NXT Lakeland 6-20-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

On June 20^th 2014 Masons Ringside View posted its inaugural blog post about NXT Lakeland. One year later down to the day, NXT returned to Lakeland as our humble blog celebrated its first birthday. Fans and bloggers alike were treated to an incredible night of action as only NXT can offer.

The evening starts with Solomon Crowe taking on NXT newcomer Uhaa Nation. The two familiar competitors size each other up and come to a stalemate after locking up. The two run the ropes and after several leap frogs Uhaa delivers a dropkick to Crowe and follows with a very prolonged vertical suplex. Crowe eventually fires back with the smashmouth offense fans have come to expect from him. He land a series of punches and kicks and delivers a Boing Splash. Crowe continues his onslaught with a series of knees and strikes until Uhaa mounts a quick comeback. He hits Crowe with a clotheline and a splash before delivering another clothesline that turned Crowe inside out. Uhaa lifts Crowe over his head with a military press and drops him, then follows with 2 astounding standing moonsaults for the victory. Ty Dillinger comes out and gives the match a 3. I would have given much higher to a contest I consider match of the night. The explosive Crowe has long been one of my NXT favorites. With only 3 NXT matches under his belt Uhaa Nation as already proven he is going to be a major player in NXT. I have no doubt that we will see these two competing in a main event setting sooner than later.

Next is six-woman tag team action as the team of Carmella, Devin Taylor and Cassie take on Lina, Jasmine, and Alexa Bliss. The intimidating Lina starts out against Devin Taylor who quickly tags out to Cassie after failing to budge her opponent. With no better luck Cassie quickly tags in Carmella who undeterred brings the fight right to Lina. With relative ease Lina tosses Carmella around before tagging out. Later enemies Carmella and Bliss comes to blows in the ring and Carmella gathers a measure of retribution. Later Lina turns things back around for her team squeezing the life out of Taylor with a massive bearhug. Ultimately Devin makes a hot tag to Carmella as Lina tags in Jasmine. She runs down Jasmine with a Thez press and a series of punches before delivering a shoulder in the corner. In the fray Jasmine makes a blind tag to Bliss who comes in and rolls up Carmella for the pin. This was a very entertaining match with a lot of back and forth wrestling. Cassie continues to make new fans while the debuting Jasmine made a great first impression. It’s Lina who really stands out though, she has a presence, a look, and power advantage that is going to take her far.

Next up Dasha welcomes out Levis Valenzuela Jr who comes out with a Dominican Flag. She asks him about what brings him to NXT. He talks about his love and respect for the business, then continues to state that NXT is the hottest brand in the world. He says that NXT is the future but we must celebrate the now. He states we must sing and dance, we must fiesta. His music plays as he dances with Dasha and the crowd grooves along. It was a promo that really didn’t say too much, but it did a good job of showcasing his charisma, of which he has plenty.

The tortured soul Marcus Louis is out now to face the wrecking ball Bull Dempsey. In the early going Bull lands a little offense but it doesn’t do much to faze Louis. The two begin running the ropes until Dempsey gets winded and has to stop, at which point even Marcus looks at him confused. The two begin running the ropes a ridiculous number of times until an absolutely exhausted Bull Dempsey collapses and Louis trips over him and pummels out of the ring. Louis makes his way back to the ring and takes advantage of a worn down Dempsey. Marcus thrashes Dempsey with a series of blows. Eventually Dempsey fires back with some punches of his own before he runs Louis down and follows with a seated senton/ whoopee cushion off the top rope for the win. Ty Dillinger comes out and gives the match a 2. This was a fun match that had just enough of a comedic element without going too far.

We continue with three way tag action as Cass & Enzo take on Jordan & Gable and Blake & Murphy. Jason Jordan starts off strong against Murphy before tagging in Gable. Murphy tags in Blake but Gable quickly goes to work on his arm culminating in an armbar over the top rope. Later Enzo makes his way into the match showing off some improved ringwork, while his Bionic elbow did not go unnoticed. The match goes on with several bling tags in and out from several competitors, mostly everyone working over Zo until he makes the hot tag to Cass. He lays waste ejecting everyone but Murphy, laying him out with a big boot. He attempts to set up Air Zo but Blake pulls Amore off the apron. In the chaotic final moments everyone is in and Blake stunners Gable. Jordan tosses Blake with a massive overhead suplex. Murphy comes off the ropes delivering double knees to Jordan, but then walks into a swinging side slam from Cass. He then follows with Air Zo, launching Enzo onto Murphy for the pin. Kudos to all three teams for putting on a hell of a match, although I’m simply happy with Gable getting much deserved ring time.

