WWE: NXT Spotlight 11/18/2015 by Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to the latest edition of the NXT Spotlight right here at TJRWrestling. I am your original host back again after a week off where I was in the middle of a vacation with my lovely wife that included seeing my Carolina Panthers move to 9-0 on the season. Big thanks to Webb Anderson for his help last week and make sure you check out his work on Ring of Honor for the site. I’ll have my thoughts on last week’s show throughout my notes this week as needed and then have whatever is left added to my Final Takes for the week. Tonight we have a big NXT Women’s Title Match and more build up towards Takeover: London, so let’s get to it!

Carmella vs. Nia Jax

So if you haven’t watched Breaking Ground, it looks like Big Cass is dating Carmella. Proud of him. Don’t know if that makes this match any more interesting, but I’m throwing it out there anyways. They’ve been playing up a partnership for Nia Jax with Eva Marie on social media, so that’s an easy way to make her a heel. Carmella tries a go behind but gets tossed aside as the match starts. Carmella gets backed into a corner and tries to fight her way out, but gets hit with a running avalanche splash and then a nasty tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Nia mocks Carmella before hitting her with a headbutt. Nia manhandles Carmella and locks on a bearhug. Carmella somehow counters it into a choke hold, but Nia gets to the ropes and breaks it. Nia catches Carmella for what looked to be a Samoan Drop but Carmella gets out and tries to fire up on Nia with a few shots. They get back in the corner and Carmella tries for her Hurricanrana but Nia blocks it and reverses it into her Spinebuster variation. A huge legdrop after that and that’s the match.

Winner: Nia Jax

Backstage now with Alexa Bliss and her men. Alexa says she’s going to be really “Blissed off” if she has to hear about the Ironman match anymore. Alexa says she wants the NXT Women’s Title cause that’s what she deserves. Alexa says she may be small, but she’s fierce. Bayley had a good run, but the other Horsewomen left her in NXT where she belongs. A ref shows up and tells her that Blake and Murphy are banned from ringside per William Regal. They are obviously not happy, but Alexa says she’ll take care of Bayley regardless.

Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” is the official theme for Takeover: London.

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan vs. The Ascension

The Ascension get a HUGE reaction coming out to the ring. I don’t know what’s more amazing, how bad WWE bungled their arrival to the main roster, or the fact that the Full Sail fans still treat them like rock stars despite how bad they’ve been presented on the main roster. The new huge stars of NXT come out next and are playing the babyface role themselves as they give high fives to the crowd. So that’s good to see that they’re allowed to organically change after that great performance at the last Takeover.

The crowd chants “This is awesome” before the match starts. Gable and Viktor start the match as Viktor gets a couple shots in to gain the advantage. Gable gets out of their corner, but Konnor is tagged in. All four men have a standoff in the ring before the legal men tie up. Gable gets a headlock on Konnor and Jordan gets the blind tag. Jordan comes from behind and tries to ragdoll Konnor and suplex him, but he can’t get him off his feet. Gable tags back in quickly and they hit a double team Northern Lights Suplex that gets a two count. Gable stomps Konnor in the corner, but Konnor gets right back up and returns the favor to Gable. Viktor tags back in and they hit a nice double team move with Viktor sling shotting Gable into a Konnor spinebuster. That gets a two count. Gable once again in the wrong corner and not able to escape as The Ascension double team him and Konnor gets back in the match.

Konnor laying on Gable with a headlock, then Viktor tags in again. Gable finally knocks down both men and has the chance to get the hot tag. One last desperation stop by Viktor and Gable judo throws him and now gets the tag to Jordan. Jordan hits a couple of great looking dropkicks and the straps come down as he spears Viktor in the corner. Overhead belly to belly and Konnor breaks up the count. Jordan clotheslines him over the top rope. Viktor comes off the second rope with a flying knee and now it’s Gable who breaks up the pin. Gable goes to the apron and hits a somersault dive onto Konnor. Jordan avoids a suplex and gets the upper hand on Viktor, Gable rushes back to his corner and they hit their double team finisher on Viktor to get the win.

