Full Sail TV Tapings 10-8-15

Hot on the heels of Takeover: Respect, fans piled into Full Sail University to see the fallout from the historic live special. It was a night of new contenders, new chapters and renewed rivalry. The following recap contains spoilers for the next 3 episodes of NXT.

In the dark match Alexander Wolfe took on Hugo Knox in what would be a short textbook match. Knox starts off strong until Wolfe takes over with a cheap shot and controls much of the match. Finally, Wolfe misses with an elbow and Knox mounts a comeback. He topples the big German with a shoulder tackle and follows with a crossbody. He finally levels Wolfe with a big kick and executes a split-legged moonsault for the win. With his exuberant Chippendale-like dancing Hugo Knox is way over with the crowd. I’m not sure exactly how far a gimmick like this will take him, but his wrestling shows much promise as he is a big muscular guy who at times moves like a cruiserweight.

Episode 1

Bayley is out first to a huge pop from the crowd. She begins by saying that Takeover made history, not just her match but the entire show. She specifically mentions the Dusty Classic, and mentions that Dusty believed in her and made it all possible. She continues by stating that NXT women’s division has started something special and the division is at a whole new level now. She is interrupted by Alexa Bliss, who is accompanied by Blake and Murphy. Alexa pays compliment to Bayley saying that she is an incredible chance and she looks forward to sharing the future with her. She then snatches the belt off Bayley’s shoulder and says they will not be sharing it. She says soon she will be taking it for real, before throwing it back to her.

Next up is The Vaudevillians taking on Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins in a short tag match. English starts off strong until Dawkins takes a cheap shot. They punish English for much of the match until he makes a hot tag to Gotch who comes in with a series of innovative strikes and kicks. The Vaudevillians then hit Dawkins with the Whirling Dervish for the win. This was a short formulaic match, but fun none the less. The Vaudevillians are as over as always, while it’s nice to see Fulton and Dawkins being paired together again.

Next up is the television debut of Nia Jax. Her opponent for the evening is indie wrestler Evie. The two lock up and Nia easily knocks Evie down. Evie runs the ropes and bounces off of Nia like she hit a brick wall. Nia snatches Evie up in a bearhug, thrashing her around like a ragdoll. Later, Evie attempts a comeback with a series of kicks to no avail as Nia hoists her up and slams her to the mat emphatically with a big front slam for the win. Nia Jax shows a lot of potential and fills a monster heel role that was needed in the NXT women’s division. Even, if just a squash match it was still exciting to see Evie in the Full Sail Arena.

Up next is a battle royal to decide the new number one contender for the NXT title. The competitors were as follow (in no particular order): Danny Burch, Apollo Crews, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, Tyler Breeze, Ty Dillinger, Blake, Murphy, Steve Cutler, Bull Dempsey, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Elias Sampson, Riddick Moss, Rhyno, Enzo, Cass,  Zack Ryder, Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin, and Samoa Joe. As it goes in these matches the action was way too crazy to call. At times Corbin and Rhyno were working well in tandem, until Corbin took the liberty of eliminating a shocked and angry Rhyno. Finally the ring thinned out to the final four which were Baron Corbin, Tyler Breeze, Samoa Joe, and Apollo Crews.  Soon after Joe eliminates Tyler Breeze much to the chagrin of a pro-Breeze crowd. Moments later with Joe dangerously on the ring apron, Breeze illegally pulls him to the floor as the crowd chants “Thank you , Tyler”.  Corbin slams Crews to the mat and begins a brutal beatdown. Crews mounts a comeback with a series of strike and topples Corbin with a big clothesline. He immediately goes for a standing moonsault but Corbin counters with his knees. The two make it back up and Crews rocks Corbin with two huge standing ensiguris and finally clotheslines him out of the ring to become the new number one contender. I believe most people were assuming Corbin or Joe would win, so Apollo Crews standing tall was a nice surprise. The man has all the tools, and a match with Finn will be incredible. Yet, I believe most people were pulling for Tyler simply because they are tired of seeing him used as a stepping stone.

