Full Sail TV Tapings 8-13-15

Written by Wayne Mason

Thursday night fans piled into the NXT arena at Full Sail University for another round of television tapings. With only a little over a week before NXT Takeover, the booking was a little strange to say the least, with some unique matches and possible swerves. It will be interesting to see how the tapings stack up to the actual episodes after the magic of editing. The following report contains detailed spoilers for the next three episodes.

In our opening dark match Riddick Moss takes on the drifter Elias Sampson in a short but well wrestled contest. Moss takes control early on with an obvious strength and size advantage flattening Sampson with a powerslam. Sampson fights back pummeling Moss in the corner. Later he sends Moss to the mat with a double mule kick out of the corner before attempting to ground Moss with a side headlock. The two trade shots back and forth until eventually Sampson comes off the turnbuckles with a crossbody. Moss reverses the momentum and tosses Sampson over his head with a fallaway slam. Moss finishes off Sampson with a crucifix powerbomb for the victory. I’ve been a fan of Elias Sampson from the beginning, but Riddick Moss is starting to come into his own and is looking better with every outing.

Episode 1

General Manager William Regal makes his way to the ring to officiate the contract signing for the women’s title match at NXT Takeover. Bayley is out first, followed by the champ Sasha Banks. Before signing Bayley takes the mic and gives thanks to all of us for getting her to this point. She tells us that this is the biggest match of her life. She explains that she has been in this position before but let the title slip through her fingers. She insists that this time will be different, she can feel it, and Sasha can feel it too. Bayley signs the contract and Sasha takes a mic now. Sasha says she is the baddest diva in NXT and the greatest champ on either roster. Sasha signs the contract and begins to leave the ring. Bayley says she knows how these contract signings end and she doesn’t get to just walk off. Bayley tells her she is ready for a fight now. Banks tells Bayley that Becky and Charlotte were threats but she is not. Banks continues by telling her that is why they are on Raw right now and she is not. She finishes by calling her a loser and telling her she is not worth the fight. Sasha leaves but Bayley attacks her on the ramp and the two fight until they are broken up by several referees.

Next up Prince Pretty Tyler Breeze comes out with a Jushin Thunder Liger mask to make quick work of enhancement talent Rob Ryzin. The bell rings and Ryzin comes out of the gate ready to fight but Breeze knocks him out with a superkick for the win. Afterwards Breeze puts the Liger mask on Ryzin to give us a Takeover preview. Breeze picks his opponent up off the mat only to drop him again with a Beauty Shot.

The action continues with a big eight man tag match with The Hype Bros and Enzo & Cass taking on Aaron Solow, Jesse Sorenson and two other unnamed talents. This was a mostly one sided match with the enhancement talent getting minimal offense against Amore. Cass looks to finish a relatively easy night with a swinging side slam to Solow but Sorenson breaks the pin. Sorenson then gets leveled by Cass followed by a broski boot from Ryder for his troubles. Cass executes another swinging side slam to Solow and launches Enzo off the turnbuckle with an assisted splash for the win.

The night continues with more tag action as the team of Sawyer Fulton and Angelo Dawkins take on the champs Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy accompanied by Alexa Bliss. Dawkins and Fulton start off strong in the early goings using their size to their advantage along with tandem wrestling. Finally Blake turns things around with a big clothesline and control Dawkins until he makes a hot tag to Fulton who comes in and cleans house with a series of strikes and a nice gutwrench suplex to Murphy. It wouldn’t be enough as Murphy quickly regain control and the champs finish Fulton with their running suplex/frogsplash combo for the win. Afterwards The Vaudevillians come out to cut a promo but Alexa marches up and slaps each of them. English and Gotch regain their composure and begin again, but Bliss assaults them once more before the champ’s music hit.

Next up is Steve Cutler taking on Samoa Joe. Cutler bravely takes it right to Joe with a series of strikes into the corner. Cutler backs up and charges but Joe catches him with a thunderous side slam. Joe picks him up and locks on a Coquina Clutch for a quick submission victory. Joe leaves the ring but Corbin runs out and drops him with a big boot. The two brawl into the ring and Joe begins to mount a comeback but Corbin snatches him up with an End Of Days.