Next up, Jessie takes on women’s champion Sasha Banks. After some trash talking the two lock up and Jessie takes the early advantage grounding Banks with a side headlock. Eventually Banks takes over though, landing her double knees in the corner and tying up her opponent into a straightjacket. Later Jessie breaks free and mounts a comeback with a couple of clotheslines and a big boot. The action picks up as the two battle back and forth until Banks pulls a Bank Statement from out of nowhere for a submission victory. Banks looked great as she always does, while Jessie looked strong and confident against the champ. Jessie will be competing for gold in NXT sooner than later.

Ty Dillinger is out next and tells us that so far NXT Lakeland has been a 3.3, but not to worry because we are about to see a perfect 10 performance. Unfortunately for him, his opponent is the mountainous Braun Stowman. Undeterred, Dillinger walks up to him and hoists his huge 10 sign over his head. Stowman grabs it and tosses it out of the ring, but Dillinger pulls another sign out of his trunks. Stowman does the same, but the ever prepared Ty pulls a card sized 10 sign out of his boot. Stowman attempts to grab it but Ty smacks his hand and tells him “No!” The action begins and the speedy Dillinger chops Braun in the chest to no effect. He follows with a crossbody but simply bounces off of the 6’8 375lb Stowman. The massive Stowman manhandles Dillinger with huge clubbing blows. Later Dillinger mounts a comeback with 2 superkicks followed by a third kick that brings the man to his knees, he follows with a DDT. However moments later the angry big man was back to his feet planting Ty with an inverted sitout side powerslam. Whether playing the heel or the face, Dillinger is gaining more and more support from fans due to performances like this.

Bayley is out next for a promo and is wearing a cast on her hand. She explains that Emma broke her hand. She takes the mic and talks to fans ringside asking them about bones that they have broken. She says that like them she will get better and be back in the ring soon. She also points out that she still has one good hand for high fives.

More tag action follows as Dawson and Wilder take on the “Hype Bros” Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley. The match starts with some of the usual Rawley banter followed by some power moves and dancing. The Hype Bros stayed one step ahead much of the match and looked to be having a lot of fun doing it, even showing off some tandem offense. Eventually, the wily Dawson and Wilder take over, isolating and picking apart Ryder. The two employ frequent tags and some tag team maneuvering of their own, showing why pound for pound they may just be the best tag team in NXT. Eventually though, Ryder makes the hot tag to Rawley who comes in with a series of splashes. With an opponent down in each corner, Rawley and Ryder utilize a double Broski Boot. Rawley hoists Wilder over his shoulders and Ryder comes off the ropes with a Rough Ryder for the victory. I’m enjoying seeing more of Zack Ryder in NXT, and as much as I’d like to see him in singles action I have to admit tag teaming is more beneficial for Rawley at the moment.

Our main event of the evening is Tyler Breeze taking on Baron Corbin. From the start Breeze wisely evades Corbin by stepping out of the ring. It would be to no avail as Corbin eventually gets his hands on him and beats him down. The two brawl to the outside of the ring and back in before Tyler manages to lock in a sleeper hold. Corbin breaks free and they brawl some more once again to the outside where Breeze drops Corbin with a superkick. They both make it back inside and continue their fight. With Breeze prone on the bottom rope Corbin attempts his patented baseball slide to the outside to smack Breeze, but Tyler lifts up the ring skirt effectively trapping Corbin. He follows with a dropkick knocking Corbin to the ground. Back inside Breeze plants Corbin with a Killswitch, but cannot keep the lone wolf down. Moments later Corbin takes down Tyler with a huge swinging side slam. Finally, a frustrated Corbin grabs a chair from the outside. Before he could use it referee Drake Wuertz took the chair from him. Seconds later, Breeze nailed Baron with a superkick and followed with a Beauty Shot for the victory.

