Its Wednesday August 5th. 17 days before NXT will launch its biggest Takeover. Where a near sold out (Heard there are under 1000 tickets left) Barclay's Center (Waits on Full Sail's boos – and with three NXT's before that show, and only a couple matches made 100% official? We got some work to do! Tonight Bayley and Charlotte battle as well as Rhyno and Samoa Joe. So? Lets go.
IN RING!
We're hitting the ground running! Charlotte is out first. Bayley out second. I'm actually more interested in this than tonight's main event. Bell rings the ladies shake hands. Circle. Tie up. Bayley levels Charlotte with a shoulder block, but Charlotte kips up and WOOOOOOs. Some nice standing switch mat wrestling exchanges. Charlotte kips up out of a head scissors and they stand it off again. Charlotte gets an upper hand. Hits her head triangle rolling slams. She tells Bayley "Don't make me do this". Approaches and Bayley pulls Charlotte down and through the ropes to the outside. Bayley hits her under the bottom rope sliding dropkick on the outside. Back inside Bayley looking for her signature series of strikes in the corner, but she's leveled by a big boot when she does her inflatable wind sock people taunt. We go to break.
Back from break Charlotte is in control. Bayley being very aggressive in this match. Vicious elbows in the corner. Suplex. Then a top rope �Rana from Bayley. Crowd chants "NXT", "That was awesome"and "Women's wrestling". They exchange forearms. You can hear Bayley's #1 fan at ring side. She screamed "LETS GO BAYLEY" right before the top rope �rana.
Charlotte hits a neck breaker and her spear. Locks in the Figure Four. Bayley rolls it over before it can become the Figure Eight. They break. Great exchange. Charlotte chops. Bayley ducks a chop. Backslides. They both stand still in the backslide arm locks. Go to the corner. Bayley flips up and over out of the locks and in perfect Bayley to Belly position! Hits it. THREE MINUS! They got me with that near fall! So close. Bayley hits a release German. Another two count. Charlotte in the corner. Bayley charges eats a big boot. Charlotte does a roll up that slams Bayley back into the bottom rope! That was NICE. Charlotte to the top looking for a top rope Natural Selection. Bayley fights out! Turns. MIDDLE ROPE BAYLEY TO BELLY!!! ONE! TWO! THREE! That's the ballgame!!! Post match, an emotional Bayley post match. She is all smiles. Gives her head band to the girl who is always dressed as her, ring side. Nice moment and that girl is crying. The announcers are talking and we hear "THANK YOU CHARLOTTE" chant from the crowd.
OVERVIEW!
Excellent match. Amazing action and loved the last few minutes. Crowd hit the nail on the head "Thank you Charlotte". Bayley has a date with Sasha Banks at Takeover, I reckon. This was a step towards that.
SOMEWHERE in A WWE RING!
Cole is sitting with Kevin Owens. They talk about Owens' run in with Regal. They talk about Owens apology and how the cameras caught Regal saying he hopes Finn wins at Takeover. Owens says he can't trust Regal. He KNOWS Regals past (YAY CONTINUITY!) – and who knows if Regal won't put a shady ref in the match that will screw Owens. He talks about it being another "Montreal Screwjob" – not because they'll be in Montreal, but because Owens is from there. So instead of having a match where the referee could hose him he wants the title hung above the ring! He wants a ladder match. (I approve) – Cole says, okay, but can you BEAT the Demon? And Owens is done here. Takes off his mic after smirking and scoffing and scoffing and smirking and does his #WalkOwensWalk (Thanks Cesaro) thing. Segment over. Good stuff. Makes that match all the more goober!
GYM!
Another attempt for Bull to get in better shape. To be continued…
IN RING!
Corbin is out. I spent more time typing than he did wrestling. Squishy squishy. Its over.
BACKSTAGE!
Bayley comes into Regal's office. She is nervous. She asks for an NXT Women's Championship match. Regal says she has worked hard enough, but that she isn't the only one who wants a title match. So he says Bayley and Becky Lynch will wrestle NEXT week to be the #1 contender for the NXT Women's Championship. I was reckoning that it was Bayley's turn to get a shot. I like them making her really work for it here, though. That match should be awesome. Regal says Bayley is his niece's favorite wrestler. Way to crush your niece's dreams Regal! Just give her the title shot! Gosh!
IN RING!
Breeze is out. Some dude is in ring. Some dude is gonna have a bad time. Tyler is all intense and clobbering. Side mounted fists. Beauty shot. Baron Corbin scoffs and smirks at how long this match took. Post match Regal interrupts the Selfie Love. Regal lets Breeze know that he'll be wrestling Jushin Thunder Liger. Crowd chants "holy shit" at the announcement. They show a great highlight package. Thanks to the WCW archives they got a lot of stuff. Its weird because they announced it and have been using it promotionally for weeks.
HYPE!
