The superstars of NXT finished up their
three day tour of duty by returning to Lakeland, Fl where a
boisterous and raucous crowd jammed into the National Guard Armory to
see their favorite athletes bring the mayhem. In a night that
featured new faces and a few surprises, the professional wrestlers of
NXT would make sure no one left disappointed.
The night began with a definitive bang
as Jojo announced a four team battle royale with the winners facing
The Vaudevillians later in our main event. The match consisted of the
teams of Ty Dillinger and Elias Sampson, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable,
Enzo Amore and Big Cass, and The Mechanics Scott Dawson and Dash
Wilder. The bell rang and as it goes with these over the top battles,
chaos ensued. The limited number of contestants made it less of a
mess than your average battle royale and a lot more enjoyable with no
lack of action and plenty of close calls. Elias Sampson was the first
man eliminated quickly followed by Ty Dillinger. Shortly after both
Gable and Jordan would find themselves on the floor in quick
succession leaving us with two teams in the ring. The Mechanics took
early advantage tying Big Cass in the corner by the wrist with the
tag rope. Dawson and Wilder began the beatdown on the already worn
down Amore. However the two should have tied a tighter knot because
when the big man got lose he was not exactly happy. With the odds
evened out and the momentum turned Cass and Enzo quickly eliminated
The Mechanics and earned their spot in the main event.
Next up the mohawked Sawyer Fulton made
his way out the ring followed by his opponent Kalisto.
The luchadore who was very over with
the Lakeland crowd took control early on with his nearly unmatched
speed and agility. Soon though the strength and size advantage of
Fulton would bring Kalistos momentum to a halt, as Sawyer controlled
the pace and punished his much smaller opponent. Perhaps
overconfidence gave Kalisto the only opening he needed to bombard
Fulton with his onslaught of aerial moves leading up to a Salida Del
Sol and a pinfall for Kalisto. Sawyer Fulton seems to be at his most
confident with his new gimmick while Kalisto looked as impressive as
always.
Elias Sampson made his way out next to
classical music and wearing a blazer with his trunks. Next out is his
opponent Baron Corbin whose fan base seems to be growing each night.
From the very opening moments Sampson attempted to delay the
inevitable by slipping through the ropes. Corbin stalked him
patiently as if he was enjoying toying with his victim. Elias Sampson
would learn though that you can't fight fate when he finally
attempted to lock up with Corbin only to be immediately thrown into
The End Of Days and defeated. This match literally consisted of one
maneuver, and somehow that made it perfect. I'm enjoying not just the
brutality of Corbin, but seeing him exhibit more personality and
playing off the crowd. Sampson shows promise when not being squashed,
I'm hoping he can find his niche sooner than later.
Next up commentator Rich Brennan
introduces Sasha Banks who quickly loses her patience with the
interview and commandeers the microphone. She addressed the champ
Charlotte as generically basic rather than genetically superior, and
declared that she had more flair in her pinkie than both Charlotte and her
father. I personally can't wait until these two face off.
The evening continues with tag team
action as The Mechanics take on Chad Gable and Jason Jordan.
The two teams put on another impressive
match that was a definite highlight of the evening. The action was
back and forth and really could have went to either team. The climax
of the match came when both Gable and Jordan had both Dawson and
Wilder in ankle locks simultaneously tapping out. It was a great
moment and the crowd popped as soon as Gable threw on the first ankle
lock, however it's probably not going to help the Angle/Swagger
comparisons. Regardless, it was a great ending. Gable is definitely
impressive and is becoming a favorite rather quickly. Jason Jordan
has always had the tools but has struggled to find his spot, but I
think playing off of his amateur background is a great idea and has
already made him more interesting. The Mechanics are a great heel
team and underrated as well, I'm hoping they can bring to television
what they have been bringing to house shows for a while now.
Ty Dillinger made his way out next in
different ring gear and without the playing cards, apparently
signaling the end of his new gimmick already. His opponent Hideo
Itami is met with a nice pop from the crowd. Dillinger found himself
in control for much of the match effectively managing to thwart the
flurries of offense from Hideo. Dillinger is showing us that when
given the time and opportunity he can put on a great match.
Meanwhile, it is becoming obvious to NXT fans exactly why the fast
and furious kicks of Hideo Itami are renowned the world over. An
excellent match from both men, however Dillinger would find himself
on the receiving end of a single leg running high knee giving Hideo
the victory.
The action rolled on with another show
stealing match from the best female athletes in all of the WWE when
the team of Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Dana Brooke took on Charlotte,
Bayley, and Alexa Bliss. Fans who lament the divas division on the
main roster would have their faith in womens wrestling renewed if
they were privileged enough to see matches like these. One has come
to expect great wrestling from the likes of Bayley, Becky Lynch, and
Charlotte so it really goes without saying. What's really impressive
is how quickly Bliss, Carmella, and Brooke are improving. Tonight it
seemed as if the good girls had the match sealed when Sasha Banks
came out causing a distraction allowing Lynch to gain a roll-up pin
over Charlotte.
The mountainous 6'8” 385lb Braun
Stowman made his way out to the ring to give a promo putting the
locker room on notice and declaring monsters are real. The big man
was unshaken by the “what” chants and even the Adam Rose chants
from the snarky crowd. His intense staring at the audience on his way
around the ring was enough to make the toughest man uncomfortable.
The self righteous CJ Parker was out
next with a sign in one hand and a microphone in the other launching
into a tirade against the crowd. His rant was cut short by the
entrance music of the returning Alex Riley, who was met with “you
still got it chants” from the excited crowd before the match even
began. Indeed he did as he and Parker put on a good back and forth
match that ultimately looked to be swinging in the favor of Alex
Riley. Call it ring rust, or call it luck but in the end CJ Parker
was victorious much to the chagrin of the crowd who so wanted Parker
to be recycled.
In our main event The Vaudevillians
made their way out to take on battle royale winners Big Cass and Enzo
Amore. The match started with plenty of hilarious trash talking
before an action packed match got underway. As over as Gotch and
English were as faces they are way more effective as heels as they
showed tonight, while Cass and Enzo aren't just on fire in the ring,
but they animate the crowd as well with their trash talking and high
energy. Eventually The Vaudevillians found themselves in control of
the match keeping the underdog Amore from the tag. Victory seemed at
hand for the bad guys after a beautifully executed senton from the
second rope by English, but Cass made the save for his team. Amide
the chaotic final moments it was Enzo Amore who got the pin with a
surprise roll-up from out of nowhere. An irate English and Gotch
attempted a post match beatdown but were thwarted by an even more
fired up Colin Cassidy who cleared the ring of the two sore losers.
No disrespect to our tag team champions but these two teams should be
the ones competing for tag team gold.
All in all a great night capping off
another great weekend of NXT action.
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