Kevin Owens comes to the ring and sets up a ladder. He begins to talk about his match with Balor at NXT Takeover. At the first mention of Brooklyn he is met with loud boos and a “Brooklyn Sucks” chant. He tells us that we are a bunch of hypocrites and are basically the John Cena of wrestling fans because nothing genuine ever comes out of our mouths. He points out that we say we love NXT and want it to grow yet cry that they are doing a sold out show in Brooklyn. He says we’re all trash and that beating Balor and taking his title will make him feel better. He says Japan was a fluke and that at Takeover it is going to be “Climb Owens Climb”. The lights go dark and Finn’s music begins but when the lights come back on Finn is already in the ring perched on the turnbuckle. The two begin to brawl and Finn drops Owens with a pele kick. He takes the ladder and launches it but Owens dodges and clears the ring. Finn tells him that he is going to do more than win, he is also going to kick Owens ass and shut his mouth. This was a great segment. Owens scathing promo had so much truth to it, and how he utilized it is another example of why he is simply the best heel in the business.

Episode 2

The episode begins with Gionna Daddio taking on Sasha Banks, who came to the ring wearing her women’s title, again it will be interesting to see how these episodes are edited for television. The match starts with much fast paced back and forth action. Gionna starts off strong with several grapples, pin attempts and acrobatic maneuvers but ultimately Banks halts her offense with double knees in the corner. Banks then slows the pace choking Gionna in the corner before settling into a chinlock. Gionna mounts a comeback culminating in a crossbody but moments later Banks hits her with a backstabber transitioned into the Bank Statement for the submission victory. There were a few rough spots but ultimately Gionna shows a lot of promise and is a wrestler to get excited for.

The Ascension are out next to a huge hometown pop to take on the weird pairing of Baron Corbin and Rhyno. Viktor and Konnor start off strong manhandling Corbin with a series of strikes and uppercuts. Viktor and Corbin end up brawling on the outside, my visibility was limited (they were on the other side of the ring) but Viktor went down and did not immediately get up. The bell rang abruptly and the match was called a DQ. However, Viktor made it back up and everyone seemed poised to restart the match. Regal came out and said the match would not end like that and to restart it. Rhyno and Corbin dominate Viktor until he nails a hellacious clothesline on Rhyno in a last gasp effort. Viktor makes the hot tag to Konnor who comes in with a flurry of punches to Rhyno. He accentuates it with a big flapjack and The Ascension surround Rhyno for The Fall Of Man. Corbin makes the save pulling Viktor out of the ring, and moments later Rhyno gores Konnor for the win. Flawed match or not, it was nice to see The Ascension welcomed back to Full Sail in such a loud raucous way.

We continue with Alexa Bliss taking on Bluepants in a very one sided match. In the opening moments Bliss attacks and beats down Bluepants, She continues with intermittent kicks and strikes in between armlocks. Bluepants fights back with two high kicks and a suplex, but Bliss answers with a Glitz Flip followed by a Sparkle Splash for the pin.

Next, Apollo Crews takes on Martin Stone. In the early goings Apollo shows off his amazing agility and fluidity finishing off the opening moments with a beautiful dropkick. Stone mounts a slight offense, wisely trying to ground Crews. However Apollo comes back with a mean kick followed by a series of axehandles and a big splash. He hoists up Stone with a big military press and drops him. He then follows with a perfect standing moonsault for the win. It was a short but fun match and a good introduction to Apollo Crews.

Next up is women’s action with Billie Kay taking on Eva Marie. After a few successful grapples in the early goings Eva stops to gloat but Billie shuts her up with a big boot. However moments later Eva is back in control with several shoulders to Billie in the corner. She follows with a suplex and a senton before settling into a grounded abdominal stretch. Billie makes it up and mounts a comeback with two clotheslines and a suplex of her own. Billie goes for a pin and the referee counts one, two, and he hesitates on what should have been a three count. Apparently, Eva Marie forgot to kick out, it was terribly noticeable. It certainly didn’t help to sway the already negative crowd who pounced upon the botch with “Bullshit” chants. The match continues and the two fight into the corner where Eva manages to hit Billie with the Sliced Red #2 for the victory.

