Welcome to my 5 year anniversary doing NXT reviews for WrestlingObserver.com! The very first match I reviewed was Kaitlyn vs Maxine, which won the 2010 Worst Worked Match Of The Year Award and somehow I came back for more!
-The show opened with a video package for the battle royal from last week. They actually aired almost every elimination, including about 20 seconds on the last two, before showing Apollo Crews standing victorious as your new #1 contender.
Asuka submitted Billie Kay
Asuka kicks things off this week. I haven’t had the chance to write this yet, but she has awesome theme music. Her foe this week is Billie Kay, whose claim to fame is she has the longest legs in NXT. I do like how they are long enough to touch the ground.
Billie grounded Asuka and Asuka stood up and smiled at her before slapping on a rolling arm bar, hitting a German Suplex and then a running knee to the head. Asuka finished things off with the Crossface Chicken Wing with a body scissiors, called the Asuka Lock.
-Last week Baron Corbin and Rhyno’s alliance sadly fell apart during the battle royal, so tonight they will go one on one in the main event.
-A Baron Corbin video aired. It’s actually the same one they aired months ago.
-Tyler Breeze cut a selfie promo on Samoa Joe. Breeze took offense to being eliminated last week and said that if he isn’t #1 Contender then Joe will never be. Breeze did challenge him to a match by threatening to slice off a couple pieces of bacon.
Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady defeated Dash & Dawson
Dash and Dawson do not get an automatic title shot after defeated The Vaudevillians during the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Instead they have to defeat a certifide G and a bona fide stud and his 7 foot tall friend.
The heels got the heat on Enzo the entire 2 minute match, working on his knee. Dawson knocked Colin off the apron, turned around and got small packaged by Enzo for the win.
After the match Dash & Dawson immediately took down Enzo, beat him down and then beat down Colin. They actually hit their double team Flapjack/Codebreaker on Colin.
-A Rhyno video aired. It included footage of him in the early-2000’s as ECW Champion, Hardcore Champion and US Champion and brought it full circle to him Goring the world while Paul Heyman’s 2001 commentary screaming “GORE GORE GORE” aired.
Quick joke. What candidate did Rhyno vote for in 2000? Al GORE! GORE! GORE! Okay I’ll stop now.
-Eva Marie is still on vacation. She hopes we all miss her and never forget about her.
James Storm pinned Danny Burch
Turns out Danny Burch is with a u. For some reason I have always been spelling it Birch. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion is making his debut. They acknowledged he was in WCW for a cup of coffee, but said he spent the last 15 years on the Independent scene. The fans gave him quite the ovation and the announcers put him over big. The fans chanted “You belong here”.
Storm looked good here, winning the match with the 8 Second Ride. Let it be known his debut was better than Chris Harris’ WWE debut. He did scream “Sorry about your damn luck” at Burch afterwards.
-Finn Balor vs Apollo Crews for the NXT Championship in 2 weeks, which led to an Apollo video package. This was a really good video package, including talking about him being an Ultimate Warrior fan and begging his Mom to buy him a toy belt. They also included footage of him in Evolve.
-A Nia Jax video aired. It will not be 8 weeks until her next match, it will only be one.
Alexa Bliss pinned Peyton Royce
I haven’t heard such a quiet crowd in NXT history as I did for Peyton Royce’s entrance. Despite their apathy there were about 10 people trying to start a Peyton Royce chant.
Alexa Bliss is so short (how short is she?). Alexa Bliss is so short that she stood on Peyton at one point and was barely a hair taller than the referee. Peyton kicked Alexa a lot, but it just led to Alexa doing more offense. Bliss did a standing Moonsault, but ended it with double knees to the gut. She did win with the Sparkle Splash.
After the match Alexa cut a promo on Bayley, saying that Alexa is what everyone strives to be and she was made to be NXT Women’s Champion.
-Next week: Samoa Joe vs Tyler Breeze
Baron Corbin pinned Rhyno
Main event time. These two sports entertained at NXT Takeover: Unstoppable in May, which was Corbin’s best (and longest) match until the Joe match in August.
Rhyno beat on Baron until Corbin rolled outside the ring. Rhyno ran after him, but Corbin shoved him and eventually threw him into the ring steps to take over. Rhyno almost didn’t get back in the ring before the 10 count. Back in the ring Corbin hit every move that never beats anyone and then got frustrated when Rhyno didn’t lose to them.
Corey Graves made a comment about how Mike Tyson came out of nowhere to win the Heavyweight Boxing Championship, which is complete bs. Tyson made quite the name for himself and was pretty well known before he went for the title.
Rhyno made his comeback, hitting his belly to belly suplex and the Double A Spinebuster for a near fall. He went for the Gore, got kicked in the face, hit it a second time and somehow Corbin kicked out at 2. Rhyno went for another Gore, but Corbin turned it into End of Days for the win.
-The show ended with Samoa Joe cutting a promo on Tyler Breeze backstage. Joe called him a desperate man and in his desperation he cost Joe his rightful title shot. He said Tyler had the audacity to call him out and Joe asked him to take the very best picture he could because after next week he will never look the same again.
A great promo to end the show and we are done for the week. Thanks for checking things out, see you next week and remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!