WWE NXT Spotlight 01/27/16 by Kurt Zamora
Welcome one and all to the latest edition of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. NXT has had another big week as since the last time we all came together, they announced the huge signing of Austin Aries. The brand just continues to get bigger and bigger as we head to the next Takeover Event in Dallas, Texas the weekend of Wrestlemania. In order to get to that Takeover event though, we need a new #1 Contender for Finn Balor’s title and tonight we’re going to do just that. We have a huge Triple Threat main event with Samoa Joe, Sami Zayn, & Baron Corbin all squaring off for that prestigious shot at the gold. Let’s get to the action.
American Alpha vs. BAMF
Great way to start the show. Huge ovation for American Alpha and I can’t tell you how excited it makes me to not have to type out their full names anymore. BAMF has finally given up the “mugged at the Freddy Krueger convention” look and now look like they’re going with an Iron Man look. It’s an improvement but Blake is wearing a Man-Bun so there’s still work to do. Jordan and Murphy start the match. Murphy tries a takedown to get Jordan in his corner but Jordan is too athletic for him and scores the takedown himself and then hooks an armbar. Jordan tags in Gable and Gable goes to work on the same arm. Murphy reverses the armbar and even with Gable showing great athleticism to get our of the armbar, Murphy sends him right back down and then tags in Blake. In the midst of the switch, Gable takes down Blake and goes with a hammerlock. Blake rerverses it but then Gable snapmares him over in a reverse but then gets taken down with a shoulder tackle. Both men reverse one another and then Gable hits a couple armdrags and a beautiful headscissors. Murphy tags back in and gets Judo thrown for his efforts. Gable gets a two count and then goes back to the armbar. Murphy sends him to the ropes but Gable ducks him a series of times until Murphy acts like he came down hard on his knee from a leapfrog. As the ref checks him out, he signals for Blake to take the cheap shot. Gable sees him but then Murphy comes from behind and clips the knee of Gable. He gets Gable up in the Tree of Woe in their corner and both teammates pound on the now injured knee of Gable. Alexa Bliss dropkicks the knee from the outside for good measure. Murphy is the legal man now and drapes Gable’s knee over the bottom rope and goes to drop down on it but Gable kicks him to the outside. Gable can’t make the tag though before Blake gets in. Blake grabs the leg but Gable makes the huge leap and tags in Jordan. Jordan proceeds to suplex everything in sight, including a overhead Belly to Belly on Blake who lands on Murphy. Jordan gets Blake in the corner and spears him. He tags in Gable and they hit their Toss Up Bridge Suplex finisher and pick up another big win.
Winners: American Alpha
Alex Reyes is backstage with Emma and Dana Brooke who says Emma faces Carmella next week. Alex brings up that they didn’t fare too well against Bayley and Carmella last week. Dana cuts him off and says last week it was all about Bayley. Carmella did nothing. She will do nothing to Emma next week. Emma says Carmella doesn’t have the skills to beat Bayley, let alone her. Emma brings up that Carmella has lost to Blue Pants before and she doesn’t even work here anymore. After next week everyone will be saying, “Bada bing, unluckiest girl in the ring.”
A vignette for Asuka is shown as we see her transition to NXT so far.
Nia Jax (w/Eva Marie) vs. Liv Morgan
The Red Queen of NXT was looking spectacular at ringside. Nia and Liv tie up and Nia sends her to the corner. Liv runs at Nia and tries a crucifix into a sunset flip and that doesn’t work at all. Nia grabs her by the hair and just slams her down. Nia then hooks on a Cobra Clutch of sorts. Liv manages to hit a jaw jacker to get out of it and then hits a couple dropkicks. Nia never leaves her feet and then tosses Liv down like a ragdoll. Liv runs at her again for some reason and gets caught in mid air and then dropped with a side slam. Nia hits the big legdrop and that’s the match.