Tag action is next with Solomon Crowe and Neville taking on Jason Jordan and Chad Gable. Neville is met with a hero’s welcome from the crowd at Full Sail University.  Crowe and Gable start with both men showing off some incredible ringwork. Crowe takes charge and eventually flapjacks Gable before settling into a front chancery. Moments later Neville takes over on Jordan with a flurry of kicks and signature offense for his team. Later Jordan and Gable would turn things back around isolating Crowe from his partner. Crowe eventually makes a hot tag to Neville who comes in with a speedy series of strike and kicks laying out Jordan. Neville climbs the turnbuckles for The Red Arrow, but Gable wisely pulls Jordan to the outside. Undeterred, Neville executes a moonsault off the turnbuckle onto Jordan on the outside. Crowe follows with a suicide dive through the ropes and into Gable. Back in the ring Jordan and Gable somehow manage to take advantage ejecting Neville from the ring and hitting Crowe with Grand Amplitude for the victory.

Episode 3

The episode opens up with Peyton Royce (KC Kassidy) taking on Carmella. The match opens up with much grappling and reversals, and both women looking strong. Finally, Carmella takes charge with a nice headscissors and a sitout rear slam. Peyton fights back with two high spinning heel kicks and a crossbody. Ultimately though Carmella would nail Royce with an STO and transition into her modified figure four head scissors for the submission victory.

Tag team action is next with the bizarre pairing of Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey. Their opponents were the surprising duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, who were both welcomed with much fanfare. Very early on Ciampa slaps the taste right out of the mouth of Breeze. Gargano comes in and continues the momentum with a mean neckbreaker to Breeze. Eventually Prince Pretty makes a tag to Bull. Gargano continues his onslaught but bounces right off of the much larger Dempsey. After several unsuccessful takedowns Gargano drops Bull with a kick to the head and tags in Ciampa. Tommaso first tries to ground Dempsey before eventually jumping onto Bull’s back and locking on a sleeper hold. Dempsey falls back squashing Ciampa before tagging in Breeze. Breeze quickly begins to get owned again and once again tags in Dempsey. Moments later Dempsey accidently knocks Breeze off the ring apron. All alone in the ring Gargano rolls up Bull with a sunset flip and Ciampa follows through rolling Bull up for the pin. Afterwards Bull and Breeze argue in the ring, then Breeze attacks Bull. He finally drops Bull with a kick to the head. This was a really fun match possibly setting up a program for Bull and Breeze. Though a more pressing question right now would be the NXT status of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.

Women’s action is next with Billie Kay taking on Dana Brooke. The match begins with much fast paced back and forth action. Billie mounts some nice offense with a perfect headscissors but a frustrated Brooke beats down Billie afterward. She continues choking Billie in the corner before settling into a scissor lock. Later Billis fights back with a clothesline and a hurricanrana followed by a big boot. Brooke attempts a kick, but Billie catches her. Dana answers with an ensiguri and finishes with a Samoan Driver for the win. I enjoyed this match, Dana Brooke really is makings strides every week.

It’s main event time and Kevin Owens is out first with the NXT belt (let the speculation begin), his opponent is Adrian Neville. The bell rings and Owens immediately rolls out of the ring dictating the pace as usual. Neville gives chase and they end up back in the ring with Owens in control. Neville comes back with a flurry of signature kicks and a headscissors. The battle continues to the outside where Owens attacks Neville with a vicious clothesline before striking a Finn Balor pose. They end up back in the ring and Owens flattens Neville with a senton before settling into a chinlock. Moments later after a mean cannonball Owens hoists Neville up onto his shoulders for an Attitude Adjustment, but Neville reverses it into an outrageous DDT. The battle rages on until Neville avoids a powerbomb and drops Owens with a big German suplex. Moments later Owens eats a superkick and Neville climbs the turnbuckles for a Red Arrow. Owens rolls out of the ring, grabs his belt and begins to leave. Neville doesn’t relent and the two end up back in the ring where Owens levels Neville with the belt causing a DQ. Owens begins to beat down Neville after the match but Finn Balor makes the save. Tyler Breeze then runs out to help Owens beat down Balor. Neville makes it back into the ring evening the odds and chasing off Owens, leaving Breeze to defend himself. Balor hits Breeze with a slingblade followed by a dropkick into the corner. Neville climbs the turnbuckles and finishes Breeze with the Red Arrow.

Overall, it was a fun night with some nice surprises and some feel good homecomings. Otherwise though, the booking was sort of bizarre. With that said I will still be eagerly tuning into the tv show before and after Takeover to see exactly how tonight translates into television magic.

