NXT Lakeland 7-31-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

Friday night wrestling returned to Lakeland for another unparalleled night of action as only NXT can dish out. A standing room only crowd piled into the National Guard Armory to see their favorite wrestlers battle it out for supremacy in the squared circle, and they would not leave disappointed.

The night kicks off with women’s tag action as the team of Bayley and Gionna Daddio take on Emma and Dana Brooke. Emma starts off aggressively for her team but Bayley stays one step ahead thwarting all of her offense. Bayley tags in the rookie Gionna who continues the momentum with much athleticism and some nice grappling and pin attempts. Eventually Dana and Emma turn things around and isolate Gionna in the ring. Later she makes the hot tag to Bayley who comes in with a vengeance hitting a flurry of signature moves on Brooke. She tosses Emma out of the ring and nails Dana Brooke with a Belly-To-Bayley for the victory. This was a fun match that newcomer Gionna Daddio came out of looking impressive. Meanwhile Dana Brooke’s hard work is noticeable in her rapidly improving ring work.

Next up Mojo Rawley takes on the German Axel Tischer. The much hyped Rawley starts off strong and follows with his usual banter of letting us know that Tischer “ain’t hyped and can’t get chicks”. He accentuates that with Hammertime onto a prone Tischer. Later Tischer finds an opening and begins a vicious beatdown before grounding the usually animated Mojo. Eventually Rawley fights back and takes down Axel with a shoulder tackle, following with a big splash in the corner. Mojo finishes off Tischer with a fireman’s carry drop for the win. I’m glad to see Mojo Rawley using a new finisher, much improved over the last few he’s had.

Sawyer Fulton is out next for a promo. He says that he has been in NXT for three years now and has seen too many real talents get pushed aside for indie darlings. He tells us he is a two time all American and he is going to make some changes around here. He is interrupted by Sylvester Lefort who agrees with him, and offers Fulton his services as manager. An angry Fulton asks “You think I need your help? You’re right” before shaking the Frenchman’s hand. Sawyer Fulton is a sizable guy with a lot of skill who has had a tough time finding the right gimmick. Hopefully this new direction will be successful for Fulton. It certainly can’t hurt being paired with Lefort, who is a heat magnet.

The action continues with Mike Rawlis taking on Bull Dempsey. The cocky Rawlis mocks the fitness of Bull before dropping for a few push-ups. He challenges Dempsey to do the same. Bull drops and with much effort manages to give us three push-ups. Moments later the action begins and an agitated Dempsey chases Rawlis around the ring until he gets winded. Back in the ring they run the ropes an absurd number of times until Bull gets winded again. Eventually an angry Rawlis gets the upper hand and attacks Bull with a series of kicks and strikes. He accentuates that with an impressive fallaway slam before grounding the big guy. Bull gets fired up and fights back with a series of jabs. He runs Rawlis down like a truck and climbs the ropes, jumping off with a Whoopie Cushion for the pin. This was a silly, but fun match. Safe to say by the crowd chants this Bull-Fit angle is getting over already.

Next, Steve Cutler takes on Uhaa Nation. The two lock up for much back and forth effort in the early goings. It becomes a total mat game with each man vying for control. The two make it up and the speed of Uhaa quickly comes into play until Cutler takes a cheap shot, following with a series of kicks in the corner. Cutler follows with  a series of suplexes before settling into a front chancery. Uhaa makes it to his feet and mounts a comeback but Cutler shuts him down with a hellacious clothesline. Uhaa quickly rebounds with a heel kick, several clubbing blows and a big splash. Finally Uhaa drops Cutler with a huge military press and follows by his amazing standing moonsault.

Next up is four way tag action featuring Dawson & Wilder vs Jordan & Gable vs The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy. A contest with this many personalities and combustible elements make for match of the night, but is nearly impossible to call. As it goes in these types of matches there were lots of momentum shifts and many blind tags. In the final moments as the ref lost control the bodies were flying with wrestler after wrestler taking out each other with signatures and finishers. Finally it came down to a fired up Gotch and English who finished off Buddy Murphy with the uppercut/neckbreaker combo. All four teams looked great in this match, but Dawson and Gable would be definitely be the stars of this one, I’d love to see those two compete one on one in the future.