Winners: Jason Jordan and Chad Gable

We get a video package recapping how the NXT Women’s Title match tonight came to be. I really enjoyed that six-person match last week. Of course i’m just biased since Zack Ryder was picked to help Bayley.

Bayley is now backstage with Tom Phillips and talks about how Alexa made some good points earlier tonight. Yes, the other women left to the main roster, but she’s still here because she still has the title. She’s going to show Alexa what that means tonight.

Emma vs. Mary Kate

No Dana Brooke with Emma this week. Some of these names for the women are not creative at all. We have a Billie Kay and a Mary Kate now. I wonder if they’ll give Mary Kate a partner named Ashley. Props if you get that joke. You know it’s funny. Nonetheless, the women tie up and Mary throws Emma to the mat. Mary almost exposed Emma’s butt as she prevents her from running away and hits a big forearm. Emma fights back with some knees and then hits a couple running knees. She steps on Mary’s hair and pulls up on the arms. Then she chokes her over the second rope as the ref gives her the five count. Emma slams Mary to the mat and then repeatedly slams her face into the middle turnbuckle. Emma showing a vicious side tonight as she continues to beat Mary down in the corner and then finishes it up with a Emma Sandwich. Emma goes right to the Emma Lock with a curb stomp kick for good measure before she locks it in. Mary taps out immediately but Emma keeps it hooked on a while longer.

Winner: Emma

We go back to two weeks ago to see the finish to Apollo Crews vs. Finn Balor and how Baron Corbin came out first to cost Apollo the match. Then we see last week where Apollo attcked Baron before his match.

We go to Baron Corbin from a WWE.com exclusive. Baron says he just doesn’t like Apollo. Apollo would’ve lost anyways to Finn Balor because he’s destined to be a failure. If Apollo wants to go, Baron is challenging him to a match at Takeover: London. Dreams don’t come true in the real world and Baron will show him the reality of his world.

Takeover: London is so big, it has two themes. “Could Have Been Me” by The Struts is the latest tune.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder vs. Corey Hollis and John Skylar

Edge’s favorite tag team and mine, The Mechanics picked up a huge win last week as they became NXT Tag Team Champions. I’ll have more thoughts on this title change at the end, as there’s two sides to the story, but for now I’ll just say that i’m really happy for The Mechanics. They are a throwback team and really do Tag Team wrestling the right way. Hollis and Dash start the match. The announcers state that The Vaudevillians have already envoked their rematch clause for next week.

Hollis already isolated in the corner of the champs and Dawson tags in and works over Hollis in the corner. Dawson whips him to the other corner and Hollis tries to avoid Dawson but gets caught in a dragonscrew and now The Mechanics work over the knee of Hollis. Quick tags by the champ as they continually work on that knee, along with some shots to the head by Dawson. He gives Hollis the atomic drop on the knee before tagging in Dash again. I absolutely love how relentless they are on working a body part. Hollis tries to fight back but Dawson drops him with a stiff short arm clothesline. Dash tags back in and they hit a double team legdrop. Dawson tags back in and they wrap Hollis’ knee around the turnpost and continue to beat on it. Another quick tag and it’s rinse and repeat. Dawson tags in again and Hollis goes to hit Dash with a enziguri but he ducks and it ends up hitting Dawson. Hollis manages to get the tag finally to Skylar but he runs directly into the Shatter Machine and it’s over just like that.

Winners: Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder

Tom Phillips is backstage with Asuka now. He asks about the meaning of her masks, but Dana Brooke interupts her. Dana says she had respect for Asuka until she decided to pat Dana on the head. So she’s challenging Asuka to a rematch next week. Asuka accepts the match. Tom gets the pat on the head now as Emma shows up and Emma asks if Asuka bought it. Dana says hook, line, and sinker. Both women seem quite proud of themselves.