All in all it was another great night of wrestling in Lakeland, the kind of wrestling that motivated me to start this blog in the first place. So happy birthday to Masons Ringside View and huge thanks to all of you for reading!

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Full Sail TV Tapings 6-18-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

Thursday night NXT Faithful once again piled into Full Sail University for another action packed evening of television tapings. The following recap contains spoilers for the next four episodes of NXT. The division between episodes three and 4 are a little unclear, but the order of matches are dead on.

The evening starts off with a very notable dark match as the much anticipated Uhaa Nation takes on indie wrestler Johnny Gargano. This was a great fast paced match that went back and forth seeing both men looking strong. Gargano matched Uhaa's power with speed, but unfortunately for Gargano, Uhaa is just as nimble. After a short but impressive exhibition, Uhaa finishes his opponent with a military press followed by two standing moonsaults. One gets the impression that Uhaa Nation is going to be a very big deal in a very short time.

Shortly afterward the entire locker room takes the stage to pay tribute to the late, great Dusty Rhodes. Triple H says a few words and leads us into a chilling 10 bell salute. I've seen the tributes on television but it is so much more powerful live, especially the immense silence between the tolling of the bells where you are left thinking of the massive impact Dusty Rhodes has had on every single person in the building.

Episode 1

Hideo Itami makes his way to the ring with his arm in a sling. He tells us that it will be another three or four months before he will be back in action. He states that it does not matter who wins the title in Tokyo, because he is coming back for the title. He is interrupted by Kevin Owens who says that Itami is delusional and that on July 4th he is going to end Finn Balor for good. He then tells Hideo he came out to say he had nothing to do with Itami's injury. He also demands an apology from Itami for calling him a "bad man". Hideo responds by telling Owens that he is a great champion but a terrible human being. An angry Kevin Owens begins to head to the ring but Balor runs out to make the save. Balor and Owens fight up the ramp and onto the stage. Balor has the upper hand but is attacked by Rhyno, who leaves Balor laying.

Tag team action is next as Jason Jordan and Sylvester Lefort take on Enzo Amore and Big Cass. After an inital flurry of offense from Zo, Jordan takes over easily tossing Amore around the ring. However mere moments later after Lefort gets tossed to the floor, a distracted Jordan gets rolled up by Amore for the pin. This was a very short match, but it was good to see the Frenchman Lefort back in an NXT ring.

Next up Cassie (KC Cassidy) takes on Dana Brooke who is accompanied to the ring by Emma. Cassie starts strong with some fast paced offense culminating in a perfect headscissors, but eventually the power of Brooke comes into play. Brooke pummels Cassie with a series of strikes and kicks before settling into a grounded abdominal stretch. Cassie eventually mounts a comeback with a clothesline and a series of high kicks. She climbs the ropes, but Dana hoists Cassie onto her shoulders and slams her to the mat with a Samoan Driver for the win. Dana Brooke is showing improvement, but is still a very polarizing figure to a very split crowd.

We continue with more tag action as the "Hype Bros." Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley take on Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. Rawley starts for his team with his usual antics, banter, and dancing around before Dawkins finally gets the advantage for his team. They work over Rawley for a bit before he makes the hot tag to Ryder who comes in with a flurry of fast paced offense culminating in a Broski Boot. Mojo hoists Dawkins into the air and Ryder comes off the ropes with a Rough Ryder for the pin. I am really enjoying seeing Zack Ryder get more of a spotlight, I just wish he didn't have to share it with Mojo Rawley.

Next Finn Balor takes on Rhyno, while Kevin Owens is on commentary. A fired up Balor takes the fight right to his opponent as the two immediately begin brawling. The speed of Balor comes into play as Rhyno is left one step behind his opponent. Rhyno gets tossed to the outside and Balor takes flight out and onto his enemy. Moments later, back in the ring Rhyno catches Balor with a thunderous spinebuster slowing the pace of the match. He throws on a massive bear hug before Finn finally breaks free. Finn levels Rhyno with a pele kick and climbs the ropes. Owens comes out to cause a distraction. Still, Balor manages to dodge a gore and answer with a slingblade followed by a Coup De Grace for the pin. Afterwards, Owens and Rhyno begin to beat down Finn Balor until Samoa Joe storms the ring to make the save.