Winner: Nia Jax
Carmella is with her men Enzo and Cass backstage. She says she heard everything Emma and “Little Miss Piggy” Dana Brooke had to say earlier. Side note, Dana Brooke DOES look like Little Miss Piggy now that she mentions it. Carmella says next week she’s going to beat Emma all by herself and prove the Emmalution is a joke. Cass says what else is a joke is what Dash and Dawson last week. They wanna run their mouths? They should be running on the treadmill. Enzo says he wishes he could say he had a Merry Christmas but he couldn’t because they didn’t win the titles. He’s been worked up ever since London. He stopped in Jersey to get his gas pumped and almost kicked the attendant’s ass because he thought it was one of them. They’re stars in the making and Dash and Dawson are just Average Joe’s.
A vignette for Baron Corbin is shown in hype of tonight’s main event.
The same vignette from last week is shown for The Vaudevillians.
Bull Dempsey vs. Alex Riley
Say it to my face!! Good to see Riley return from major knee surgery. He’s sporting a mullet of sorts now, don’t know if I support that look. Bull does some jumping jacks as the match starts and gets kicked straight in the gut for it. Riley gets him in the corner and then sweeps the legs and starts beating down on Bull. He yells out “So this is what NXT has come to?!” The announcers made sure to make a point of that comment. Riley hits a neckbreaker and gets a two count. Riley gets a headlock on but Bull rolls out of it and then hits a series of left hands. Bull bounces off the ropes but Riley hits a huge spinebuster. That was impressive. Riley lines up in the corner and then hits a jumping calf kick and picks up the win.
Winner: Alex Riley
After a commercial break, we see Alex Riley backstage after his match. He asks if we’re surprised to see him? Why wouldn’t we be? For the past four months, he’s sending emails, texts and making calls all the way up to Stamford, Connecticut. He’s gotten zero responses. He’s watched a lot of the WWE Network and especially NXT. He sees for three weeks the exact date Sami Zayn is coming back. He knows what Apollo Crews had for breakfast three days ago. Was there anything for Alex Riley though? Guess that’s what eight years in the business will get you. So that answers his own question. We are surprised to see him.
“The Drifter” Elias Samson vs. John Skylar
Elias kicks Skylar in the gut and then sends him hard to the turnbuckle. Pretty sure Tom Phillips called him John Skylar, but he was never formally introduced so if I get the name wrong, I apologize. Skylar bounces off the ropes and is caught with a stiff dropkick. Samson beats on him in the corner and admires his work. He sends Skylar to the ropes and then punches him in the gut. He drops a forearm after that and then hangs out in the corner. He goes to clothesline Skylar but Skylar ducks and chops Samson. Skylar goes to the ropes but gets caught with a big high knee. Samson then hits his snap neckbreaker and picks up the win.
Winner: “The Drifter” Elias Samson
The Hype Bros are backstage and they talk about the new Vaudevillians vignettes. They agree that’s not their style. Ryder says he wishes Mojo was a little quieter though. Mojo says he doesn’t want him quiet when they’re in the club and getting the chicks. Ryder thinks he looks dumb for wearing Zubaz pants when he’s in the club. Mojo says chicks love the Zubaz. Ryder tells him to stop sending him pairs though cause he doesn’t wear them. Mojo says he’s lying. He sees Ryder sleeping in his Zubaz every night. Ryder asks what does he mean? Mojo says he has his back every night so he watches him sleep. Just like next week when they face off against The Vaudevillians, he’ll have his back then. Mojo walks off and Ryder yells at him to stop watching him sleep.
A Samoa Joe vignette is shown.
Triple Threat Match: Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin
All three men size each other up. Corbin and Joe look to double team Zayn but Corbin hits a cheap shot on Joe. Zayn and Corbin lock up and go to the corner to trade blows as Joe goes to the floor. Corbin charges Zayn who’s at the ropes and Zayn low bridges him over the top rope. Zayn goes for a suicide dive but as he bounces off the opposite ropes, Joe trips him and brings him to the outside. Joe and Zayn trade blows on the outside and then Joe chops Zayn. He then gives Corbin a running big boot. He headbutts Zayn and then sends Zayn back inside the ring. Stiff right hands in the corner to Zayn. Joe snapmares Zayn down, chops him in the back and then kicks him in the chest. Joe goes for a knee drop but Zayn moves and then dropkicks Joe. Corbin is back in the ring though and attacks Zayn from behind. Corbin puts the boots to Zayn as Joe regroups on the outside again. Corbin sends Zayn hard into the turnbuckle as we go to commercial.