Episode 2

Coming off a successful debut Asuka takes on Billie Kay. The bell rings and Asuka offers a handshake but Billie answers with a knee to the gut followed by a big boot. Billie continues with a series of strikes and a vertical suplex with major hang time. Asuka fights back with a series of big kicks but Billie shuts her down with a heavy punch. Billie runs the ropes finds herself in a rolling armbar that Asuka quickly transitions into a seated armbar. Billie manages to grab the ropes but Asuka continues her attack with a German suplex followed by many kicks before trapping Billie Kay in an Asuka Lock for a submission victory. Another successful outing from the impressive Asuka, who comes to NXT worthy of every bit of the hype. Asuka seems poised for big things in the division, and rightfully so. With three out of four of the Horsewomen moved on, Asuka is probably the only women in NXT who could step in the ring with Bayley and put on an instant classic today. Australian Billie Kay is no slouch though, she looked good here and I look forward to her (and Peyton Royce) moving beyond jobbing soon.

Tag team action is next Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder taking on Enzo and Cass. Almost immediately the roughneck team of Dawson and Wilder take control working over the leg of Enzo. Dawson punishes Enzo with a leg lock until Cass has enough and breaks it up. A moment later Dawson walks over to Cass on the ring apron to talk trash and Enzo rolls him up with a surprise pin. Absolutely livid Dawson and Wilder begin a post-match beatdown ejecting Enzo from the ring and hitting Big Cass with the Shatter Machine. I’m looking forward to a good feud from these two teams. I’ve seen them face off countless times at house shows and they’ve developed quite a chemistry. Win or lose, I’m just glad to see Dawson and Wilder finally making it to television on a regular basis.

Danny Burch is out next followed by his surprise opponent James Storm, who received a huge pop. It was a short match and almost all Storm. After a little bit of action Storm hits Burch with a neckbreaker and finishes him with his spinning bulldog the Eight Second Ride for the pin. Short and sweet match but James Storm looked great in the ring, moving smoothly and fluidly. More importantly, he just looked happy as hell to be there.

We continue with women’s action as Alexa Bliss takes on Peyton Royce. The match begins with back and forth grappling. Before long Bliss get the advantage, targeting the arm of Peyton grounding her with an armlock. Eventually Peyton fights back with a dropkick and several high spinning heel kicks. However Bliss halts her momentum, beating down Peyton and nailing her with a Glitz Flip.  She ascends the ropes and hits the Sparkle Splash for the victory. Afterwards, she grabs the mic and addresses Bayley, sarcastically stating that she is a role model and an inspiration but all that is about to end.

Next up Rhyno looks to exact a little revenge against Baron Corbin. As one would imagine this one was far from technical and pretty much a huge brawl. The two big exchange strikes and kicks with Corbin in control most of the match. They battle to the outside where Corbin sends Rhyno into the ringsteps. They battle back into the ring and eventually back outside where Rhyno returns the favor sending Corbin into the steps. Back in the ring Rhyno looks to keep his momentum going nailing Corbin with a belly to belly followed by a sidewalk slam. Rhyno hits the Gore but Corbin manages to kick out at two. Rhyno attempts a second Gore but Corbin snatches him up for the End Of Days.

Episode 3

We continue with women’s action as indie star Shazza McKenzie takes on Emma. In another glorified squash this one was almost all Emma, as she beatdown Shazza at a slow deliberate pace. Shazza surprises Emma with a roll-up, but Emma kicks out and answers with a mean clothesline. Later Shazz attempts another burst of offense with a running attack in the corner but Emma dodges and answers with an Emma-mite Sandwich. She then contorts Shazza into an Emma Lock for a submission victory. The presence of the indie girls in NXT is exciting, even if they are just enhancement talent. Shazza looked good, but more importantly Emma looked better. Emma needs all the momentum she can get if Asuka is indeed in her future.

Next up is tag action as Chad Gable and Jason Jordan take on Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa. The match starts with a handshake before Gable and Ciampa lock up for some excellent grappling from both men before Gable takes the advantage. The match continues with the advantage teetering back and forth between both teams. Later, stretches out Garganos arm with a signature armbar over the top rope. However moments later upon a distraction Gargano torpedoes through the ropes into the ring spearing Gable, finally swaying momentum for his team. Gargano and Ciampa slow the pace working over Gable eventually settling into an abdominal stretch. Eventually, Gable makes the hot tag to a fresh Jordan who comes in with several big suplexes. Jordan looks to set up his finisher but Ciampa distracts and Gargano plants Jordan with a hellacious DDT. However moments later Jordan comes back flapjacking Ciampa to the mat and setting him up for a Grand Amplitude for the win. For me this was easily the best match of the night. Jordan and Gable have gelled so well and are easily one of my favorite tag teams period. Not sure what the status is of Gargano and Ciampa is, but easy to say both men have been involved in what have been my favorite matches at the last several tapings.

