NXT Jacksonville 1-17-15

The infamously boisterous Jacksonville fans piled into the Maxwell Snyder Armory for another intense night of wrestling action. The men and women of NXT looked to finish their weekend on a strong note and that they did. Fans would leave just as fired up as they were when they arrived, after witnessing a night of ongoing feuds and dream matches.

The night began with the power of Tony Briggs vs the speed of Elias Sampson, both wrestlers that I’m looking forward to seeing more of. The natural heel Tony Briggs immediately used to his size and strength to try and take the early advantage over the energetic Sampson who halted Briggs momentum with an impressive jumping knee strike to the face. Unfortunately for both men it didn’t really matter who took control at all, because Kevin Owens stormed the ring and he wasn’t in a very good mood. He immediately executed a brutal pumphandle neckbreaker to Sampson and followed with a cannonball senton to Briggs in the corner. For good measure he finished off Sampson with a vicious powerbomb and then grabs a microphone. He answered the fans “that was awesome” chants with a foreboding warning. He said that wasn’t awesome, but it was pretty good. He promised it would be awesome later when he was done, because he was only getting started. He exits the ring and brutalizes Briggs who had just made it to his feet.

Next up Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins of Shoot Nation took on the bizarre pairing of CJ Parker and Ty Dillinger in what turned out to be an exciting tag match. In the opening moments Parker makes the mistake of challenging Dawkins to amateur style wrestling which didn’t turn out too well for the hippy. Using their shoot skills and definitive size advantage Fulton and Dawkins looked great until the experience and cunning of Parker and Dillinger came into play. Keeping Fulton isolated from his corner Parker and Dillinger punished their opponent and worked surprisingly well together. Rolling out of the path of a moonsault from Parker would allow Fulton to make the hot tag to Dawkins who came like a man possessed. In the chaotic final moments a isolated Dillinger would receive a backbreaker from Fulton followed by a spear from Dawkins for the pin and a victory for Shoot Nation. In a tag team division that I’m constantly raving about, Fulton and Dawkins are yet another team that I look forward to each night. It’s also worth noting that Ty Dillingers following seems to grow with every show despite whatever gimmick he has that particular week. Perhaps Dillinger just needs to be Dillinger, the talent speaks for its self.

Enzo Amore and Big Cass make their way out to a huge pop, which is par for the course with this always over duo. Amore goes through his usual animated spiel before introducing Carmella, who once again reminds us that she sent “Old Bluepants” to the clearance rack and is now looking to go straight to the top of the womens division. Big Colin Cassidy takes the mic and inspired by a fan in the crowd dressed as Sting makes a mock phone call to HHH, letting him know that the vigilante Sting is here in Jacksonville, Florida and sitting in the fourth row. Sometimes these random promos in the middle of a wrestling card come off as pointless, but when Big Cass and Enzo are involved it is always entertaining and the crowd is left pumped.

Next Solomon Crowe takes on Kalisto. In the early going Kalisto took the advantage with his speed and agility. It wasn’t long before Crowe took the advantage after bicycle kicking Kalisto in the face as he flew off the turnbuckle, followed by Crowes explosive running knee into a grounded Kalisto in the corner. Crowe then followed by punishing and wearing down Kalisto. However, the luchadore is never easy to keep down and mounted a comeback with his lightning fast offense. A corkscrew body press off the ropes followed by a Salida Del Sol was enough to give Kalisto the pinfall victory. These two obviously know each other well and have a great chemistry, but for Crowe fans it was another bad night and another disappointing loss.