We return to Corbin working on Zayn in the corner. He sends Zayn into the opposite corner and runs into a couple back elbows. Joe comes back in and takes out Corbin. Joe hits Zayn and then bounces off the ropes but Zayn clotheslines him. Joe is back to the outside as Corbin gets back in the ring. Zayn sends him to the outside as well and finally he’s able to hit his suicide dive over the top rope onto both of his opponents. Zayn and Corbin get back in the ring but Zayn can’t capitalize as he’s hit with the Deep Six. Zayn kicks out at two. Joe crawls back in and chops Corbin, followed by an atomic drop and big boot. Joe then drops Zayn on top of Corbin and hits a senton splash on both of them. Joe hits a snap powerslam on Zayn but Zayn kicks out again. Joe rams Zayn face first into the turnbuckle and then starts chopping and slapping him repeatedly. Zayn is out as Joe sets him up for the Muscle Buster. Zayn manages to fight back but gets hit with an enziguri. Joe wants the Muscle Buster again but Corbin breaks it up and Joe goes to the outside. Corbin now goes after Zayn and looks for a Superplex. Zayn fights out yet again and goes off the top rope but then jumps over Corbin and Corbin turns around into a Blue Thunder Bomb. Corbin kicks out at two. Zayn tries to catch his breath on the bottom rope and Joe comes from nowhere and locks on the Kokina Clutch! He chokes out Zayn on the outside and then goes back in the ring to finish off Corbin. He hits a high knee in the corner on Corbin and then bounces off the ropes but gets caught in End of Days! Corbin goes for the pin but Zayn somehow breaks up the pin! Corbin gets frustrated and hits a series of clotheslines and punches to Zayn in the corner. He goes for one too many though as Zayn hits an Exploder Suplex into the turnbuckle. Zayn then hits the Helluva Kick but Joe breaks up the pin. Tremendous action. Zayn goes to the outside to follow Joe and they fight on the outside until Joe gets thrown into the steel steps. Zayn is back in the ring and goes after Corbin but Corbin is fighting Zayn off. Zayn manages to lock on a Sharpshooter. Corbin crawls to the ropes but Zayn pulls him back. Now Joe comes in the ring and Joe hooks on a Crossface at the same time and Corbin instantly taps out.
There’s now confusion between Zayn and Joe on who actually won the match. The ref is trying to sort it out with both men but no winner is determined. William Regal is now coming to ringside and wants to talk to the ref. They discuss what happened as the two wrestlers state their case as well. Regal tells them that he’s going to have to go to the back and review the tape. Regal tells the ref to come with him and they’ll review the footage. No resolution is made as our show comes to an end.
Winner: No Decision
K-Tank’s Final Takes
– That was a fantastic main event match. Great action after that commercial break. If you hadn’t heard before tonight, the result tonight will lead to a Joe vs. Zayn match in a couple weeks that was taped during Royal Rumble weekend during a special NXT Taping at UCF. That should be just as fantastic as tonight’s match was.
– American Alpha once again maximize their minutes and have a great performance against BAMF. There’s plenty of time to get to that Tag Title Match against Dash and Dawson but I absolutely can’t wait.
– Elias Samson doesn’t seem to be catching on. It doesn’t help that the announcers every 30 seconds say they know nothing about him or don’t know what he’s about. Let’s find out then and give the fans something to invest in.
– Really enjoyed Alex Riley returning tonight. I have been a fan of his for a while and was really bummed when John Cena had his push destroyed. His promo was really good and I liked his mindset as he returns.
Next week we’ll have The Hype Bros vs. The Vaudevillians and more fallout from the Joe/Zayn finish. So until next time, Zubaz pants will always be in style.