Episode 2

The episode begins with Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder taking on The Vaudevillians. Gotch and English start off with some of their signature antics before Dawson and Wilder take control of the match. The two begin to take apart Gotch briefly before he makes the hot tag to English. With Dawson ejected from the ring, Gotch uppercuts Wilder and English follows with his running swinging neckbreaker for the pin. This was another really short tag match. Regardless I am very happy to see Dawson and Wilder finally on television, and it won't be long before they are challenging for gold. The Vaudevillians, who seemed to be on the backburner for a bit, are gaining some valuable momentum lately.

Next, Tucker Knight takes on Baron Corbin. This was a squash match with Corbin easily finishing his opponent with an End Of Days. I really don't think they are doing Corbin any favors with these squash matches, the man is really capable of so much more.

Women's action is next as Emma takes on Carmella. The two go back and forth in the early goings as the two jockey for the advantage. Finally, Emma slows the pace with a leg scissors. Later, Carmella comes back with a Lou Thez Press followed by a series of kicks. However moments later Emma would comeback contorting Carmella into an Emma Lock giving her no choice but to tap out. Again, another shorter match but entertaining nonetheless.

Ty Dillinger is out next with huge crowd support. His opponent for the evening is Prince Pretty Tyler Breeze. An aggressive Dillinger takes charge pummeling his opponent with a series of kicks, stomps, and chops. Breeze fires back, landing a hurricanrana and following with his own series of punches. The pace quickens and the match goes back and forth until Breeze lands a Beauty Shot for the win. Win or lose, the crowd support for Dillinger is growing exponentially every week and deservedly so.

Next is Finn Balor and Samoa Joe vs Rhyno and Kevin Owens. The match is off to a hot start as Joe pummels Rhyno, who quickly makes the tag to Owens. Moments later Owens has the advantage over Balor. He wears him down and keeps going back to a chinlock, much to the chagrin of the crowd. Eventually Owens goes into a sequence of Cena's "5 moves of doom" culminating in a five knuckle shuffle on Balor. Owens attempts an Attitude Adjustment but Balor escapes making the hot tag to Samoa Joe. Joe comes in on fire but moments later all four men are in the ring as chaos ensues. Owens lays out Joe with a Pop-up Powerbomb, and nails Balor with a superkick, but Balor answers with a Pele Kick. Rhyno goes for a Gore but Balor dodges and he nails Owens instead. Joes disposes of Rhyno while Balor lands a Coup De Grace on Owens for the victory. This was a great match that had the crowd really fired up.

Ring announcers Jojo and Greg Hamilton are out next to hype the crowd, but an irate Kevin Owens storms the ring and screams at them to leave. He calls out Finn Balor, challenging him to a fight right then and there. Balor hits the ring and the two begin brawling until Balor hits a quick Slingblade from out of nowhere and follows with a dropkick to Owens in the corner. He follows with a Coup De Grace and a pin for a huge upset and an even bigger statement.

Episode 3

Dana Brooke and Emma are out next for tag action. Sasha Banks comes out the ring alone, apparently she could not find a partner but was willing to take them on regardless. Charlotte's music hits and the former champ makes her way to the ring. She tells Banks she will tag with her but she owes her. Charlotee and Sasha start off the match strong dominating Brooke. She makes the tag to Emma who turns things around for her team snapmaring Charlotte by the hair and wearing her down with Leg Scissors. Later Charlotte makes the tag to Banks who comes in and pummels Brooke with a series of punches, kicks, and finally running knees in the corner. She locks Brooke into a Bank Statement while Charlotte locks Emma into a Figure-4 leaving both the bad girls tapping. Afterwards, Charlotte tells Banks she wants a title shot next week. Sasha tells her "It's on!"

