The show, airing live from the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, got straight to the in-ring action out of the gate.
American Alpha def. The Revival (NXT Tag Team Championship)
This was just as good of a match as expected, with the champions Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson showing off their blend of fundamental ability and traditional heel wrestling tactics. Any rally they mounted was thwarted by the absolutely red-hot American Alpha. That included an impressive mix of suplexes from Chad Gable and Jason Jordan, who also added his usually injection of energy when he got a “hot tag” toward the middle of the match. In the end, American Alpha uses tag-team guile to pick up the emotional win with a Grand Amplitude suplex combo.
Both of these teams are a throwback to tag teams of old, and having American Alpha take home the tag team titles here was close to a no-brainer decision. The NXT tag division is incredible right now, especially when you include Enzo and Big Cass. There really isn’t anything on the main roster besides New Day that compares to what those three have going in NXT right now.
Japanese lightweight wrestler Kota Ibushi, formerly with New Japan Pro Wrestling, was seen in the crowd after the match. This will perhaps tie in to the recently announced Global Cruiserweight Series.
Austin Aries def. Baron Corbin
Aries and Corbin have two very different styles, and they were on display in the early going of the match. Corbin uses his power well, and Aries is just the right size for him to work with. Aries, meanwhile, is clearly a seasoned veteran in the ring and makes every effort to cut down Corbin. The younger, bigger Corbin takes the advantage early, tossing Aries around the ring and throwing in the nice touch of calling for the bell because his opponent was “done.” Aries rallies back with some strikes, including absolutely thunderous chest chops in the corner. Corbin stems the tide with a vicious “Deep Six” slam outside the ring and climbs back in for the nine count, but Aries counters the “End of Days” into a roll-up for the win.
Corbin is really finding his stride as the anti-Indy star. He’s doing a brilliant job antagonizing the crowd as he beats down one of their “darlings,” and his look fits the part. Aries played the “wily veteran” role well here, but the finish was a bit too much like the main-roster pay-per-view finishes that often leave fans disgruntled. Still, Aries getting the win in this fashion is good for him and doesn’t really hurt Corbin too much since he was dominant for most of the match.
Shinsuke Nakamura def. Sami Zayn
The crowd was obviously hyped for NXT favorite Sami Zayn’s entrance, but they were chanting Nakamura’s name before his music could even start. Sitting in the ring, Zayn was clearly caught up in the moment as well. From that point on, this one had a big match feel both with the crowd and the performers themselves. Nakamura opened with his vicious offensive style, just to be matched by Zayn’s elusive, intelligent counter work. Zayn also matched Nakamura’s trademark showmanship in the early going of the match with some taunts, but Nakamura’s brutality gave him the upper hand. No advantage lasted long, as the two men went back and forth for most of the match. Somewhat unexpectedly, Nakamura ended up bleeding from the nose after an exchange of forearm shots, and later turned in a sweet counter to get to an armbar and then combo to a triangle hold. Later in the match, there were too many counters and turns to really keep track of, and that’s a good problem to have. To get the finish, Nakamura violently counters an exploder to set up a flying knee to the back of Zayn’s head and a “kinshasa” leg strike finisher for the pin.
The two men close with a hug as a sign of respect, and there was no better way for it to end. Zayn gets an “Ole Ole Ole Ole” sendoff in what is assumed to be his last NXT match before full-time main roster work begins Sunday at WrestleMania 32.
Seriously, if you know someone who is on the fence about professional wrestling, show them this match from the entrances on. Both men brought their “A game” and made sure the crowd felt as great about the bout as they did. Both men will be an asset to NXT and WWE for the next several years, as it shouldn’t be long before Nakamura joins Zayn on the main roster.
According to a report from pwmania.com, the match between Apollo Crews and Elias Samson was turned into a dark match before the show, with Crews getting the win.
Asuka def. Bayley (NXT Women’s Championship)
As great as the vibe was for the Zayn-Nakamura match, this one opened with a good feeling, too, as was to be expected with Bayley in the ring. The match starts with the nice, slow pace of big-time title matches, and two women open trading arm locks and holds. That theme continued throughout the match, as the competitors put on a technical showcase that nicely blended Bayley’s Hurrican Ranas and submission holds with Asuka’s vicious striking. Asuka also transitioned one of the champion’s guillotine holds to an ankle lock of her own that left Bayley limping. Bayley managed to surprise Asuka with a leg bar that she rolled into an ankle lock, but Asuka answered with an arm bar. After a couple more minutes of exchanged offense, Asuka corrals the champ for an arm bar transitioned to an Asuka Lock for the win after Bayley eventually passes out.
The NXT women’s division continues to impress, and it really shows the quality of the development and talent identification program that the WWE has in place there. Even after three top performers got called up to the main roster in Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch, the NXT women still put on an incredible title match on the promotion’s top stage. It’s somewhat anti-climactic to see a fan-favorite champion lose by submission without tapping, but these types of finishes need to be mixed in from time to time. Plus, fans can take solace that Bayley will be fighting under the bright lights of the main roster soon.
Another superstar from outside the WWE is spotted in the crowd, this time former TNA champion Bobby Roode, who recently ended his time with the company.
Finn Balor def. Samoa Joe (NXT Championship)
This one opens with a staredown, but it’s not long before Balor sends Joe outside the ring and hits him with a high-risk maneuver over the top rope. Joe was busted wide open near his eye, but he still has the composure to launch Finn over the guard rail. After a brief exchange, Joe tosses Balor out of the ring, just to do an impressive dive between the ropes to take out the champ. The cut appears to have been unintentional, as Joe got a great deal of medical attention at various points in the match. In between, Joe displayed his power and overall wrestling ability, while Finn’s quickness was featured, albeit briefly between onslaughts by the challenger. Later in the match, Finn manages to mount some offense, but Joe battled back to lock Finn in a Boston Crab followed by a crossface. Finn rallied, even kicking out after a musclebuster to eventually escape from a Coquina Clutch for a pinfall victory to retain the title.
This victory for Balor is somewhat surprising, as many expected Joe to take the title to send Finn up to the main roster on a full-time basis. Of course, the victory doesn’t mean that Finn is staying on the NXT roster long-term, as both Sasha Banks and Kevin Owens came up still holding NXT belts. Further, it may always be unknown how much the story of this match was affected by the cut on Joe’s eye that seemed to have been outside the plan for the match. Either way, the two veterans told a good story surrounding the injury to close out a very solid night.