The indie invasion continues with Kay Lee Ray trying her hand against Nia Jax. The two lock up but Nia drops her with a headbutt. Kay fight back with a flurry of punches to no avail. Nia scoops Kay up for a backbreaker rack. Later Kay attempts one last bit of offense with several dropkicks. She attempts a springboard attack but Nia catches her, slams her to the mat before dropping a big leg drop for the win. Another short match but what would expect for the push of the devastating Nia Jax.

Enzo and Cass are out next but get attacked on the way to the ring by a still irate Dawson and Wilder. They violently throw Enzo off the ramp and focus their attack on the knee of Big Cass. They make a final emphatic point when Dawson locks in the leg of Cass and Dash comes crashing down on the knee from the top rope. Afterwards Cass is helped to the back by Enzo and several referees.

Next up is Tyler Breeze vs Samoa Joe in front of a very split crowd. The bell rings and Tyler evades the ring, taking his time getting back in. He answers the referees count but quickly evades the ring again. He makes it back in the ring and evades a third time but this time Joe chases him around and back into the ring. Breeze pounces on Joes with several strikes and kicks. Breeze lounges upon the turnbuckle with his signature pose but Joe kicks him down and attacks Breeze with a flurry of strikes. Breeze wisely leaves the ring but Joe dives through the ropes to the outside toppling Breeze. Back in the ring Joe hits with a splash and a kick in the corner. Breeze fights back hitting a backstabber. Joe fires back with several big chops, but Breeze hits a dropkick then grounds Joe with a chinlock. Joe makes it to his feet and drops Breeze with a bog boot followed by a senton. After a powerslam and a big side slam Joe sets up a musclebuster but Breeze escapes and answers with a superkick. The two exchange several strikes until rolls up his opponent. However Joe rolls through and locks on a coquina clutch for the victory. The losing streak continues for Tyler Breeze, but he still came out looking great.

Our final match is Ty Dillinger taking on NXT champion Finn Balor. The two start off with back and forth chain wrestling until Ty cartwheels over Finn and throws up his hands in a perfect 10. The action continues back and forth and eventually spills to the outside. Ty begins to focus his attack on the leg of Balor. The action continues back and forth with many signature spots from both men. Later on after much action Dillinger locks on a cloverleaf but Balor makes it to the ropes. The two make it to their feet and clotheslines Ty out of the ring. Balor runs down the ring apron and kicks his opponents head off. Balor tosses him back in the ring and hits Ty with a dropkick to the corner and follows with a Coup De Grace for the victory.  

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NXT Largo 5-8-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

NXT Wrestling returned to The Minnreg Hall in Largo for another night of action as only they can deliver. Boisterous fans piled in to see their favorite athletes gain valuable momentum as they head closer to NXT Takeover: Unstoppable.

Big Cass comes to the ring to a huge pop accompanied by Enzo Amore. His opponent for the evening is the drifter Elias Sampson. The match begins evenly as control of the match goes back and forth until Sampson takes the big man down with an explosive knee strike to the face. At this point Sampson keeps Cass grounded, wearing him down and working the arm. Further into the match Cass dodges an elbow drop and mounts a comeback. He lands a big splash onto Sampson in the corner and follows with a big boot. He then finishes off Sampson with a swinging side slam for the victory. We’re used to seeing Cass in tag team action usually coming in off a hot tag, so it was great to see him playing a different role. Elias Sampson certainly continues to impress, win or lose.

Next out is Steve Cutler to take on his opponent Marcus Louis. Sadly it seems we’ve seen the last of the tortured and crazy Marcus, as he was decked out in black pants, black shirt, black gloves and sunglasses. He looked like a hitman, though I am not really sure what they are going for. Cutler starts off strong, but soon the arm locks and headlocks evolve into brawling and that is where Louis takes over. Marcus slows down the pace and appears to be as methodical and sadistic as ever as he enjoys taking apart Cutler. At one point he seemingly Rock Bottoms Cutler through the mat but somehow Cutler kicks out and fights back. His comeback is short lived though and Louis finishes him off with a pumphandle slam for the win. Marcus Louis has a lot of untapped potential, hopefully he can find a gimmick that connects with the fans.