Next up Solomon Crowe takes on the deranged Marcus Louis. Crowe starts off strong with a series of strikes and chops that seem to take little effect on Louis. Still yet the speedy Crowe managed to to stay one step ahead of the Frenchman until Louis knocks Crowe off the ropes and slows the pace. First knocking the wind out of him with a series of knees before settling into an abdominal stretch. Eventually Crowe mounts a comeback and nails Louis with a cutter. Crowe whips Louis to the corner and follows with a high knee. He sends Louis to the mat with a dropkick to the knee and follows with a Stretch Muffler for a submission victory. Crowe was explosive as always and looks better with each outing. Marcus Louis is brilliant as the tortured monster, I’m just starting to wonder how much it is actually connecting with audiences.

A number one contenders match for the NXT Tag titles is next as The Vaudevillians challenge Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy. After an initials flurry of offense Gotch and English manage to isolate Enzo with frequent tags and some great tandem wrestling. Inevitably Amore makes the hot tag to Cass who comes in with a splash and a slam followed by a big boot to English. He lays out English with a side slam and looks to set up an assisted splash with Enzo. Gotch grabs a hold of Cass’s boots allowing a distraction. Enzo leaps onto English with a crossbody into a pin but English reverses pinning Amore.

It’s more tag team action as Elias Sampson and Steve Cutler take on Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Jordan and Gable make an impressive team with Jordan overpowering Sampson followed by excellent grappling from Gable against Cutler. Later, the impressive Sampson mounts a flurry of offense for his team but it was still a pretty one-sided affair. In the closing moments Jordan tosses Cutler into the air and Gable catches him for a belly to back suplex pinning combination. Deservedly so Gable got a nice reaction from the crowd. Gable is a superb grappler and absolutely fun to watch.

Next Samoa Joe faces newcomer Axel Tischer. Immediately Joe attacks with a flurry of punches. Tischer makes attempts to fight back, but no to avail and he ends up on the receiving end of a big boot from Joe followed by a senton. Tischer eventually comes back with small bursts of offense.

Ultimately, he runs into a big side slam and Joe follows with a Musclebuster. He then locks Axel into a Coquina Clutch for the submission victory. Largely a one-side match but a very intense one, as it often is whenever Samoa Joe is in the ring.

Episode 4

Eva Marie comes out and gives a short promo saying that she hopes we are ready, because next week she will be wrestling right here on NXT. Eva Marie seemed more confident this outing, or at the very least better at blocking out the pure heat of a very hateful crowd.

The tag team champions Blake and Murphy are out next to make short work of Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins. Despite early offense Murphy fairly easily takes control of Dawkins, meanwhile Blake sneaks around the side of the ring and pulls Fulton off the apron. Murphy lands his fantastic running suplex on Dawkins and Blake follows with a frogsplash for the victory. After the match they beat down Fulton. Blake and Murphy pick Alexa off the turnbuckles and carries her over where she springboards out of their arms into an impressive Sparkle Splash onto Fulton adding insult to injury.

Sami Zayn comes out to a huge pop from the fans. He tells us that while 2014 was the best year of his career, 2015 has been the worst. He explains that he likely won’t be back this year, but he will eventually be back better than ever for his NXT Title. He continues by stating revenge is a great motivator and that Kevin Owens “had better watch his ass!”

Our final match and easily the show-stealing match of the evening saw Charlotte challenging Sasha Banks for the women’s title. They start with several long lock-ups ending in a stalemate. Charlotte eventually gets the first advantage locking Banks into a Figure-4 headlock. Later Banks comes back landing her double knee drop in the corner and thus slows the pace. She locks Charlotte into a Straightjacket and eventually a Figure-4 headlock of her own. Showing of her strength Charlotte makes it to her feet with Sasha still on her shoulders, flips her around and lands a thunderous powerbomb. She follows with a neckbreaker and a spear, but Sasha fights back and the two begin to brawl. After several pin attempts Charlotte eventually locks on the Figure-4 headlock. Moments later as the two went back and forth until Sasha locked Charlotte into the Bank Statement for the victory. Afterwards the two hugged in the ring before Charlotte headed to the back. This was another instant classic between these two ladies. This was likely Charlotte’s big send-off to the main roster. She will definitely be missed, but no doubt deserves that larger stage precisely because of tremendous matches like these.