The main event for Takeover: London is official, it will be Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe for the NXT Title. Samoa Joe is now talking from a different location and explaining why he’s not at Full Sail. He says Regal told him not to show up for his protection, but really he’s not there for Finn’s protection. So that gives Finn seven days to think about the contract signing next week and then it will be set in stone that Joe takes what’s his and that’s the NXT Title.

NXT Women’s Title Match: Bayley (c) vs. Alexa Bliss

17 minutes left in the show as Alexa makes her way to the ring, so this should give Alexa plenty of time to show if she can hang with the best. Naturally a huge ovation for Bayley as she comes to the ring. They tie up and Bayley forces Alexa into the corner and stomps her down. Bayley coming out very aggressive, but Alexa is able to pull Bayley into the turnbuckle and now gains the advantage. She stands on Bayley’s back and then pie faces her but then Bayley fights back and is on the offense again. She rams Alexa repeatedly into the top turnbuckle but Alexa counters with a forearm. Both women counter a couple moves and then Bayley snapmares Alexa and then hits a sitting clothesline followed by a knee drop that gets a two count. Bayley jumps on Alexa in the corner and then hits a dropkick through the ropes and then a running bulldog. That gets another two count. Bayley locks in a Rings of Saturn type submission but Alexa gets out and then goes to the outside to regroup. Bayley chases her and ends up getting slammed face first into the apron. Now Alexa has the upper hand as we go to a break.

We come back to Alexa working over the left hand and arm of Bayley. She mounts Bayley and punches her a couple times and then gets a quick one count on a pin attempt. She’s back to the arm after that. Bayley hits a nice throw on Alexa to try and get an advantage as the crowd rallies behind her. She hits a couple double ax-handles but Alexa slaps her silly. She then hits her back handspring double knees but only gets a two count. Alexa goes to the top but Bayley cuts her off. Bayley gets her off the top with a big powerslam but Alexa kicks out at two. Bayley hits a T-Bone suplex and then charges Alexa in the corner with spears and back elbows. She goes for one spear too many as Alexa jumps and reverses it into a sunset flip, but only a two count again. This time it’s Bayley who slaps Alexa silly and that gives her the break to hook Alexa in the Bayley to Bayley and the champ has retained.

Winner: Still NXT Women’s Champion, Bayley

Bayley celebrates in the ring after the match and wait a second I know that music! It’s the Red Queen of NXT, Eva Marie! The crowd turns on her instantly as she makes her way to the ring. Eva soaks it in as she enters. She is getting Vickie Guerrero can’t talk nuclear heat right now. She tells the little dorks to be quiet. Eva says obviously the inevitable is happening. Bayley next week will defend the Women’s Title against Eva Marie. Eva motions for the title around her waist as she leaves and that’s our show.

K-Tank’s Final Takes

– Heavy emphasis on the women’s division this week, which I have no problem with at all. With no Becky, Charlotte, or Sasha anymore, they have to develop the new crop. Really liked the viciousness shown by Emma and Alexa this week. It’s sometimes hard to be a heel diva but they both look like they’re putting a lot of work into it. Lot of intriguing possibilities for Bayley coming up. Unless….

– Unless my girl Eva Marie shocks the world and wins the NXT Women’s Title next week! Of course I know that’s truly not happening, but I am quite interested to see where this match goes next week. It seems rushed to give Eva a title match now, but maybe they’re putting her in a sink or swim situation before they bring her to the main roster, or maybe this will be a feud that carries into London.

– The Vaudevillians get their rematch next week, but I can’t help but wonder what could’ve been with their title reign. The program they worked to show how hard it was to finally get to the titles and then barely three months later, with not one program worked during that time period, and they’ve already dropped the belts. It’s a curious decision even if Dash and Dawson deserve the titles.

– Really a fun show this week with two fantastic matches in the Gable/Jordan vs. Ascension and the Women’s Title match. Next week will obviously be a huge show with two title matches signed and a contract signing for the Takeover: London main event.

Until next time, someone find James Storm and bring him back already!