It’s not often you get that “big fight feel” before it’s even intermission time, but that is exactly what happened. In a match that could have very well been the main event fans saw Finn Balor vs Hideo Itami. Immediately upon the ringing of the bell Neville tosses Hideo out of the ring and sets his sights upon Finn Balor. The two competitors tear into each other with fervor. Hideo, not to be an afterthought reemerges in the fray and from there it is non-stop action that had the entire crowd standing more than sitting. Unfortunately for his opponents Hideo is getting more comfortable in WWE rings as his strikes and world famous kicks are getting stiffer every night. Finn Balor is already main event quality on any roster in the world. Tonight though it was Adrian Neville who was a step ahead of everyone proving why he was the longest reigning NXT champion ever with his dizzying offense and unparalleled speed. Neville managed to end it with a superkick to Hideo followed by a perfectly executed 450 splash off the top ropes for the pin. The show could have ended right there and fans would have went home happy, but it was only intermission.

We come back from a short break for fatal four way womens wrestling action as Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Charlotte all faced off in an excellent fast paced match. Team B.A.E. controlled much of the match until the inevitable arguing over pins began. At this point the odds evened out and it was every woman for herself. In the final moments of the match Charlotte attempted to lock on a figure four on Sasha only to be kicked off and into Bayleys waiting arms for a Belly-To-Belly Suplex. Meanwhile Becky tosses Banks from the ring only for Charlotte to put down Lynch with a neckbreaker followed by a natural selection. Banks quickly pounced tossing Charlotte out of the ring and stealing the pin and walking out victorious once again, even if at the expense of her ally. I have nothing but positive things to say about all four competitors, and truth be known with performances like this they may just steal the show next month at Takeover.

Next up Jason Jordan steps up to the daunting challenge of facing the Alpha of NXT Baron Corbin. Jordan made an impressive showing against, while Corbin did a good job of selling his opponents offense. However it would all prove to be futile as the lone wolf Baron Corbin mounted an unstoppable comeback and lay out Jordan with an End Of Days. The celebration would be cut short though as Bull Dempsey hit the ring and laid out Corbin and accentuated it with a massive flying headbutt that would leave his nemesis laid out.

Newly crowned tag champs Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy defended their titles against everyones favorite gentleman bruisers The Vaudevillians. In a match that involved two great teams it’s strange that the most shocking moment of the match and possibly the whole evening came from the referee. In the early going referee Drake Wuertz (formerly Drake Younger) had enough of the disrespect from Aiden English and began pointing and yelling at the bad guy before he totally lost his cool and gave a deafening chest chop to English. Wuertz had a look as if to say “What the hell have I just done!” before he delivered a chop to Gotch as well followed by more shock. It was a fun moment that was probably spur of the moment due to how over Drake Wuertz really is with the Jacksonville crowd… but yet, on a night with a ridiculously stacked card, it’s funny that this was truly the OMG moment of the night. Soon order was restored and a more traditional tag match followed. Despite brawling referees The Vaudevillians managed to gain control isolating Blake and punishing him before he made the hot tag to Buddy Murphy who entered the ring as explosive as ever and laying waste. It was a running brainbuster to Gotch followed by a beautiful frogsplash from Blake that gave their team the win. Blake and Murphy are simply charismatic and exciting to watch and this title run is well deserved. Though the real question is will anyone ever really boo The Vaudevillians?

Our main event of the evening was an NXT title match with champion Sami Zayn defending against Tyler Breeze. The match began with plenty of antics as Breeze attempted to keep his distance from his enemy. Zayn got a hold of Breezes phone, and eventually put it down…. After taking a selfie. Then champ took control in the early going but Prince Pretty is not one to be taken lightly and shows it whenever he main events. It was an exhausting back and forth battle between the two that eventually saw Breeze take control. Zayn began to mount a comeback and executed a trademark Blue Thunder Bomb into a pin attempt. The two men made it to their feet and Zayn walked into a beautiful superkick from Breeze. Then Kevin Owens once again stormed the ring laying out Breeze and tossing him from the ring. He stood over Zayn, then picked him up to begin his attack. Out of nowhere, Zayn grabbed Owens and launched him into the turnbuckles with an exploder suplex. He looked to follow that with a Helluva kick, which Owens dodged before making a retreat into the back. Afterwards, Zayn cut a nice promo thanking the fans. Once again NXT delivered and even the notoriously smarky Jacksonville crowd went home happy.

