NXT MARCH 8TH 2017

This week’s show was coming from the University of Central Florida as opposed to Full Sail. Seemed like a similar sized venue, maybe even a bit smaller, but with probably a different type of crowd.

The show was set to open with Tye Dillinger against Eric Young, but it never got started. Young sent the rest of Sanity to the back before the match, only for them to return dragging a beaten up and in need of a new white shirt Roderick Strong. Dillinger went to check on him and No Way Jose came out to do the same, with Sanity watching on from the ring. Jose and Dillinger then hit the ring as referees took Roddy backstage, but ended up getting beat down three on two. Dain and Wolfe gave Jose a combo powerslam/running knee move which looked quite good, before Young hit his wheelbarrow neckbreaker on Dillinger. The crowd here in particular were just silent at points, which I’m happy to chalk up to running an angle like this just not being right for the crowd, since they were a little more into the fight itself.

Video from WWE.com with Peyton and Billie at the Performance Center, looking for somewhere to hang their Breakout Star award. They ended up spotting Ember Moon working out, who got rather annoyed at them being there and had to be held back from going after them.

A short, gothicy vignette aired for an unnamed Tommy End.

Ho Ho Lun vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
Quick squash win for Almas, winning with his hammerlock DDT. Lun didn’t get much in the way of offence, which was probably the way this should have gone. Lun is best bumping around and Almas probably needed a match like this to reestablish him after losing at Takeover.

Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay w/Peyton Royce
They said earlier in the night that Regal would be watching so he could make an informed decision about who got the next Women’s Title shot. So, essentially an unofficial number one contender’s match. This was a pretty standard match, or would have been, but Ember is good enough that even a run of the mill TV match is that bit more watchable. A distraction from Peyton earlier on meant Billie took much of the match, but Ember fought back and after warning off Peyton’s interference with the threat of a punch, she hit the Eclipse to pick up the win.

Trainers came out to check on Billie after the match as she was favouring her neck. I don’t know if this was an angle or not, but they stayed on it and showed her walking out.

Kayla interviewed TJP backstage. TJP said he hadn’t lost sight of his goal of regaining the Cruiserweight Title, but he went where the competition takes him and there was nobody on the planet he looked forward to facing more than Nakamura. He referenced that they had history and brought up how Shinsuke teased him that he stole the flying armbar from him, saying he didn’t steal moves he stole moments.

The Revival were supposed to face The Ealy Brothers. It was never brought up on commentary, but September 28th, The Ealy Brothers were supposed to debut on NXT against The Revival but got beaten up by Samoa Joe. Maybe the reason commentary didn’t mention it was because during their entrance, The Ealy Brothers got beaten up by The Authors Of Pain. Maybe next time. Anyway, The AOP chased off The Revival who exited through the crowd, as The AOP gave one of the Ealys the Last Chapter.

Backstage Kayla was with Regal and Ember, with Regal announcing to Ember that she’d be facing Asuka at Takeover. Ember said the Women’s Division would begin a new phase at Takeover.

Footage was shown of Tom interviewing Ohno in the Performance Center. Ohno said it was surreal to be back before discussing his title match with Roode next week. He said being in NXT was the first time in his career he had doubt in himself and until he had the NXT Title that doubt wouldn’t be put to rest.

Roode was then interviewed, via satelitte from his home, complete with the NXT Title and a framed picture of him holding the title behind him. Roode said he didn’t care what Ohno had to say and claimed Ohno put his stink on NXT just as he was classing it up. Essentially the same deal as usual, he asked Tom if he’d rather someone who looked like him as champion or a hippie like Ohno and he was going to make NXT glorious. Both he and Ohno were pushing that a win would mean they main evented Takeover at Wrestlemania weekend as well.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. TJ Perkins
I haven’t been watching 205 Live, so I don’t know if this is a new thing or not, but Perkins had a pair of glasses on during his entrance and gave them to a kid in the crowd. Regular glasses. Started out slow but interesting and quickly picked up after Perkins mocking Nakamura’s bring it taunt and Nakamura responded by mocking Perkins’s dab. Perkins didn’t really target the knee until late in the match, which lead to them trading submissions. TJP ended up getting the kneebar in but Nakamura made it to the ropes. And Nakamura was able to come back and use the knee, ending up getting the win with the Kinshasa. Very enjoyable match, these two worked really well together, which I guess is to be expected to some degree if they trained together, although according to Cagematch this was the first time they’d been in an actual match together. If they were given a Takeover match it’d probably be great. As it was, this was still a fun match.

As Nakamura celebrated, they cut back to Regal, who announced that the winner of Roode versus Ohno would face Nakamura at Takeover.

 

RECOMMENDED VIEWING: Check out Nakamura versus TJP, a fun TV match.

NXT WEEK: Bobby Roode versus Kassius Ohno for the NXT Title.

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