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.