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NXT Lakeland 12-20-14

NXT made its final stop of 2014 at The National Guard Armory in Lakeland, Fl. A standing room only packed house piled in to watch the young and hungry wrestlers of NXT tear down the house and close out what has been a stellar year for the brand. With many of the usual headliners away, the remaining men and women of the locker room not only stepped up, but they also illustrated that they had what it takes to excel in the spotlight and send the crowd home happy.

When looking to start off the night with a definitive bang Wesley Blake is usually a safe bet. He’s fast paced and exciting to watch whether in singles or tag. His opponent for the evening is Tony Briggs, a stocky powerhouse of a wrestler. Using his speed to his advantage Blake took early control, but Briggs wouldn’t make it an easy task and swung the odds back in his favor with a lot of power moves. However it wouldn’t last long before Blake mounted a comeback finishing up the match with a perfectly executed frogsplash off the top turnbuckle for the pin. Blake impresses as always and while Briggs lost this time I’m looking forward to seeing more out of the big man.

Next up, The Mechanics took on Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins of Shoot Nation. Early on Shoot Nation took control using their size and grappling skills to their advantage much to the frustration of Dawson. However outsized The Mechanics would use their cunning to their advantage as Dawson feigned shoulder injury. When it looked as if the match was about to be cut short, he attacked Fulton with a vengeance. Employing frequent tags Dawson and Wilder began to decimate Fulton until he managed to make a hot tag to a well- rested Dawkins who appeared to be turning things around for his team until he ran into a vicious clothesline from Dawson, followed by a flapjack onto Wilders knees allowing a pin for their team. This was probably one of my favorites of the evening. The Mechanics are always fun to watch, and Dash Wilder seems to be coming into his own as well, from his interactions with Dawson to a little well placed showboating in the ring. Shoot Nation initially seemed like a vehicle purely to get Chad Gable over, but its doing wonders for Fulton and Dawkins who are looking better than ever with their new direction.

The always hyped Mojo Rawley is out next to deliver a promo and lets us know he will be back in two months. His mic abilities have improved quite a bit, but it’s clear that his gimmick is the same which may irk a lot of people but this pro-Mojo crowd didn’t seem to mind.

Next up Cal Bishop challenged Solomon Crowe. The size advantage goes to Bishop here who knocked Crowe to the ground in the opening lock up. However, over-confidence also goes to Bishop as well who began to trash talk Crowe. An angry Solomon Crowe warned Cal Bishop “If you call me an angry elf again I will kick you in the face!” Needless, to say he didn’t listen and was met with a bicycle kick to the face, followed by an explosive attack by Crowe including a brutal running knee into a downed Bishop in the corner. Bishop was able to mount a comeback and found himself in control, but the match ended very abruptly with a surprise rollup giving the victory to Solomon Crowe. Afterwards Bishop was helped to the back with the help of a doctor and two referees. It’s unclear what happened or when, but Bishop seemed to be in a lot of pain.

Ty Dillinger is apparently a tenacious man because he made another attempt to defeat the as of yet unstoppable Baron Corbin, even attacking him before the bell. A determined Dillinger would not relent eventually working the arm and shoulder of Corbin. He looked to have Corbin reeling after not one, but two beautiful superkicks, but even that would not put the big man down who quickly turned things around. Once Corbin gets going it doesn’t take long, a big boot to the face followed by an End Of Days, would equate to one more loss for Dillinger. This was another great match between these two, I wish they could have done something more like this at the last special. Dillinger looked great as always, but it’s Baron Corbin who seems to get even better with every match and the crowds are taking notice.