NXT announcer Greg Hamilton is out next to introduce Uhaa Nation who comes to the ring with a nice pop from the crowd. Hamilton asks him why was he here in NXT, and Uhaa lets us know bluntly to be champ. He continues that everyone knows the toughest talent in the world is right here. He concludes the interview by saying that when he is done everyone will realize that the future isn’t now, but rather “The future is me!”

We continue with tag team action as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder take on The Vaudevillians. In the opening moments Wilder taunts Gotch by performing some manly squats of his own. Gotch responds by stretching his leg to his head. Wilder tries to do the same and hilariously fails, even with Dawson trying to help him. Soon after the wrestling begins and The Vaudevillians are on fire keeping one step ahead of their opponents. Gotch and English go on to perform a lot of their signature antics much to the delight of the crowd, including the addition of an old school Airplane spin from English. Eventually the crafty team of Dawson and Wilder take charge and begin to dismantle English and this is where they are so dangerous and so fun to watch. The two are proclaimed roughnecks but are just as comfortable grappling as they are brawling. However, English eventually makes the hot tag to Gotch who comes in and begins to clear the ring. Gotch appears be about to finish it when in the melee Dawson makes a blind tag to Wilder. Dawson flapjacks Gotch into a waiting gutbuster from Wilder for the win. This was a really entertaining tag match that all men came out of looking great. Fans of the house show circuit have long been aware of how good of a tag team Dawson and Wilder really are, but soon television fans will see as well. Ty Dillinger comes out and scores the match a 4.

Next is women’s action as Becky Lynch once again collides with the champion Sasha Banks. In the opening moments Lynch tries to end it quickly by attempting to lock on an arm bar but Banks wisely evades. Lynch leads the match tossing the champ around with a series of beautiful arm drags. Banks turns things around and slows the pace as she begins targeting the arm of Lynch. Lynch dodges out of the corner avoiding Banks and firing back first targeting the champs arm and eventually locking on her armbar submission, but Banks grabs the ropes. Moments later Banks draws Becky into the corner slamming her into the turnbuckle. Banks capitalizes propping her feet on the ropes for a leverage pin. I’ve seen these ladies in the ring now several times over the past few weeks and they not only put on an excellent performance every time, but they switch up a lot of offense as well giving us different matches every time. I’ve already made the prediction before but I’ll say it again, they will steal the show at Takeover. One could even make the argument (and I have) that they should be main eventing Takeover.

Solomon Crowe is next taking on Baron Corbin. Unintimidated Crowe takes the fight right to Corbin but Corbin swats him off. Tenaciously Crowe is right back on him again but Corbin counters with a punch that turns Crowe inside out and makes the crowd cringe. He slams Crowe first onto the mat and then into the turnbuckle with velocity. Crowe makes a comeback and contorts Corbin into an octopus hold, but Corbin powers out. Later, Crowe mounts a final comeback laying out Corbin with a swinging tornado DDT. He follows diving off the ropes but Corbin catches him in an End Of Days for the win. Ty Dillinger comes out and only gives the match a 2. I’d give it higher though, this was a great smashmouth match. Solomon Crowe has long been one of the most exciting guys on the roster, but Baron Corbin came out tonight looking absolutely brutal and mean, and probably the best I’ve seen him.

Two of NXT’s newest additions KC Cassidy and Jessie McKay introduce themselves and inform us that not only are they the best divas in the world, but they are also best friends. Bayley and Carmella, or “Baymella” come out taking exception with the statements of the new girls. A referee is called out and a tag match is set. Bayley and Carmella start off strong, with Bayley hitting a lot of her signature spots, but eventually Cassidy and McKay take over making frequent tags and methodically taking apart Bayley. Eventually Bayley makes a hot tag to Carmella, and moments later she executes an STO transitioned into her headscissors submission giving Cassidy no choice but to tap. This was a really fun match. Bayley and Carmella always have a great chemistry together whether teaming or facing off. McKay and Cassidy both comes to NXT ring ready and with plenty of experience, the two are a welcome addition to the NXT women’s roster.

Tag team action continues with Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton taking on the team of Bull Dempsey and Tucker Knight. Both teams start out strong with plenty of back and forth action. Slowly the advantage shifts to Dawkins and Fulton who look impressive manhandling a team as immense as Knight and Dempsey, including an impressive deadlift suplex from Fulton to Knight. Eventually Dempsey and Knight took over dominating Fulton until he makes a hot tag to Dawkins who comes in a clears the ring. In the final moments Fulton gives Dempsey a backbreaker and Dawkins follows with a spear for the victory. Apparently, even with the Shoot Nation concept gone, the teaming of Dawkins and Fulton is the best thing that could have happened to their career and they have gelled well as a team. Dempsey and Knight actually make a pretty imposing team that I wouldn’t mind going forward. Unfortunately though whether it is in singles or tag action it seems as if Bull Dempsey can’t catch a break. I still think he has a lot of potential as a face.

