WWE NXT Spotlight 02/17/16 by Kurt Zamora
Welcome one and all to the latest installment of the NXT Spotlight right here at TJRWrestling.net. We have got a jam packed show this week as Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn will face off for the first time ever to decide who will take on Finn Balor for the NXT Title. We also have a big 8-Man Tag Match with 4 of the best tag teams in NXT involved. We’re once again coming from the UCF Campus, so let’s get to the action!
American Alpha and Enzo & Cass vs. BAMF and Dash & Dawson
Clearly the introductions of the babyface team woke up the crowd from last week’s episode. American Alpha channeling their 1990’s Steiner Brothers with their new look tonight. I approve. You already know what I’m gonna say about BAMF, so just know i’m not happy. Gable and Dawson start off the match. They tie up as the fans are 100% behind Gable. Both men reverse and counter one another until Dawson gets to the ropes and calls for a break. They tie up again and Dawson gets Gable into thier corner. Dash tags in and the champs go to double team Gable, but Gable’s partners will have none of it and all of the sudden it’s all eight men brawling. The babyfaces clear the ring and then the heels come back in for more. The babyfaces are more than happy to dump the heels all over the top rope and they are pumped up as we go to commercial.
We return with Blake having a headlock on Gable. The break replay shows that Gable was double teamed by Dash and Dawson which got their team the advantage. Gable tries to fight out as Blake goes up for a suplex but Gable turns into a small package. Blake kicks out and tags in Dawson. Dawson kicks Gable right in the face and then follows up with a back elbow and legdrop. Gable kicks out of a pin attempt. Dawson tags in Dash who hits a European uppercut. Gable kicked out again. Back to the opponent’s corner and now Murphy tags in and works over Gable. Tag back in to Blake. Blake stomps Gable in the back and then tags back in Dawson. Huge lariat by Dawson but Gable kicks out again. Great work by the heels cutting off the ring. Dawson bodyslams Gable and then tags in Dash. The champs do a double team legdrop to Gable but Gable kicks out again. Dash hooks a headlock after the pin attempt. Gable comes close to a pin, but Dawson distracts the ref and Dash then knocks Enzo off the apron. Cass ends up making Dash knock his head with Gable’s and both men go down. The hot tag is made to Jordan and Dawson also tags in. Jordan hits a couple beautiful dropkicks and then Big Cass lays out Murphy with a big boot. Dash gets sent sky high by Jordan and then Cass hits Blake with the East River Crossing. Dawson is back in and gets hit with an overhead belly to belly by Jordan. Dash comes in the ring and Cass sends him over the top rope into his opponent. Cass sets up Dawson for American Alpha to hit their double team finisher, but Dash breaks up the pin. They dispose of Dash once more and this time it’s Enzo and Cass hitting their finisher on Dawson and pick up the win for their team.
Winners: American Alpha, Enzo Amore, and Colin Cassady
Alex Reyes is backstage with Deonna Purrazo and she’s asked about facing Asuka again tonight, the same woman who knocked her out in their previous encounter. Deonna says Asuka is one of the best in the business and being in there with Asuka was a learning experience. She’s then cut off by Dana Brooke and Emma. Dana says she hasn’t learned a thing about respect. If she hadnt heard already, they run NXT. They’re here to let Deonna know that when Asuka beat the two of them, Asuka was just lucky. So if she thinks she can do against Asuka what they couldn’t, then she’s even dumber than she looks.
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Asuka
Asuka starts with her kicks and takes down Deonna. Asuka does not let up even after Deonna gets a shot in. Asuka comes off the ropes and scissors Deonna down and then goes for a kneebar before Deonna gets away. Deonna gets back up and hits a cross body block and then tries to lay in the forearms and slaps on Asuka and Asuka just smiles and laughs at her. Asuka hits a forearm of her own and then sends Deonna into the corner. Deonna goes up to the middle rope and comes off but gets hit with a kick to the stomach. Asuka now hooks on a reverse ankle lock and Deonna works to get out of that, but it turns into a Fujiwara armbar. Now Asuka turns it into the Asuka Lock, which then turns into three spinning back fists and a spinning heel kick and that ends the match.
Winner: Asuka
I thought Deonna got her hands up on those back fists, but upon replay, she did not. Asuka laid those suckers in.
A recap of the Baymella NXT Women’s Title match from last week is shown including the post-match beatdown by Eva Marie and Nia Jax and subsequent help by Asuka. Eva and Nia are now backstage and talking about how they made a statement last week. Nia says that it was warranted because if she had’ve been cleared to participate in the battle royal, she would’ve been #1 Contender. Everyone knows it too. As for Asuka, she just needs to stay out of their business or else she’s going to end up like the rest of the women’s division… Broken. Eva then blows me a kiss.
Quick Plug: If you missed it last week, I was the guest co-host for Main Event Madness with Jon Curry and our own Marc Madison. It was a blast to be on the show & I hope you’ll check it out if you haven’t already. We discuss Daniel Bryan, Titus O’Neil, CM Punk, & Lucha Underground’s own Vampiro was our special interview. It’s a great show that actually runs overtime due to how much fun we were having. You can check it out on YouTube here, or find it on Itunes under Main Event Madness and it’s Episode 48. I’ll be back on with the guys this Sunday for their Fastlast Preview at 5pm Eastern, just before the live PPV.