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NXT Citrus Springs 12-6-14

The stars of NXT made a last stop in Citrus Springs on their wild and painful road to NXT Takeover: REvolution. Competitors looked to establish their dominance over their enemies, while others looked to gain valuable momentum heading into the next live special looming less than a week away.

If one wants to start a night off with a bang it doesn’t get much more high energy than the team of Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. The two made their way to the ring to take on Chad Gable and Jason Jordan of Shoot Nation. Gable and Jordan took the early advantage with a few takedowns and frequent tags wisely isolating the usually explosive Murphy. Gable and Jordan worked well together punishing the Aussie until he found the only opening he needed to make the hot tag to Blake, who entered the ring on fire taking out anyone in his path. Tagging Murphy back in they finished off Gable with a suplex/neckbreaker combo allowing Murphy to take the pin. Blake and Murphy are exciting to watch and much like their adversaries The Mechanics, a throwback to great tag teams of the past. I am also excited to see how Shoot Nation develops over the coming months; Gable is a very talented prospect while the entire stable gives direction to several talented guys.

It was a largely pro-Bull Dempsey crowd in Citrus Springs as he and Solomon Crowe went head to head again in another good showing. Unfortunately for Crowe the outcome would not be much different as we witnessed another fairly one-sided bout. Crowe looked impressive with his short offensive bursts and an even more impressive bodyslam, but in the end Crowe would meet the fate so many others have. When it looked like he was finally going to turn the match around he was steamrolled by an agitated Bull Dempsey and finished off with a flying headbutt.

Mojo Rawley is out next to deliver a much hyped promo. He reveals that in two to three months he will be back in action and more hyped than ever. He’s clearly improved on the mic, but is clearly the same Mojo Rawley.

Next up Big Cass and Marcus Louis went to battle one more time. Rather than slowly agonize over removing the towel off of his bald head, a very aggressive Marcus Louis charged Cass from the opening bell and took absolute control. Cass managed short bursts of offense to no avail in this very one sided match. Even Enzo Amore would be no help as Louis laid him out too, returning to the ring to make Cass tap out once again to a necklock. It was a short but entertaining match up that furthered the tortured story of Marcus Louis. It’s interesting that just months ago both men almost seemed to be the sidekicks in their respective teams, now they are really stepping out of their partners shadows in a big way, especially Marcus Louis, whose path I never would have predicted.

Next up is another show stealing match from the ladies as Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks took on the team of Bayley and Carmella. This was a classic back and forth match that saw all four ladies shine at one point or another. The match could have went either way but tonight would belong to the good girls as Carmella made Lynch tap out to her finisher, a modified head scissors. Lynch, Bayley and Carmella all impress but at this point in time it is probably Sasha Banks who is the most well rounded women on the roster. She looks poised to become the next champion, or at the very least finally grab well deserved spotlight at Takeover.

Next up, the alpha of NXT Baron Corbin looked move up the food chain and take out prince pretty himself, Tyler Breeze. There would not be much room for showboating for Breeze who was all business, except for admonishing the referee for touching him. With no interest in being another victim of a squash, he did a good job of keeping Corbin on the defense, but not long enough. Corbin would catch Breeze on his attempt at a second superkick and snatch Breeze up for an End Of Days. It was a short but entertaining match, Breeze is a great showman all around in the ring, and Corbin continues to prove that he is capable of more than squash matches.

Old school tag team throwbacks The Mechanics took on the oldest of old school Vaudevillains in yet another great tag match. Early control of the match went to Gotch and English who clearly had the crowd behind them, but the wily Mechanics proved that they too are serious contenders for the tag team title scene by taking control. Dawson and Wilder made frequent tags and kept English isolated from a frantic and fired up Gotch on the ring apron. However when the hot tag was made the Vaudevillians quickly cleaned house, allowing English to land a running spinning neckbreaker on Dawson for the win. The Mechanics get better every week. While they are two tough guys ready to fight, they’re not afraid to be silly either, whether with their brotherly squabbling or being the butt of the joke. Meanwhile, fans love The Vaudevillians no matter how they are booked.

CJ Parker faced off against Ty Dillinger one more time. Luckily we were spared any dance-off (seriously, leave that stuff on Monday Night Raw) and were treated to a very good back and forth match that showcased both underrated wrestlers very well. After a hard fought match Dillinger looked to finish it with a frogsplash only to have Parker put up his knees, allowing him to plant Ty with a facebuster. It was a great effort by both men. As silly as it is, the talented Ty Dillinger is owning his gimmick, and that makes a big difference.