Ty Dillinger is out next for our main event and lets us know that simply he by himself is a perfect 10 main event, but he would fight while he’s out here if someone answered his open challenge. He was about to leave when music hit and NXT champion Kevin Owens emerged. In the opening moments after each successful maneuver Dillinger would cartwheel to the corner and score himself a perfect 10. After Dillinger does this a second time Owens answers by knocking Dillinger out of his boots with a picture perfect dropkick. Dillinger retreats to the outside but Owens follows him out pummeling him with multiple chops to the chest. Dillinger manages to launch Owens into the steps and escapes back to the ring. Owens beats the count back in and Ty attacks. Later, Owens comes back squashing Dillinger with a senton and attempts to follow with a cannonball, but Dillinger evades it and answers with a superkick. Moments later Owens climbs the ropes but Dillinger follows him and attempts a superplex but Owens counters sending Dillinger to the mat. He follows with a beautiful senton bomb. The two make it back to their feet and Dillinger delivers another jaw shattering superkick followed by a knee smash to the face. Owens kicks out of another pin attempt and a disgruntled Dillinger begins to expose the turnbuckle. The ref stops him, but as the ref puts the turnbuckle back on Ty simply begins exposing the next one. It backfires as Owens sends Dillinger into the exposed turnbuckle and follows with a cannonball. He then finishes off Dillinger with a pop-up powerbomb for the victory. It was a good match made notable by a well- deserved main event role for Ty Dillinger, perhaps I won’t be able to call him underrated for much longer? After the match maybe feeling overly cheered Owens made sure to roll out of the ring and let a large group of fans in Finn Balor shirts know that “Finn Balor is nothing compared to me!”

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NXT Largo 4-10-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Photos by Maryann Mason

A lively crowd packed into The Minnreg Hall in Largo to see their favorite stars of NXT. Fans would not be disappointed as the young and hungry athletes gave them another highly charged night of wrestling action.

The action kicks off with Chad Gable taking another shot at Solomon Crowe. The two evenly matched athletes know each other well as they lock up trading off armbars and jockeying for an advantage. Eventually the Olympian finds an opening and takes charge targeting the arm of Crowe with a series of armbars including a nasty one over the ring ropes. The explosive Solomon Crowe mounts a quick comeback with a series of chops and strikes followed by a running knee in the corner. He continues his attack dropkicking Gables feet out from under him setting up the Stretch Muffler giving Gable no choice but to tap. After the match, Ty Dillinger comes out and scores it a 5. It was a great opening match featuring guys who are two of my top pick to look out for in 2015. Gable has shown versatility as both a heel and a face, but is doing really well as a cocky Olympian bad guy.

Up next is a six-womens tag match as the team of Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Devin Taylor take on Becky Lynch, Dasha, and Dana Brooke. The match starts and almost immediately the good girls start strong staying one step ahead of their opponents. But with a helpful distraction Lynch is able to get the upper hand on Alexa. They punish Bliss while making frequent tags until she eventually makes a hot tag to Carmella who comes in and clears the ring. With the other girls ejected from the ring Carmella drops an advancing Brooke with a drop-toe hold and wraps her up in her head scissor submission for the second tap-out victory of the night. Ty Dillinger gives the match a 3. As the more experienced wrestler Becky Lynch did a good job of conducting traffic here, while Carmella just gets better with every match. A good outing for the rookie Dasha too, who seems to have all the tools.

Announcer Greg Hamilton makes his way to the ring and introduces Dylan Miley. Standing at around 6’3” and weighing around 285 lbs Miley is an imposing figure. Of course, his most memorable attribute may be his incredibly large hands. Hamilton asks him what the future holds for him. Miley explains that the future is molded by the hands of time and tells him to look at his hands. He continues saying these hands will do exactly what they want to do, the clock is ticking and it is almost time. Miley is pretty good on the mic and unfazed by hecklers in the crowd. I’m looking forward to seeing the big man compete, and hoping that he uses a claw hold.

