one to take him out. Balor vs. Itami next week.

NXT Tournament First Round Match
Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey

Baron goes right after him on the floor and they brawl around. As soon as they hit the ring, Corbin hits him with the End of Days for the 1-2-3 in about a minute. So much for that month-long build up…

Winner: Baron Corbin

William Regal is in the ring which is set up for the contract signing. Sami Zayn comes out first with the NXT title, followed by Kevin Owens. Regal says he’s not going to allow this to be like all the other WWE contract signings, and nobody is going through any tables tonight. Zayn signs the contract and Owens just stares at him. Sami says they toured the world for 14 years together with the ultimate goal of ending up right here in NXT. He wants to know why, but eventually says it doesn’t matter, because at Takeover he’s going to beat the hell out of his “best friend”. Owens looks at the contract and says it’s for a non-title match. He says Takeover wasn’t personal. He will fight anyone at any time, but he fights for a prize, and that prize isn’t Sami Zayn. Owens won’t sign unless it’s a title match, because that belt means more money for him, his wife and their two children. The champ fires up and demands Regal book the title match. A massive “YES” chant breaks out, and Regal amends the contract on the spot. Kevin takes a minute, looks around, then signs the contract. He throws the pen in the champ’s face and Regal has to hold him back as Owens leaves with a smile on his face.

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Another really good week of TV from NXT.  Im surprised we have new tag champions, but Murphy and Blake are a classic team and crowd are into them more than the Lucha Dragons.  They could go on to big things.  The womans match was what it was.  It was just there to sell the four-way and I think it did that just fine.

Neville vs Kidd was match of the night, both guys are great.  I loved the story of Kidd not being able to lock the sharpshooter as opposed to the normal 'face struggles with a submission hold before valiantly making it to the ropes' scenario.  Neville looks really good, as a former champ should, leading into the next match in the tournament.

Corbin is just a beast.  Twice now he has decimated Bull Dempsey in less than 2 minutes and he looks the part.  The End of Days is a cracking looking finisher and he nails it everytime, even on someone the size of Bull.

This feud is bringing out another side of Sami Zayn, one that was really needed.  Its stopped him becoming the one dimensional face and gives him a lot more layers.  Still not convinced a title match at this point is the best idea for either guy, so maybe the match ends in double knockout or something.  Neither man can lose it, so I would have kept it non-title.  I love Owens.  Hes been on NXT for about 6 weeks now and he's already established as a big deal.

Next week see's Corbin vs Neville and Itami vs Balor.  I expect Corbin to win fairly easily and Balor to overcome Itami, before Balor beats Corbin in the final some how.  Thats how you put someone over and make them look credible for a title match.

I enjoyed this again, and NXT showed why it's WWE best show by a mile with character development, logical storyline development, and some excellent wrestling.

I'd read some recent NXT house show reports, and had learned that Murphy and Blake had won the belts so I wasn't surprised. It was a good way for the titles to change. It came as a shock, but it was a clean win. I hope they get more time in the rematch to tell a more compelling story, and legitimise Murphy and Blake. They've got great chemistry, but need a breakout match.

I enjoyed the women's match, but then again, I enjoy everything Sasha Banks is involved in.

Kidd/Neville was superb. Loved Kidd's subtle healing at the start of the match, continously breaking count out calls by sliding in and out of the match. If I'm nitpicking, I didn't like the finish. I didn't think one kick to the head should have taken so much wind out of Kidd's sails, to leave him prone so long for Neville to hit the red arrow.

I'm not completely sold on Corbin yet. He's been booked tremendously, but the warning signs are there from The Ascension, and a lesser extent Big E Langston. Both benefited from looking dominant in squash matches, but when they were given longer matches they looked exposed. Agree with you Samo on the end of days.

I have a theory regarding on the final of the Championship tournament. Again this is based on recent house show matches, where Neville has gone against Itami and Balor in a triple threat match. This would be an amazing final.

The final segment was really well done. All three men played their parts to perfection. Kevin Owens gets psychology. He explained his motivations really well, but his body language during the segment was also superb. The disdain and lack of interest he showed when Zayn spoke was excellent. He's the best monster heel in WWE currently.

Yeah I know what you mean about Corbin. Hopefully his match against Neville gives him more time to show what he can really do. He's not the typical monster squash machine, he's lean and cut and not just dumb muscle. I reckon he can go a good length match.

If NXT really is just booked and written by Triple H and one other guy then it speaks volumes. Instead of the 20+ writers WWE has at the moment. The difference is night and day, NXT always leaves me looking forward to the next show.

Nakatomi Plaza wrote:I enjoyed this again, and NXT showed why it's WWE best show by a mile with character development, logical storyline development, and some excellent wrestling.

I'd read some recent NXT house show reports, and had learned that Murphy and Blake had won the belts so I wasn't surprised. It was a good way for the titles to change. It came as a shock, but it was a clean win. I hope they get more time in the rematch to tell a more compelling story, and legitimise Murphy and Blake. They've got great chemistry, but need a breakout match.

I enjoyed the women's match, but then again, I enjoy everything Sasha Banks is involved in.

Kidd/Neville was superb. Loved Kidd's subtle healing at the start of the match, continously breaking count out calls by sliding in and out of the match. If I'm nitpicking, I didn't like the finish. I didn't think one kick to the head should have taken so much wind out of Kidd's sails, to leave him prone so long for Neville to hit the red arrow.

I'm not completely sold on Corbin yet. He's been booked tremendously, but the warning signs are there from The Ascension, and a lesser extent Big E Langston. Both benefited from looking dominant in squash matches, but when they were given longer matches they looked exposed. Agree with you Samo on the end of days.

I have a theory regarding on the final of the Championship tournament. Again this is based on recent house show matches, where Neville has gone against Itami and Balor in a triple threat  match. This would be an amazing final.

The final segment was really well done. All three men played their parts to perfection. Kevin Owens gets psychology. He explained his motivations really well, but his body language during the segment was also superb. The disdain and lack of interest he showed when Zayn spoke was excellent. He's the best monster heel in WWE currently.

Better than Lesnar?

From a booking standpoint definitely. Lesnar's been placed in a position to garner cheers (taking on the authority on the Raw before Royal Rumble/Fighting valiantly to retain his title).

There's no such ambiguity with Owens.

Can anyone confirm if there was a Solomon Crowe teaser, someone told me there was one but I never saw it.

Yes there was Rino!
It came on at the start of Tyson Kidd's entrance,was about 3 seconds of broadcast 'interference'.

Building for the PPV nicely. One of the best tournaments for some time too.

I share the reservations of those above regarding Corbin, but am willing to see where it goes and also agree that End of Days is looking a great finisher.