The action continues with “Perfect 10” Ty Dillinger taking on Tyler Breeze. With the crowd clearly behind him Dillinger takes control early on until Breeze takes advantage of a distracted referee and gouges the eye of Dillinger. Breeze follows with an ensiguri and pummels Dillinger in the corner. He drops Dillinger with a backstabber and grounds him with a front chancery. Dillinger mounts a comeback but is shut down when he runs into a jaw breaking superkick. Still, Dillinger comes back again laying out Breeze with an impressive fireman’s carry powerbomb. The two exchange several pin attempts before Breeze takes out Dillinger with a Beauty Shot for the win. This was a great match with easily two of the best in NXT.

Next up is more women’s tag action as the formidable team of Lina and Jessie take on Charlotte and Becky Lynch. Riding a wave of much recent momentum Lynch and Charlotte start off strong against Jessie who wisely tags Lina. Despite that, Charlotte fails to take down the immovable Lina. Charlotte tags in Lynch and the two take down Lina with a double dropkick. Becky follows with a trifecta of her trademark leg drops. Later in the match Lina would shift the momentum after dropping Charlotte with a thunderous slam. The bad girls take over with frequent tags wearing down Charlotte. Jessie wears down Charlotte in an octopus hold. Moments later Lina locks in a bearhug thrashing Charlotte around like a rag doll. Finally Charlotte makes a hot tag to Lynch who comes in with a vengeance clearing the ring with her intense ring work. She throws her armbar onto Jessie, while Charlotte locks on the Figure-8 onto Lina giving them a tap out victory. I’m thankful I got to see Charlotte and Becky Lynch one more time, these two haven’t redefined women’s wrestling; they have knocked down the walls. Becky Lynch isn’t my favorite female wrestler, she is one of my favorite wrestlers, period.

Our main event is next with Solomon Crowe taking on NXT champion Finn Balor. The two begin trading armlocks until Crowe gets the upper hand. Crowe pummels Balor before the two fight to the outside and back into the ring. Crowe quickly finds his target, working the leg before settling into a half crab. Later Balor comes back rolling through a sunset flip and nailing Crowe with a dropkick. Not to be outdone, a fired up Balor targets the leg of Crowe. The two trade offense until Finn drops Crowe with a pele kick. Balor goes for a dropkick to the corner, but Crowe swats him off and locks on another crab. Balor fights back and levels Crowe with a slingblade. He follows with a dropkick to the corner. Balor climbs the turnbuckles and finishes Crowe with the Coup De Grace for the victory. This was a great match, and one I have been wanting to see for a long time. Balor looked as impressive as always, but Solomon Crowe proved he is more than capable of being a main event player in NXT.

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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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Full Sail TV Tapings 4-23-15

Written by Wayne Mason
Photos by Maryann Mason

The loud and proud Full Sail wrestling fans piled into the NXT arena to see another set of NXT TV Tapings. The following write-up is for the April 23rd tapings and contain spoilers for the next three episodes leading up to the next Takeover live special.

In the dark match of the evening The Mechanics Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder take on Elias Sampson and Tucker Knight. Early on it’s clear that even Knight’s distinct power and size advantage would not be a factor against the fluid tag team wrestling of Dawson and Wilder. Making frequent tags The Mechanics methodically take apart Knight until he eventually makes the hot tag to Sampson. Elias comes in clearing house and hitting Wilder with an jaw-shattering knee strike before Dawson hits him with an explosive clothesline. He then sends Sampson flying with a flapjack onto the knees of Dawson for a pinfall victory. Finally, it seems we’re getting closer to a debut from The Mechanics, who interesting enough aren’t introduced as “The Mechanics” but rather Dawson and Wilder.