After a short intermission we return with womens triple threat action as Carmella, Dana Brooke and Alexa Bliss battle it out. Carmella and Brooke quickly align to punish Bliss for most of the match until dissention rises between the two. After that it is every women for themselves, and with the odds even Alexa Bliss takes the definitive advantage. In the final moments she ejected Carmella from the ring and focused on Brooke, executing a standing moonsault in which her knees land in her opponents stomach followed by a Sparkle Splash off the top turnbuckle for the pin. All three of these ladies have proven to be quick studies, and I expect 2015 to be a great year for them.

Next up is 2012 Olympian and Shoot Nation leader Chad Gable, unfortunately for him his opponent is an absolute beast of a man, the 6’8” 370lb Braun Stowman. Chad Gable impressed me from his first match and I see big things for him in the future. Sadly for him though, all the natural wrestling ability in the world can’t help move mountains which is exactly what Stowman is, a mountain of a man. Gable didn’t back down though and when grappling proved useless he attempted to take out the giants leg. Ultimately Stowman was just toying with him and perhaps proving that even monsters take pity he mercifully ended it with an emphatic powerslam for the victory. Stowman is an intimidating big man who is probably more agile than he should be and I look forward to seeing more from him.

Kevin Owens is out next to the largest pop of the night bringing most of the Armory to their feet. Again, he recounts his atrocious actions from NXT Takeover only to tell us that he owes us no explanation. He adds that we don’t really want to see him talk anyway, that we would rather see a fight. The crowd pops big time. Unfortunately, he continues no one in the back is ready or willing to fight and leaves.

Next out is Jason Jordan wearing his amateur wrestling singlet that he has been wearing in Shoot Nation, but with his old theme music. But identity crisis aside his night was about to get a whole lot worse because his opponent is the wrecking ball Bull Dempsey and as always he is in a bad mood. Not one to back down Jordan takes the fight right to Dempsey. Jordan is super agile for a guy his size and deceptively strong, at one point delivering an epic Olympic slam to Dempsey. A tweaked knee brings Jordans offense to a screeching halt and Bull pounces spending much of the match working the leg, at one point locking in a Figure Four Leg Lock which Jordan eventually reversed. Jordan attempted to mount a comeback but his knee gave out while attempting a Fallaway slam to Dempsey. That led to the inevitable, being run over by Dempsey followed by a flying headbutt giving Bull Dempsey another win over Jason Jordan. Bull Dempsey is looking especially mean these days and truly living up to the moniker of a human wrecking ball.

Our main event of the evening is a six man tag match featuring the odd teams of CJ Parker and The Vaudevillians vs Kalisto, Big Cass, and Enzo Amore. Wasting no time the super over face team took the fight to the hippy and the gentleman bruisers. Kalisto started for his team with his high flying arsenal, at one point spring boarding off of Amores back to perform a perfect dive onto The Vaudevillians outside the ring. But eventually the bad guys would take over isolating Enzo Amore from his teammates. At one point the bad guys had it nearly won as Amore endured a senton by Parker, followed by a senton from Gotch, followed by a senton from the second rope by English for the pin, only to have Cass make the save. Eventually Enzo found the opening he needed to make the hot tag to Cass who cleaned house and that is when bodies began to fly everywhere in the chaotic final moments until legal man Kalisto nailed Parker with the Selida Del Sol for the win. Big Cass, Enzo and The Vaudevillians always have great matches when they face each other. The addition of Kalisto and Parker was a good albeit unexpected twist.

All in all it was a great card to close out an amazing year. I can’t wait to see what 2015 holds for NXT, and I look forward to reporting it!

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NXT Cocoa 11-21-14

Tonight NXT made a stop on its chaotic road to REvolution in Cocoa, Fl. Fans filed into The National Guard Armory to see the athletes of NXT do what they do best, deliver hard hitting action and put fans on the edge of their seats. 