“The Perfect 10” Tye Dillinger vs. Alex Riley
Say it to my face!! Both men tie up to start and then Riley gets a wristlock on. Dillinger works out of it and hits a snapmare to which he deems was a 10. There were dueling “Let’s go Riley! Riley Sucks!” chants, which I found interesting. Dillinger now gets a headlock, but gets sent to the ropes and is drilled with a huge lariat. Riley gets him in the corner and chops him. Dillinger is then dropped with a right hand, followed up by an elbow drop. Riley wears down Dillinger but Dillinger escapes and hits Riley with a couple chops. Riley comes off the ropes and Dillinger hits a Thesz Press. Riley counters with a Triple H knee smash and then a big right hand. Riley goes for a Full Nelson slam but Dillinger slips out and rolls up Riley and gets the surprise 1-2-3!
Winner: Tye Dillinger
Alex Reyes is now with Finn Balor backstage who is asked for a prediction tonight. Finn says he tips his cap to Apollo Crews first as they had a tremendous match two weeks ago and he knows that won’t be the last time they face off. As for tonight, he knows both men will go to hell and back for a title shot against him. Sami’s been there before and Joe will stop at nothing to get another shot. Regardless who wins, he’ll be ready to do what he does best and that’s defend the NXT Championship.
As of the airing of this show, we have 46 days left until WrestleMania. Come find me if you’re in town for the weekend.
Baron Corbin now walks into William Regal’s office and says its not too late for Regal to put him into tonight’s main event. Regal says Corbin lost already and his decision is final. Corbin says he believes in an eye for an eye, especially when it comes to stealing. He walks off as Regal tries to figure out what that means.
Next week on NXT it will be American Alpha vs. BAMF along with Eva Marie and Nia Jax vs. Carmella and Bayley.
#1 Contenders Match: Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn
This should be outstanding. Both meen feel each other out until Joe goes to knock Zayn’s head off with a kick, which Zayn ducks. Zayn gets a wristlock now but Joe reverses it. Zayn tries to reverse out but Joe sends him to the mat. Zayn gets to the ropes and the ref wants a clean break but Joe takes a cheap shot at Zayn instead. Joe now gets the headlock, Zayn gets out and armdrags Joe. Crowd is fully behind Zayn. Both men knuckle lock and then counter each other’s holds. Joe gets the headlock again and then Zayn sends him to the ropes and then low bridges him over the top rope as he comes back. Zayn wants to hit his suicide dive, but Joe gets out of the way so Zayn stays in the ring. Joe continues to regroup as we go to commercial.
We return with both men in a standing base, but Joe weakening Zayn with some kicks to the knees and thighs. Zayn gets backed in the corner and Joe lays in the shots including a chop that sounded like it caved Zayn’s chest in. Joe charges Zayn who reverse leap frogs him and then hits another arm drag. Joe ends up in the corner and Zayn charges him but gets caught right into Joe’s corner Urinagi. Joe then starts to work over Zayn again with shots to the head. Zayn fires up and both men start trading blows, but then Joe sweeps the legs out from under Zayn and takes him back down. Joe then hits a snap suplex but Zayn kicks out at one. Joe nails a stiff kick after that kickout. Zayn is reeling in the ropes and Joe continues to pummel him. Joe taunts Zayn by saying Zayn wanted this. Joe comes off the ropes and Zayn hits him with a clothesline out of nowhere. He hits a couple more and starts to fire up again. He goes for a Blue Thunder Bomb but Joe blocks it. Joe tries to get away but Zayn pulls him back and does hit the Blue Thunder Bomb this time. He gets a two count out of it. Zayn then wants to go for a suplex but again it’s blocked. Joe hits his Atomic Drop, big boot, standing senton splash combo which gets a two count as well. Joe starts dropping Zayn again with the right and left hands. Joe slaps him relentlessly and then goes for a clothesline but Zayn manages to try and turn it into a Koji Clutch. Joe gets out though and Zayn runs into a snap powerslam. Zayn manages to kick out once again. Joe teeing off on Zayn but Zayn has some fight left. He hits a series of forearms and punches, but gets sent into the corner where he gets hit with a back elbow and enziguri. Joe charges him again but gets caught in the turnbuckle exploder suplex. Sami goes for the Helluva Kick but Joe turns it into the Kokina Clutch! Zayn is by the ropes though and gets a break. Zayn is out though and Joe goes for the Muscle Buster. Zayn slides out though and he now hits the Helluva Kick. Zayn crumples on top of Joe and both men have their shoulders on the mat as the ref counts to three.
Replays show a case for both men winning the match. Zayn raises his arm in victory but head ref Drake Wuertz pulls it down and says no. Joe does the same thing and Drake tells him the same as well. Here comes Regal yet again and it looks like we still don’t have a decisive winner. Not trying to nitpick, but there’s more than one angle where Zayn’s right shoulder is clearly still up so he should be the winner, but they clearly had a plan in place. The cameras catch Drake telling Regal that his decision is a draw. Regal says he needs a #1 Contender but Drake says he can’t help him with that decision, all he can say is that this match is a draw. The show ends with Joe, Zayn, & Regal all looking frustrated at the situation.
K-Tank’s Final Takes
– Just an overall view, this show was MUCH better than last week. Great stuff top to bottom.
– The 8-Man Tag really got good after the Jordan hot tag. Interesting to see Enzo and Cass get the pinfall on the champs. It looks like they’ll get another title match before American Alpha does.
– Asuka looked like a monster tonight. Loved her action in the ring. She was quick as a hiccup as I had to rewind some of her action just to cover it all. Yet again she continues to grow on me.
– Joe and Zayn was as advertised and as hoped. They had a grueling, physical match that really made the ending believable, despite some camera work that took away from what they were going for. Either we’re just going to get a Triple Threat match for the title or we’re going to get a second Zayn vs. Joe and either way, we’re all winners.
We’ll be back next week with another big show with what should be a couple fun tag matches to cover. Until next time, always strive to be a Perfect 10.