Our main event was a non-title fatal four way match featuring Sami Zayn vs Finn Balor vs Viktor vs Adrian Neville. From the start Viktor and Finn quickly jumped into battle while Zayn and Neville zeroed in on each other. But as it goes in four ways, it would quickly evolve into chaos with every one striking anything that moves. There were too many sick spots and too many close calls to count. In the closing moments Zayn caught Neville for an Exploder Suplex, but a moment a hesitation cost him as Neville was able to roll him up for a quick pin. I had the pleasure of catching these four men square off a few days prior in Orlando, but I would gladly sit through this one several more times. It’s worth noting that although Neville is champ, Zayn is much beloved, and Balor comes with much deserved hype, that Viktor refused to be outshined here and proved he is just as comfortable and capable in a singles main event as he is a tag team match. However this night was about Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn, as the champ stood over a defeated Zayn and scoffed at his “road to redemption”. The only thing is for sure is that NXT Takeover: REvolution is only days away and his road is indeed coming to an end. The only question is will there be gold at the end of his journey?

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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 Tampa 11-20-14

The stars of NXT took the fight to the UADC Gymnasium in Tampa a mere three weeks away from Takeover: REvolution. The weather was cold but the action would be hotter as fans piled into the building to watch their favorite wrestlers do battle and gain valuable momentum headed into the next live special.

Our opening bout of the evening saw Elias Sampson take on the unpleasant task of trying to defeat Baron Corbin. The as of yet unstoppable Corbin comes out to much fanfare, it's obvious the crowd is behind him. Sampson would not go down without a fight though, hesitantly at first and quickly realizing locking up with the big guy was the wrong approach. Baron Corbin looked to make quick work of Sampson but an explosive knee to the face out of nowhere toppled the big guy and gave Elias a surprising advantage. Sampson began wearing down Corbin but to no avail as Corbin found an opening and gained instant and unstoppable momentum before laying out Sampson with an “End Of Days” for the pin. Brutal offense is Corbins calling card, but it's nice to see him wrestling longer matches and selling other peoples offense. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Elias Sampson who so far has done his best to maximize his limited ringtime.

Next up is CJ Parker vs Solomon Crowe in a very entertaining match. It was a back and forth nail biter of a match that saw both men garner a fair share of offense. However, when Crowe was in control, he was undeniably in total control with his erratic and explosive style with CJ selling like no other. A clothesline that nearly turned CJ inside out followed by an attempted Stretch Muffler seemed to spell the end for Parker, however if this hippie is anything he is crafty. Parker avoided disaster and turned things around planting Crowe with a facebuster for the win. Parker is doing something right because he probably gathers more heat than anyone in NXT. Crowe is looking great in the ring, hopefully he can rebound from his string of losses sooner than later.

Apparently, Shoot Nation has been recruiting because they made their way to the ring as a group of five to give a promo. The group now consists of Chad Gable, Sawyer Fulton, Angelo Dawkins and newest members Jason Jordan and Tucker Knight. The leader of Shoot Nation Chad Gable takes the mic to address the crowd informing us that they are real wrestlers of accomplishment and not just “guys with a dream” like those in the back. He continues that they are there to destroy their dreams and dominate the locker room. I've been sold on Gable since the first time I saw him perform earlier this year, but it's good to see he is also proficient on a microphone. While I admit this stable may not help with the Kurt Angle comparisons, I for one am personally very interested in Shoot Nation. It's a great way to showcase Gable, and also gives direction to the other talented members.

The evening continues with tag team action in a show stealing match as The Mechanics took on Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy. The fan favorites Blake and Murphy take early control of the match with a fast pace and frequent tags. These guys are exciting to watch with their frenetic styles and synchronized tag team styling, but the team of Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson aren't slouches either. The Mechanics would soon take control with their smashmouth offense that may not be pretty but is surely effective, and fun to watch as well. The two roughnecks managed to cut off Blake from his partner wearing him down for a good while before he made his break and made the hot tag to a super fired up Buddy Murphy. Things looked to be turning around for their team but if The Mechanics are anything they are wily and managed to snag the victory. All I can say to people who lament the dire state of tag team wrestling is go check out an NXT house show. I'm very high on both teams and can't wait to see them battling for gold one day.