The night kicked off with tag team action as Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake looked to even the score with The Mechanics, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. The team of Blake and Murphy started out in control dictating the pace of the match and keeping The Mechanics off of their game. However Wilder and Dawson are as cunning as they are tough, managing to cut off Blake from his partner. Dawsons mantra is "no flips, just fists" and the two delivered just that with frequent tags and double team maneuvering that left Blake on the mat. Eventually though Blake managed to make the hot tag to Murphy who entered the ring like a bullet taking out anyone in his path and clearing the ring of Dawson and isolating Wilder. The fiery Aussie made the tag to Blake before delivering an intense suplex which Blake followed with a frog splash for the victory. This is why NXT has the best tag team wrestling around. These two teams need to be battling out on the network, and preferably for gold. 

Apparently Elias Sampson is a glutton for punishment because for the second night in a row he willingly entered the ring with the alpha of NXT, Baron Corbin. It quickly became clear he should have cut his losses last night because this match would be much worse for Sampson who didn't manage to mount any real offense before being planted to the mat with a devastating "End Of Days". 

Shoot Nation first surrounds and then enters the ring to deliver another promo. The newly expanded stable of Angelo Dawkins, Sawyer Fulton, Jason Jordan, and Tucker Knight stood at attention as the leader Chad Gable once again delivered a message to the fans and the locker room. He made it clear that the five of them had accomplished more than any of us in the room and that they will dominate NXT. Gable delivered his promo well and was really undeterred by the snarky crowd. I can't wait to see how this stable progresses. 

Next up Steve Cutler faced off against Marcus Louis. Months ago who would have predicted the evolution of the tortured Marcus Louis? He shambles to the ring with a towel over his head before removing it to reveal his still very bald head and contorted snarl. Steve Cutler would not be intimidated though and took the fight right to Louis. Cutler employs an offense of strikes and power moves that fit him well but would not be effective enough against the deranged Frenchman. Despite Cutlers efforts Marcus Louis dominated the a fairly one sided match before finishing his opponent with a ura-nage slam. Not that victories matter much to poor Marcus anymore who leaves the ring just as monstrous and tortured. 

It's hard not to be won over by the enthusiasm of Hugo Knox as he dances his way to the ring. Last weekend Knox won over many fans with a very impressive debut and no doubt looked to follow up on his success. The bad news is his opponent was NXTs resident wrecking ball Bull Demspey and he didn't appear to be in a very good mood. In fact Dempsey was on fire tonight and seemed to be living up to being the destructive force he is touted to be. Still yet Knox put forth a good effort and managed to get in a few short bursts of offense. Knox is a fair sized guy that at times moves like a cruiserweight, just as comfortable flipping off of the rope as he is delivering a clothesline. None of that would matter tonight though as Bull tore through him with relative ease and finished him with a flying headbutt for the win. 

Next out is everyones favorite condescending hippie with a live mic and a whole lot of heat from the crowd. In fact, CJ Parker probably gets more heat than anyone in NXT, and part of that is his expert ability at insulting and talking down to the crowd. His opponent once again is a fired up Solomon Crowe. Like their battle the previous evening, it was a back and forth battle. However, when Crowe is in control things get explosive with an erratic smashmouth offense. Following a downright painful to watch clothesline he appeared to be closing the match with a stretch muffler before Parker escaped. Parker is many things, and crafty is one of them as once again he was one very short step ahead of Crowe and planted him with a facebuster for the 1-2-3. 

The evening continues with womens wrestling action as Sasha Banks once again takes on the champ Charlotte in a non-title match. These two women are so evenly matched and know each other so well, the match could have went either way on several occasions. In NXT it is not uncommon for the women to steal the show, if they keep delivering matches like this they will do just that at the next live special. As the match wore on Charlotte proved why she is champ and took control and in the climactic final moments narrowly avoided a backstabber. She began to lock on a figure four before the crafty Banks rolled Charlotte up for the surprise pin. Several matches in and several wins for Sasha Banks. It's looking good for the boss heading into REvolution. 