The action continues with the deranged Marcus Louis taking on Bull Dempsey. The two approach each other slowly and first and then lock up, Dempsey throwing Louis into a side headlock which the Frenchman eventually broke only to get chopped and thrown back into it. Eventually Louis fights back and takes the upper hand. He stalks Dempsey slowly and methodically. The tortured Louis has been more of a brawler since he has lost it, and beats Bull down with big clubbing blows. Finally Dempsey comes back though with a series of strikes, a headbutt and a butt drop. He follows by absolutely running Louis down. Usually this is where he sets up his flying headbutt, but tonight he surprisingly went right for the pin and got the 1-2-3 victory. Afterwards, an irate Marcus Louis attacked Dempsey until several referees broke them up. Bull is really starting to get over with fans and I still believe he can be a really good face. As usual Marcus Louis is absolutely great as the tortured monster.

Next is Tyler Breeze taking on Baron Corbin. The match starts off fast paced as Breeze tries to figure out the best way to take on the much larger angrier Corbin. Despite some early offense Corbin beats him down and follows with some of his signature offense. Breeze had flurries of comebacks but by large Corbin dominated. In the final moments Breeze dodges the big boot of Corbin and answers with a superkick. The two make it to their feet and rock each other with back and forth blows until Breeze hits Corbin with another superkick followed by a Beauty Shot for the win. Ty Dillinger only gave it a 3, even though the crowd was hot and it clearly stole the show. Corbin seems more comfortable as a heel, and his in ring performance really seems to be benefitting from his string of more high profile matches. Tyler Breeze who is mostly cheered anyway seems to be playing to the fans more, even taking selfies with the crowd.

Next, the womens title is up for grabs as Sasha Banks defends her title against Bayley. The match starts off at a fast pace with plenty of reversals until Banks eventually takes charge grounding Bayley with a straightjacket crossface. She continues to dominate Bayley eventually setting up Bayley in the corner for a second diving kneedrop which Bayley dodges. The underdog fires back with a frenzied flurry of her signature spots. She attempts to set up Banks up for a Belly-To-Bayley but Banks spins her around for a backstabber followed by a Bank Statement for a submission victory. This was yet another great outing between these two and another highlight of the night, but yet Ty Dillinger only gave it a 6.

In a non-title tag match The Mechanics took on Blake and Murphy. These two evenly matched teams traded off offense in the early goings but it was Murphy who stayed a step ahead initially until the wily Mechanics took advantage and took over cutting off Blake from his partner. They continued to punish him with frequent tags and great tandem offense until he makes the hot tag to Murphy. The Aussie is simply explosive when he hits the ring taking out anything that moves. However, with the ref distracted The Mechanics took advantage with Dawson flapjacking Murphy into Wilders knees and taking the pin. NXT tag division is great all around but these are your top two teams at the moment, and they are the teams that need to meet at the next live special.

Kevin Owens comes out to a huge pop for a hilarious segment as he berates a kid in the audience wearing a Sami Zayn T-shirt. He tells him that Sami is not here tonight, that he is at home resting after the beating he gave him to take his title. He tells the kid to take off his shirt, march over and buy a Kevin Owens shirt or he is leaving. Owens gives the kid a count of ten to do so, which he doesn’t and Kevin Owens leaves the ring and head to the back.

Ty Dillinger is out next to give us a perfect 10 performance. His opponent is Jason Jordan, who now once again has Shoot Nation entrance music. The match starts with some nice grappling, with Dillinger taking time between each lock-up to hold up his scorecard. After some comedic antics the action starts and Ty attacks viciously but Jordan comes back with some serious power moves including a resounding fallaway slam. Ty dodges a spear and answers with a firemans carry. Jordan rebounds with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex followed by an emphatic Olympic slam for the victory. Not a perfect 10, but a pretty good performance by both men.

The main event of the evening is Enzo Amore and Big Cass taking on The Vaudevillians in front of a very split crowd. Gotch and English start off strong with plenty of manliness and leg squats. Cass and Zo answer with some signature offense of their own. Eventually The Vaudevillians isolate Enzo, who is at his best when playing the underdog. Finally he makes the hot tag to Cass who comes in and clears the ring of Gotch. He then follows with a swinging side slam to English followed with an assisted splash from Amore for the pin. It was an entertaining match that gave the crowd exactly what they love about both teams.