Next up is Tyler Breeze vs Hideo Itami which quickly ended in a DQ. The match began slowly with each man feeling each other out and Breeze looking to avoid the lethal kicks of Itami. Breeze took early control attempting to keep Hideo grounded. Not long after Hideo began to turn things around The Ascension ran in and began to beatdown the surprised Hideo. Breeze made his way to his feet and joined them, all three men now decimating Hideo. Then out next perhaps the most unlikely team to make the save, Big Cass and Enzo hit the ring to even the odds and rid the ring of The Ascension and Breeze. After a short intermission we are informed that there will indeed be a six man tag later in the evening.

The next bout consisted of Kalisto taking on Simon Gotch accompanied to the ring by Aiden English.

Very early into the match up English was ejected from ringside by the referee but not before causing a distraction and giving his teammate the advantage. Gotch controlled the pace of the match keeping his smaller opponent grounded. The very resilient Kalisto proved he is a very difficult man to keep down and mounted his usual dazzling offense. Aiden English ran back and leaped to the ring apron to distract Kalisto who in turn launched Gotch into him instead. A dazed and confused Simon Gotch turned to find Kalisto launching into him with a corkscrew body press for the win. This was a short match that did it's job of advancing the feud between the two teams, of course it would help if Sin Cara was actually here to be a part of a supposed tag team feud. After the match an irate Vaudevillians beat down the luchadore before English grabs a mic and declares that the titles will be theirs on December 11^th.

The evening continued with womens wrestling action as the champ Charlotte took on Sasha Banks in an excellent non-title match. Once again the women tore down the house in a match that could have went either way on several occasions. First friends and now opponents these women know each other well, and they proved it as they traded offense and counter after counter. Charlotte looked to have the match won until the savvy Banks seized an opening and issued a “Bank Statement”, a backstabber rolled over into a crossface, and a truly awesome move to see. The champ had no choice but to tap giving the victory to Sasha Banks. Charlotte herself to be a worthy champion and has gotten so far in such short time, but one has to wonder if Banks simply has her number. We'll see in three weeks when the championship is on the line.

Next out to the ring is the truly odd pairing of Big Cass, Enzo, and Hideo. As usual, no one can fire up a crowd like Enzo Amore who runs through his usual monologue, except after Hideo helps them “spell it out for us”. Out next is the even more odd pairing, first out of the curtain are The Ascension followed by Tyler Breeze who is actually doing his best Ascension impression all the way to the ring (stopping to do a selfie along the way, of course) scowling and walking tough to the heavy metal riff of the Ascensions theme music. Konnor and Viktor slide in the ring to strike their signature pose with Tyler sliding in to strike a pose with them. In this wacky sport of professional wrestling we are used to seeing ultra violence peppered with the absurd or silly, but I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed till I cried at a wrestling show, if ever. The reluctant Ascension didn't look as pleased, I'll never know how they kept straight faces. Tyler and Enzo start the match and the shenanigans continue, at one point Cass, Enzo, and Hideo all struck the typical Breeze pose on the turnbuckles. Tired of being bested by Amore, Tyler made the tag to Konnor and that is when things got serious. The three made frequent tags punishing the isolated Amore from his partners allowing him to do what he does best which is play the underdog. Eventually Amore made the hot tag to Hideo and as these matches do it evolved into chaos in the climactic closing moments. Itami found himself alone in the ring with The Ascension but would quickly prove that sometimes he doesn't even need a partner as the lightening fast Hideo laid waste to both men before laying Viktor out with a superkick for the win.

Our main event of the evening is a non-title match with Sami Zayn taking on NXT champion Adrian Neville. I've said it before, I could watch these guys wrestle every night of the week and they would not disappoint. Tonight was no exception as the two so perfectly matched wrestlers looked to outdo each other. The slow heel turn of Adrian Neville seems to be picking up speed for sure and that dynamic is just proving to make things more interesting between the two. Neville seemed more arrogant, and more phased by the crowds Sami chants. When in the ring though all notions of good guy and bad guy go out the window and it's pure back and forth poetry in motion between the two competitors. After a grueling match that seemed to be swinging in the favor of Neville he found himself the victim of an exploder suplex followed by a helluva kick allowing Sami Zayn the victory.

Three weeks from now these two will meet with the title on the line once again. If tonight is any indication time is running out for Neville, and the road to redemption for Sami Zayn is finally reaching its climactic end.

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