Episode 1

NXT champion Kevin Owens makes his way to the ring and is met with Ole chants from the crowd. He tells them “that’s cute” before recounting the recent events from last weeks episode and calls out Sami Zayn. Instead he gets General Manager William Regal who tells him that he won’t use this show to pursue his agenda. Owens tells him he didn’t ask for him and really doesn’t care what he has to say. Next Sami Zayn finally comes out to a huge pop, while Regal makes sure to keep both men separated and declaring easily that since they wanted to fight they would do so May 20th at Takeover. Owens declares that it will not be a title match because Zayn hasn’t earned it. Sami then goads Owens telling him that he has been in the shadow of Zayn for their entire career. He continues by throwing Owens own words back at him declaring he only fights for a prize. Owens relents and it’s official, May 20th Zayn and Owens meet once again with the title on the line.

Next up Cass and Enzo take on Blake and Murphy in tag team action. Right from the start the champs control Enzo until he makes a hot tag to Cass who clears house and lays out Murphy with a swinging side slam for a pin but Blake makes the save. The match continues and Cass ejects Blake from the ring and lays out Murphy and tosses Amore onto him with an assisted splash for the win. It was a surprisingly short and anti-climactic match, but one can assume these two are saving it for Takeover when the titles are on the line.

Next Bayley takes on Dana Brooke. The match starts off with much back and forth action between the two. The power of Brooke is definitely one of her stronger points which she illustrates with an impressive firemans carry slam. With the crowd firmly behind her Bayley makes a comeback with a bevy of her signature moves until her music hits and Emma comes down the ramp causing a distraction allowing Brooke to defeat Bayley with a front sitout slam. Dana Brooke is a work in progress, but she looked much more comfortable here than she did in her television debut.

The action continues with Hideo Itami taking on a returning Adam Rose in a pretty physical match. Rose managed to get in some offense but it was a largely one-sided match that ended with a hesitation dropkick and a running single leg dropkick for the win.

Next Becky Lynch makes quick work of Sarah Dobson (aka Crazy Mary Dobson) in what was pretty much a squash. Lynch looked explosive tonight hitting all her signature maneuvers and ending it with a beautiful armbar submission. With an excellent performance and much of the crowd getting behind her Becky Lynch is heading into Takeover with a lot of momentum. I’m betting now that Lynch and Banks will likely steal the show at the next special.

Kevin Owens comes out to the commentary table to watch the main event of Alex Riley vs Sami Zayn. Riley starts off strong and controls Zayn for most of the match. Every time Zayn would begin to mount offense Riley would shut him down, at one point blocking a blue thunder powerbomb. In the final moments with Riley ejected to the floor Sami Zayn takes flight diving on Riley. Then Owens pounces slamming Zayn onto the entrance ramp. He pauses for a moment before attacking Riley and powerbombing him onto the ring apron. He saunters up the entrance as medics and referees tend to Alex Riley.

Episode 2

The episode begins with Charlotte taking on Emma. The match starts off with fast paced back and forth action before Emma takes over. A definitely more aggressive Emma took over and began to work the leg of Charlotte and culminating in a half crab. Charlotte mounts a comeback with a neckbreaker followed by a spear and a natural selection. After a seemingly forgiving Bayley comes to the ring to help Emma to her feet and then lay her out with a Belly-To-Bayley.

Next up, Bull Dempsey takes on Rhyno. The two started out brawling but Dempsey wasn’t able to keep it up long enough before Rhyno took charge with a massive belly to belly suplex followed by a gore making surprisingly short work of Dempsey. Rhyno takes the mic stating he’s been hearing about another unstoppable force in NXT, and at Takeover he wants to take on Baron Corbin.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are out next to take on Big Cass and Enzo Amore. However, up on the tron we see Zo and Cass being attacked backstage by Blake and Murphy, thus the match never starts. It was a good way to advance the feud between the tag champs and Cass and Enzo, but disappointing for those of us who have been impatiently waiting for the television debut of Dawson and Wilder.

Next is the contract signing between womens champion Sasha Banks and number one contender Becky Lynch. Before signing Lynch begins a passionate speech about how she has been chasing this dream since she was fifteen, and how all the trials and tribulations have been worth it because it has led to this moment. She assures Banks though, she didn’t come here to take part, she came to takeover. Not impressed Banks stamps the contract before throwing it in Becky’s face and attacking. She began a beatdown before Lynch countered and threw the champ into an armbar and the two were separated.