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NXT Takeover: Rival- Final Previews

NXT Tag Title Match

Blake and Murphy vs The Lucha Dragons

The team of Kalisto and Sin Cara get their rematch for the tag titles against new champs Blake and Murphy it what will certainly be an exciting contest. Noted as a team to look out for in 2015, Blake and Murphy set out to make it so when they captured the titles in an upset victory back in January. The Lucha Dragons who shocked the world in their own right when they defeated The Ascension for the titles last year, will not make it an easy title defense for the new champs.

My pick: Blake and Murphy. With a mix of agility, explosiveness, and a cohesiveness as if they have been together for years, the two are clearly just getting started.

No DQ Match

Baron Corbin vs Bull Dempsey

It began as a game of one-upmanship between the two resident monsters of NXT and was only a matter of time before the two collided. The two finally met on the January 14^th edition of NXT in a surprisingly short contest that ended with an emphatic End of Days delivered to Dempsey giving the victory to Baron Corbin. The two would find each other in the ring together again in the first round of the number one contenders tournament and unfortunately for Dempsey it would end in much the same way. However Dempsey would make it known this feud was far from over when he cost Corbin his match against Adrian Neville in the tournament finals, giving Corbin his first loss. Now the men will meet a third time and this time the rulebook is out the window.

My pick: Bull Dempsey. Going into this match 0-2 the New York Nightmare has the most to prove here and a No DQ match will play into his advantage. The only real question here is will this mark the final battle between the two beasts?

Number One Contenders Match

Adrian Neville vs Finn Balor

Former NXT champion Adrian Neville looks to thrust himself back into the title picture by taking on the Finn Balor in a match that is sure to be an instant classic. You go to youtube and search for any match from Finn Balor, the man formerly known as Prince Devitt and one of the top matches to come up is him vs Pac, who people now know as Adrian Neville. The only thing to really expect from this match is a very split crowd and a match that is damn near impossible to follow. This will be a match that is a virtual highlight reel, accentuated by the fact that it is a number one contenders match for the NXT title. This will be a nail-biter with many close calls.

My pick: Finn Balor. While the former champion Adrian Neville really hasn’t lost a step since losing his title back in December, it is Balor who seems to be on a meteoric rise in NXT. Once could tell immediately at his debut his main event presence wasn’t a question of if, but rather when.

Go back and read some of my other previews before the big show.

NXT Takeover:Rival- Womens Fatal Four Way

NXT Takeover: Rival- Zayn vs Owens

                                                               Final Thoughts

A mere days away from the NXT Takeover: Rival and a match between Hideo Itami and Tyler Breeze is more than likely to be added to the card, along with a possibly higly anticipated debut. Though despite who defeats who, the winners are likely us the fans. Without one single throw-away match on the card, NXT is sure to raise the bar just as have at every single live special they have done.

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NXT Takeover: Rival- Preview: Zayn vs Owens

NXT Championship Match

Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens

Sami Zayn looks to get payback against longtime friend and enemy Kevin Owens as one of the biggest feuds in indie wrestling spills into NXT. The two men who came up together, teamed together, and went to war on several occasions no doubt have incredible chemistry together and will likely bring one of the most intense Takeover main events we have seen.

The newest chapter of the Zayn/Owens drama began last December at NXT Takeover: Revolution when Owens made a successful debut to much fanfare in possibly one of the most explosive debuts we have seen. Later that night, after Sami Zayn defeated Adrian Neville in an epic contest for the NXT title Owens would make yet another impact. Joining his longtime friend in the ring to celebrate the biggest night of Zayns NXT career, it wasn’t long before Owens made his intentions clear and laid Zayn out with a vicious powerbomb onto the ring apron.

On the February 11th contract signing Kevin Owens made it clear that for him it is not personal, and that he wouldn’t sign unless the nontitle match was indeed made a match for the NXT title. NXT General Manager William Regal relented and the most anticipated match this year was made official. However for Sami Zayn this couldn’t be more personal, as his former “Road To Redemption” is now a “Road To Retribution”.

Obviously these two know each other well and fans can expect this match to be as fluid and spectacular as it will be brutal and ugly. Will Zayns personal animosity hinder him or fuel his fire? Will the sociopathic detached attitude of Kevin Owens lead him to gold?

My pick: Sami Zayn. In recent months the champ has shown us that he can dig down deep and channel a darker, more determined Sami Zayn and now with the personal stakes so high we will see an even more intense Zayn. But make no mistakes, it really makes no difference who wins or who loses because this is likely but an opening salvo in a long and ferocious war.

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