The following match was once again Simon Gotch taking on Kalisto. Aiden English found himself ejected from ringside very early in the match much to the dismay of Simon Gotch. With the odds evened the two battled it out in a solid contest. Gotch managed to keep Kalisto grounded for much of the match but when the luchdore started to mount a comeback English ran back out. English jumped onto the ring apron to distract the referee meanwhile Kalisto whipped Gotch into English knocking him to the floor. A disoriented Gotch turned back around to find himself on the receiving end of a corkscrew body press giving Kalisto the victory. His celebration would be cut short as the dastardly Vaudevillians commenced with a post match beatdown. All three men are great workers for different reasons but many would agree it is very difficult to build interest in a tag team feud that only features one and a half tag teams. 

Our main event of the evening is the gorgeous one Tyler Breeze taking on Hideo Itami. The men cautiously circle each other to make the first move. Tyler Breeze who is often more concerned with selfies or lounging on the turnbuckle got really serious when Itamis dangerous feet narrowly missed his moneymaker. Angrily he would yell at Hideo "No Kicking!" Finally Hideo would tell him "I don't speak english." and with that the fight was on with the two men trading offense in a fast paced contest. It is Itami who is world famous for his kicks but Breezes kicks shouldn’t be taken lightly either, as evidenced as a close call with a beautifully executed superkick. Tyler Breeze found himself in control but failed to put Itami away which made him more and more frustrated, providing Itami with all the opening he needed to mount an unstoppable barrage of offense. A series of kicks dropped prince pretty to his knees and that is when Hideo delivered his own teeth shattering superkick that gave him the win. An exuberant crowd celebrated with the victorious Hideo Itami as Breeze rolled out of the ring and literally crawled like an inchworm up the aisle and all the way to the back.  

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NXT Orlando 11-13-14

As the men and women of NXT prepared to do battle in their home away from home The Orlando Armory, fans lined up for another night of unrivaled wrestling action. There was electricity in the air as fans not only packed in to see their favorite athletes, but to see the anxiously anticipated arrival of an international superstar. Like always the young and hungry wrestlers of NXT aimed to tear the house down.

Perhaps there is no better way to fire up a crowd than by starting the night with the super charismatic duo of Enzo Amore and Big Cass. The two made their way out to much fan fare followed by their opponents, The Mechanics. The match starts off with plenty of comedic spots with Enzo getting over on the Mechanics before they find themselves in control. This is where all involved excel, Dawson and Wilder with frequent tags and rough offense while Enzo is always at his best as underdog selling his opponents offense. Eventually Amore would find an opening and make the hot tag to Big Cass who cleared the ring of Dawson and laid out Wilder with a swinging side slam. This was a solid opening contest that did its job of hyping the fans very well. Big Cass seems to be really coming into his own as a wrestler while The Mechanics ,who are already favorites, are getting even better every show.

Next up, Aiden English accompanied to the ring by Simon Gotch, took on Kalisto. The match was barely underway before Gotch tried to get involved. Referee Drake Wuertz would have no patience for it tonight and quickly ejected Gotch from ringside. With the odds even the match continued and Kalisto took the early advantage. English eventually grounded the high flyer and took control of the match. When the tide began to turn back Simon Gotch ran back to the ring to cause distraction only to have things backfire as Kalisto launched English into Gotch knocking him off the apron. A disoriented English would turn around to walk into a corkscrew body press giving Kalisto the pinfall victory. An angry Vaudevillians would commence a beat down on Kalisto after the bell. English took to the mic and announced that December 11^th the tag team belts would be theirs. All I can say is I hope so. Kalisto is an amazing athlete, but it makes little sense to have him hold the belts with an absentee partner. The NXT tag team division is stronger than ever with many teams that deserve to be fighting for the straps.