Finn Balor comes out to sit ringside as Hideo Itami takes on Tyler Breeze yet again. These two know each other so well as they counter each other tit for tat. Eventually the two battle to the outside where Itami measures up Breeze for a kick, but he dodges and Balor ends up on the receiving end. The two battle back into the ring and Breeze misses a Beauty Shot and Itami comes back with a single leg dropkick for the win. After, an irate Breeze attacks Itami but Finn makes the save. But as Balor helped Hideo to his feet Breeze attacked again superkicking Finn and laying out Itami with a Beauty Shot.

Episode 3

The opening match sees debuting Jessie McKay take on Bayley. The two start off with some nice grappling as they parlay for control. Despite some nice offense from McKay her opponent takes over with a flurry of signature moves followed by a Belly-To-Bayley for the win. Bayley came out of this match looking great, but McKay definitely made a good first impression on the NXT universe.

Next, Solomon Crowe takes on Baron Corbin. Despite flurries of explosive offense from Crowe Baron made short work of him with an emphatic End Of Days. After Rhyno comes out and asks “Are we gonna do this?”, and then wasting no time the two tear into each other trading lefts and rights until wrestlers from the back come out to separate them. Interesting to note how the crowd have seemingly turned on Corbin overnight, which is fine since they seem to be edging him towards heel anyway. Still yet I wish the television audience could see some of the Corbin performances we see at house shows.

More womens action and another debut follows as KC Cassidy takes on the boss Sasha Banks. KC brings the fight right to Banks sending the champ to the outside to regroup. Apparently it worked because she came back in and reminded everyone why she is boss making short work of Cassidy and finishing her with a Banks Statement for the tapout. Sasha Banks gained some valuable momentum heading into her title defense, but Cassidy looked great in the ring and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what her future holds.

Next Carmella takes on Alexa Bliss. The two competitors both start out strong but Carmella looks stronger until Blake and Murphy come out to the ring distracting Carmella allowing Bliss to take over. She hits a glitz flip for a pin but Carmella kicks out. The two fight on and Carmella snags Bliss with a drop toe hold into her leg scissors submission which bring Blake and Murphy onto the ring apron causing another distraction. Bliss takes advantage laying out Carmella and following with a Sparkle Splash for the win. After Blake and Murphy come into the ring with a mic and remind Carmella that when you hang out with trash you start to stink. She responds by letting them know that her boys Cass and Enzo will be victorious for the titles on May 20th.

Ty Dillinger is out next and seems to be really getting over with house show regulars who met him with “perfect ten” signs. His opponent is a returning Kalisto. The two put on a short but fun match that showed some of the impressive lucha styling of Kalisto as Dillinger attempted to ground him. In the end Kalisto defeated Ty with a Salida Del Sol, but Dillinger may be the real winner here. Ty consistently puts on great matches and puts everyone else over, crowds are starting to recognize that and are left wondering when he will be put over instead.

Sami Zayn comes out to talk and is interrupted by Kevin Owens. Sami wants to know “Why?, what is the real reason for all of this… jealousy, resentment, etc? Owens responds by letting Zayn know on May 20th he will hurt him again, except this time there will be no coming back.

Our main event is Hideo Itami and Finn Balor vs Tyler Breeze and Adam Rose. In the beginning the odd pairing of Rose and Breeze work well together isolating Finn for a long while until he makes the hot tag to Hideo who comes in and cleans house. Itami seems ready to finish off Breeze but Balor tags himself in. Balor comes in and hits his signature moves and looks ready to finish things as well but Hideo tags himself back in. The two begin to bicker and Breeze takes advantage rolling up Itami for the pin. Hideo and Finn begin to argue in the middle of the ring until Breeze sneaks back in superkicking Hideo and hitting Balor with a Beauty Shot. Adam Rose comes in to celebrate with his partner only to eat a superkick as well. Presumably the episode ends with Breeze standing over the three bodies, but eventually Itami and Balor make it back up. First Itami lays out Breeze with a single leg dropkick and Balor finishes him off with a Coups De Grace. The crowd goes home happy and very anxious for May 20th.

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