LEO KRUGER DEFEATS SAMI ZAYN and ANTONIO CESARO TO BECOME NUMBER ONE CONTENDER
Oh shit, we’re starting things off with the number one contenders match. I assumed this would be saved for the main event. These guys work around each other to start, with nobody getting the upper hand. Cesaro catches Zayn off the top rope and turns it into a backbreaker. Crowd’s preference, in order, seems to be Zayn – Cesaro – Kruger. I imagine Bo Dallas would be 50th on that list, behind the popcorn venders and the Great Khali. In a great spot, Cesaro suplexes Kruger as he holds Zayn for a Suplex in his own. Like a Tower of Doom without the height. A well deserved “that was awesome” chant. Kruger breaks up the Neutralizer with a Slice in Cesaro’s back. Zayn is able to hit a STO on Kruger while hitting a DDT on Cesaro, which prompts Regal to put him over as well as any announcer has put over a wrestler that I can remember. Every announcer in wrestling should listen. Zayn rolls up Kruger, Kruger kicks out at two, and as he does it, Zayn is pushed to his feet where he hurricanranas Cesaro for a two. After Cesaro hits the Neutralizer on Zayn, Kruger slips into the ring, tosses the Swiss Superman, and gets the pin on Zayn. For what was probably an eight minute match, you can’t ask for much more. This was fucking great.
Corey Graves and Adrian Neville are backstage. Graves says he doesn’t need a friend, but a tag partner, and he respects Neville.
BO DALLAS DEFEATS SCOTT DAWSON
Lefort interrupts the ring announcer and does it himself. He declares that Dawson is a future champion, and I hope he’s not. This was basically a Dallas squash, a brawl, with Dallas hitting his suplex/powerslam move for the win. After the match, Kruger jumped Dallas from behind and posing with the title as the crowd chants “Thank You Kruger”, before laying the title across the champion’s chest.
The screen is blue, and so it’s an Ascension video. Rick Victor and his freaky contact lenses are the focus, although Connor O’Brien ends the promo. They promise to take out NXT’s heros and that they will rise again.
CHARLOTTE DEFEATS BAYLEY
Ric Flair comes out while Bayley’s in the ring. Flair puts over NXT and the talent, and introduces his daughter, Charlotte. The crowd would not leave Flair alone until he gave them a Woo. Charlotte’s entrance, where she does a split under the bottom rope, ala Melina, will be very popular. Bayley’s so good at her character, nervously looking over at Flair, like she can’t believe she’s in the same ring as her. The match was fairly basic, with Charlotte using her gymastics background extensively. They didn’t ask her to do too much, but what she did looked good and helped get her athleticism over. Charlotte got the win with a flipover neckbreaker.
Tony Dawson is backstage with Sheamus. Sheamus is excited to be on NXT next week, and he’s jumped from behind by the Wyatt Family. He’s wrestling Bray next week. Despite my issues with Sheamus’s character, that should be awesome.
Tyler Breeze is backstage. It’s a model gimmick, and he has people around him making sure he’s “gorgeous”. He doesn’t let the camera see his face. I’m not sure who’s playing the character.
NEXT WEEK – PAIGE VS EMMA TO DECIDE THE NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPION.
COREY GRAVES AND ADRIAN NEVILLE DEFEAT THE WYATT FAMILY TO WIN THE NXT TAG TEAM TITLES.
I don’t know which agent in NXT is booking the spot where someone gets a wrestler up for a bodyslam, but that wrestler’s partner counters it by dropkicking his own partner so he’d land on the man doing the bodyslam, but it happens just about every week in a tag match. The match has been a spirited brawl, with Graves having the spot of the early match, draping over the top rope with a triangle choke on Harper. The Wyatt Family controls the match, including Harper hitting a dropkick that looked pretty great, especially for Harper’s size. Graves fights back, goes for the tag, but is met by Harper who hits a Black Hole Slam for two. After Harper missed a Yakuza kick in the corner, Graves is able to crawl to make the hot tag to Neville. After hitting an Enzuigiri on Rowan, he jumps off the apron, hitting a headsissors on Harper, and then, an Asai Moonsault onto both Harper and Rowan. With Rowan back in the ring, he hits a…twisting 450 off the second rope for the two. Neville goes back to the top, but Bray Wyatt pushes him off. This brings Sheamus down to the ring, who beats up Wyatt and cheers on the faces. Neville hits his Skytwister Press on Rowan for the win and the titles! Sheamus celebrates with the new champions after the match.
Overall, the show, while a definite step down from last week, had two solid matches, and so it’s a recommendation.