The evening continued with six man tag team action as the team of Steve Cutler, Elias Sampson and Hugo Knox took on the newly formed staple Shoot Nation, consisting of Chad Gable, Sawyer Fulton, and Angelo Dawkins. Shoot Nation took control early on and kept that control for much of the match keeping Knox in taking punishment until he made the hot tag to Elias Sampson who was explosive with the time he got in the ring before tagging Knox back in. Hugo made the win for his team with a flying cross body to Dawkins for the pin. This was only the second match for the highly athletic Hugo Knox, while I'm not sure about his ring gear or his chippendale-like dancing, his athleticism couldn't be denied. In fact, while all men impressed I would say it was Knox, along with Gable who were the stars of the match. Chad Gable, whether playing the undersized underdog or the leader of a heel faction is impressive as can be and fun to watch. This was a great match and a definite highlight of the evening, impressive considering the participants are either new guys or guys that have yet to make a large impact yet.

Ty Dillinger was out next dancing his way out to the ring to burlesque stripper music and shaking his rear for the ladies. The good time wouldn't last long for Dillinger because out next was the lone wolf and possibly the most destructive guy in the locker room, Baron Corbin. All silly gimmick aside, Ty Dillinger is a truly talented wrestler and he showed it here putting forth a good effort against Corbin. In fact he was in control for much of the match, at one point even putting Corbin down with a beautiful looking superkick that could have very well ended the match. Unfortunately for Ty, Corbin found an opening and when he gets momentum going he is practically unstoppable with power moves that look absolutely brutal culminating in the end of days and the win for Baron Corbin. It's nice to see Corbin wrestling lengthier matches and selling more offense. Squash matches are fun for a bit but matches like these are going to do more for him in the long run. Hopefully he'll get to do some like this on television soon.

The condescending CJ Parker is out next berating the audience to some genuine heel heat. His opponent is the returning Solomon Crowe. This match had some good back and forth but it was Solomon Crowe that really stood out here with his offense that can be at once erratic and explosive. He looked to have the match won at several points but the tenacious Parker managed to plant Crowe with a facebuster gaining a hard fought victory. Another great match on a great card. Crowe is exciting to watch and definite main event material. Parker to his credit is indeed underrated and has been a part of some great matches lately.

Next up was womens tag team action as the team of Alexa Bliss and Bayley took on Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. As usual the women set out to steal the show and they did a great job of it. I'm a fan of all four ladies and a usual they all did a great job here. Alexa Bliss has come so far in the past year and it is becoming apparent why she is rumored to be so prominent on peoples radar. For this blogger, it is Becky Lynch who is possibly the most polished women on the roster as far as in ring ability, however, it is the well rounded Sasha Banks who is probably the most ready for the main roster. With a little craftiness and a little distraction Banks managed to nail Bayley with a backstabber and roll into her “Bank Statement” giving her team the victory via tapout.

The war between Jason Jordan and Bull Dempsey continued with each man seeking one more victory over the other. The match started out with each man feeling each other out until Bull took the early advantage. Dempsey takes his time setting up his matches often leading in with frequent rest holds before picking up the pace. Jason Jordan has all the tools to make it, including strength which is showed off at one point tossing Dempsey over with an impressive fallaway slam. Tonight it would be Dempsey picking up newest victory in their feud putting Jordan down with a flying headbutt.

Our much anticipated main event of the evening is the two man juggernaut known as The Ascension taking on the dream team of Hideo Itami and Finn Balor. Before the bell can even ring all four men are in the ring brawling and the crowd simultaneously moves to the edge of their seats. Eventually the referee gets the match under control and a traditional tag match follows. Balor and Hideo took the early advantage however The Ascension would not make it easy for them and eventually gain control. Konnor and Viktor punished Hideo for much of the match proving why they are the most destructive tag team on the planet. The Ascension shouldn't be overlooked here as their most recent work is probably some of there best. The man with perhaps the most to prove, Finn Balor would justify all the hype he has arrived with as soon as he was tagged in laying waste with lightening fast speed and kicks. Eventually control of the match would be lost and the victory would be awarded to Balor and Hideo via disqualification, but the statement was made. That statement being with the arrival of Finn Balor, the landscape of NXT is about to change dramatically.

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