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NXT Largo 6-6-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

Saturday night wrestling fans converged on Largo for another night of intense NXT action. It was a capacity crowd and a new attendance record for the Minnreg Hall.

The evening starts with the very animated Mojo Rawley taking on the wrecking ball Bull Dempsey. Like he often does Rawley begins by dancing around the ring. Bull is unamused, still yet it still becomes a dance off. Mojo busts out his very best hyped dance moves, Dempsey answers with his very best Jason “Sweet T” Alberts dance moves, complete with the same theme music. Rawley laughs and answers with some more dancing before Dempsey attacks. Rawley comes back with a few atomic drops and a series of punches. Bull comes back quickly, pummeling Mojo before settling into a chin lock. Later, Dempsey misses and elbow allowing Rawley to mount a comeback. He flattens Dempsey with a series of corner splashes and finishes with his hellacious shoulder tackle that sends Dempsey crashing to the mat and giving Mojo the pinfall victory. After the match Ty Dillinger comes out and scores the match a 7.  I’m hoping to see Bull Dempsey get some much needed direction soon. I still think he has a good face run in him and he’s a funny guy but I feel he is treading a fine line in matches like this.

Next up is Becky Lynch taking on Jessie McKay. Despite some early flurries of offense from McKay, Becky takes charge early on. Lynch quickly goes for an armbar but Jessie wisely grabs the ropes. Lynch follows with a series of beautiful arm drags followed by a dropkick. But using the referee as a shield, McKay manages to nail Becky in the face with a big boot. McKay slows down the pace eventually putting Lynch into a seated surfboard. Lynch breaks free and fires back culminating with a trifecta of perfect leg drops. She follows with an overhead suplex and locks on her armbar for a submission victory. This was a short but sweet match that showcased the versatility of Becky Lynch. Crowds are taking note as well, Lynch seems more and more over

at every show.

Greg Hamilton is out next and introduces Jason Jordan. Hamilton asks him about his search for a tag team partner the last few weeks. Jordan concedes that he has been looking for a partner, but is starting to wonder if he should be a singles wrestler. He is interrupted by Mike Rawlis who tells Jordan to make up his mind. Jordan asks “Who are you?” Rawlis continues stating that Jordan doesn’t have what it takes to make it. He says that he is Mike Rawlis and he is going to the top. Jordan challenges him to a match right then and there. Rawlis suckers him with a cheap shot and pummels him in the corner. Chad Gable’s music hits and he walks out causing enough of a distraction for Jordan send Rawlis packing with a huge Olympic Slam. Jordan and Gable stare each other down before Gable heads back.

The action continues with Angelo Dawkins taking on Sawyer Fulton. The two evenly matched opponents start off with grappling with Fulton getting the advantage each time. Fulton offers a handshake but Dawkins shoves Fulton. The two battle back and forth until Dawkins finally takes charge with a sucker punch and slows the pace first with a front chancery and then a side headlock. Fulton mounts a comeback and executes a series of perfect suplexes. He goes for an elbow off the ropes but Dawkins rolls to safety. Dawkins then nails Fulton with a spear for the win. I’m hoping this was a one-time thing and they will be back to teaming together. They have gelled well together and make a nice addition to the tag team roster. These two athletic big guys were previously struggling for direction as singles wrestlers, I don’t see the advantage of breaking them up yet.

Women’s tag action is next with Bayley and Charlotte taking on the team of Sasha Banks and KC Cassidy. The action starts off fast paced with old adversaries Charlotte and Sasha vying for control. Charlotte sends Sasha to mat with a beautiful head scissors. Sasha quickly tags in KC, but Charlotte easily takes control of the match. Later Bayley lays out KC with a one handed bulldog and follows with another for Sasha. Bayley and Charlotte then pay homage to Scotty Too Hotty with a dance, the worm and finally chops to their prone opponents. Eventually Banks and KC take control isolating Charlotte. Sasha slows the pace locking Charlotte into a straightjacket. Later Charlotte manages to make a hot tag to Bayley who comes in and nails KC with a series of signature moves culminating with a back elbow of the turnbuckle and followed with a Belly-To-Bayley for the win. Ty Dillinger comes out and scores the match a 9. This was a really fun match with Bayley, Charlotte, and Sasha all looking as great as we’ve come to expect. KC Cassidy proves to be a valuable addition to the roster, is charismatic and looked at home in the ring with the NXT veterans.