Balor interview is next. Then we get the Uhaa Nation hype piece. Sit down. Highlight package of him training. Dude is a beast. Looking forward to that debut. Which will be at NXT Takeover. He introduces himself as "Apollo Crews". Be interesting to see how the Northeast crowd takes to the new name, or if they stick with Uhaa. I could see the crowd sticking with "Uhaa".
LOCKER ROOM!
Byron sits down with Balor. Balor puts over NXT and how amazing it is. Byron asks about Owens hitting Regal. Balor says they used to be friends, but he's seen his actions and now he's not surprised by his actions. Byron asks about Owens' claims that all he does is about providing for his family. Balor says he isn't a man of words, but is a man of action. Whereas Owens is a man of many words, but dubious actions. Balor says if he is going to talk the talk, he has to walk the walk, and that he doesn't believe a thing Owens says. Byron asks about a ladder match. Balor says he'll fight however and is going to prove to Owens that he isn't a fluke, but he promises a Renaissance. Byron asks if that means the Demon will be in Brooklyn? Finn says that's yet to be seen, but Owens will find out at Takeover. No arena Demon entrance? C'mon Finn!
IN RING!
Dawson and Wilder are out for a tag match with the Hype Bros! Hype Bros music is pretty fun. I'm okay with these two being a full time tag team. Dawson and Wilder beat Cass and Enzo last week. Lets see what's what. Hype Bros start off on fire. Some dirty deeds help get Dash and Dawson on the offensive. They start working over Ryder. Good heel work by these two. Slingshot suplex! #VanHammer! Hot tag to Mojo. Have you heard? He's HYPE! Two running splashes. Hits the "Hype Ryder" – rough ryder from Zack off the middle rope and a bit of a spine buster from Rawley. So the Hype Bros get a big win, and the tag division is in CHAOS! Post match Dawson and Wilder attack Zack. They hit the Shatter Machine.
OVERVIEW!
Solid tag match. Digging both of these teams. Really enjoyed the work they both did. enjoyed the post match attack. Interesting to see all the teams beating up on one another. What does this mean for a tag title match at Takeover?
BACKSTAGE!
Regal is with the Vaudevillains. He saw what happened in their tag match. Regal says he will give them a rematch at Takeover. So… that answers that question. Regal suggests the Villains figure out a way to "curtail" Alexa Bliss. I think of silent movies where they tie the damsel to the train tracks. Would that be possible? Only surprise was no Enzo and Cass in the tag title match. I had those two pencilled in for a tag title match in Brooklyn.
GYM!
Bull getting fitter! He even has friends cheering him on!
IN RING!
Main Event time. We come to you LIVE from the Impact Zone, circa 2008! (I need I need) Joe's music (New and WILDLY Improved) hits. Joe looks angry. (Doesn't he always??) Rhyno is out next. This is some solid back and forth brawling. Slugfest. Huge suicide dive from JOE levels Rhyno. They fight around the outside of the ring. Back in. Rhyno chops and punches, and punches and Chops. Joe hits a reverse elbow and enzuigiri in the corner. They continue to slug it out. exchanging chops and punches and headbutts and chops and other such clubbing blows. Rhyno gets the better of things. Joe is down and struggling. We go to break.
We're back. He stands Joe up, and Joe hits a series of strikes. Sends him off the ropes. Telegraphs a back body drop and Joe eats a boot, but ducks clothesline and Joe hits the STO. Joe hits a inverted atomic drop, running big boot, and a senton for a two count! Rhyno hits a modified TKO type move for a two count that was really close to three. Joe hits a kick off the middle rope for a two plus on Rhyno as they continue to go back and forth. Neither guy able to wrestle control away from the other (see what I did there?) – Rhyno hits a belly to belly suplex. Joe keeps trying to lock in the rear naked choke. Rhyno goes to the top rope looking for the "RHYNO DRIVER" as he yelled it out is the only way I know that. Don't sit on the top rope, Rhyno. not gonna go well for you. And… It Doesn't…. Enzuigiri from Joe and the Muscle Buster. Joe gets a nice win. He celebrates in the ring and we get the Logo.
OVERVIEW!
Never felt like it got going. Wasn't bad, but just felt sluggish and it being super predictable didn't help. I liked that it was a clubbing brawl type match as we don't se a ton of that in NXT. Felt like it could use a shot of caffeine. Wonder what's next for Joe.
TO LONG! DIDN'T READ?!
Good episode of NXT. At the start I said there were plenty of gaps still existing on the Takeover Card. Well? We got a lot filled in, if not THIS week? Next week. One very good match: Bayley and Charlotte. Two pretty good matches: Tag and joe/Rhyno. Couple squashes. Corbin gonna Corbin and Breeze was about announcing his Takeover opponent. Really the only big question mark for Takeover is what is Joe going to do in Brooklyn? Every other main piece is in place. Takeover gonna be a helluva lot of fun. I can't wait to be right there… in Brooklyn, New York! (Brooklyn: Cheap Pop. Full Sail: Cheap Heat!)
Can't wait for Bayley for Becky next week! We'll see you in SEVEN!