Tag team action continues as The Vaudevillians take on Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. Early on Gotch and English take charge with their usual theatric and antics. Dawson and Wilder manage to turn things around quickly though. The two roughnecks so easily transition from brawling to pure wrestling as Dawson illustrates with a picture perfect bridging suplex. The two wear down Gotch with frequent tags and tandem moves before he makes the hot tag to English. Moments later Dawson is laid out with an uppercut from Gotch followed by a running spinning neckbreaker from English giving the Vaudevillians the pinfall victory. This was another entertaining tag match with two teams that have developed quite a chemistry together. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it is a travesty that Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are not doing on television what they do every night at the house shows and that is steal the show.

Ty Dillinger is out next and seems to be playing up to the crowd. He says so far the show has been a 7.8 which is pretty good, but we are about to see a perfect 10 performance. Unfortunately, his opponent for the evening is the mountainous Braun Stowman. Undeterred Dillinger proudly hoists his 10 sign above his head, but Stowman grabs the card and throws it to the outside. Ty pulls another smaller card from the back of his trunks and unamused Stowman does the same. Finally Dillinger produces a 3^rd tiny sign from his waistband. Stowman attempts to grab it but Dillinger slaps his hand, admonishing him and telling him “No!” Moments later the action begins and Dillinger unwisely unloads a series of ineffective chops. He follows with a crossbody but simply bounces off the 6’8’ 375lb Stowman. He downs Ty with a massive headbutt and tosses him around the ring before clamping on a shoulder claw. Dillinger eventually mounts a comeback with a superkick followed by a series of punches and knees. He continues with a DDT and climbs the ropes, diving off but is met with a big boot from Stowman. He hoists Dillinger onto his shoulder and slams him down to the mat for a pin. Win or lose, I am glad to see Dillinger picking up momentum and being more over at every single show.

Uhaa Nation is out next. He tells us about his Nigerian decent and his humble beginnings. He tells us that he came from nothing and learned to fight hard and work for everything he has ever had. That has led him to NXT, but he is not done fighting. He tells us that he will not stop until he is at the top of NXT. These Uhaa promos have been good, but the anticipation of his in-ring debut is even greater.

Next is six person tag action as Enzo, Cass, and Carmella take on Blake, Murphy, and Alexa Bliss. The girls start but a fired up Carmella quickly sends Bliss to her corner. Next in is Blake but Enzo takes sends him flying with a nice headscissors take down. Before too long though the match breaks down with everyone in the ring until Enzo, Cass, and Carmella eject their enemies from the ring. Back in the ring Murphy distracts the ref and Bliss trips up Amore on the ring apron thus turning the tide of the match. They take their time wearing down the underdog Amore. Eventually he makes the hot tag to Carmella. She lays into Bliss with some kicks and a headscissors of her own before another tag. Cass rushes in and lays out Blake with a big boot and a side slam. He finishes off by tossing Amore onto Blake with an assisted splash for the victory. This was a fun match, but unfortunately ring time for the ladies seemed limited. Enzo Amore, while still playing the underdog, is showing a lot of improvement in the ring.

The main event of the evening is Tyler Breeze taking on Baron Corbin. The match starts slow as Breeze wisely looks for the best approach to take on the big man. He evades Corbin, leaving the ring several times before coming back in and surprising Corbin with a neckbreaker. Corbin halts his momentum quickly with a hell of a punch. Corbin begins taking apart Breeze and looks so devastating doing so. Corbin has developed a mean streak that suits him well, and executes even the simplest punch with such aggression. Later, Breeze comes back with a superkick and a flurry of punches of his own. Corbin comes back with a famasser, but moments later is halted by a running ensiguri. The match continues like this back and forth until Corbin sends Breeze to the mat with a gigantic side slam, followed by a vicious beat down. The resilient Breeze fights back landing a superkick, followed by a Beauty Shot for a victory seemingly snatched from out of nowhere. This was a good main event featuring two guys who are poised to become fixtures of the NXT main event scene.

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