Reviews

WWE NXT Spotlight: 4/12/17 by Kurt Zamora

By Kurt Zamora • Published 14th April 2017
TJR Wrestling

Welcome one and all to what promises to be a huge installment of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. Now that all the dust has settled from WrestleMania weekend and we’ve seen the effects of the Superstar Shakeup on NXT, it is now time to put one era to bed and let another era begin to rise. Let’s get straight to the action.

We start this new era of NXT with a new theme song and video package. Triple H revealed it on Twitter before the show.

Aleister Black vs. Corey Hollis

Black’s entrance is just as cool at Full Sail as it was in the bigger arena for Takeover. He also gets a cool name graphic when he comes out and not just the generic one everyone else gets. It’s the little things. The bell rings and Black stands very still with his hands behind his back. Hollis tries to size Black up, then decides to charge him and he runs smack into the Black Mass kick that connects about as cleanly as it could. That was emphatic.

Winner: Aleister Black

We go to footage of Tye Dillinger’s long awaited debut on the main roster for the Smackdown Live brand. Now we go backstage to Tye and he talks about his moment finally getting to the main roster. He says he can’t describe the feeling but ever since he left, he thinks he’s had some unfinished business. So he went to William Regal and asked to be able to settle it. Regal granted him his wish, so next week he gets Eric Young one on one. And if EY thinks he can play the numbers game next week, it’ll be difficult since the match is inside a Steel Cage!

DIY vs. Dylan Miley & Michael Blais

If you’re big on following the Performance Center guys and gals on Twitter, you have seen the mystery that is Miley. He’s a really thick guy with overly massive hands. He’s not overly tall but he’s a beast. He asks Ciampa for a handshake and Ciampa hesistantly accepts. Miley crushes Ciampa’s hand but lets go without altercation. DIY look stunned by it. Ciampa grabs a headlock to start but is mandhandled by Miley. Miley comes off the ropes and Ciampa tries a clothesline and Miley just brushes it off and then comes off with a shoulder tackle. He then gorilla presses Ciampa, who manages to wiggle away and tags in Gargano. Gargano tries to slingshot in but Miley catches him in midair and then hooks Gargano in a delayed vertical suplex. He held him up there for a good amount of time and event stood on one leg. He finally drops Gargano and then tags in Blais. Blais tries to keep up the attack but Gargano kicks him and then hits a modified neckbreaker. Ciampa tags in and they hit a combo attack in the corner and then Ciampa knocks Miley off the apron and they Meet in the Middle on Blais and pick up the win.

Winners: DIY

Post match, Miley is getting angry and proceeds to destroy Blais. He grabs Blais in a Claw and proceeds to give him a chokeslam from that. So a clawslam? Whatever you want to call it, that’s pure strength. He then gives Blais a standing backbreaker and follows that up with a rolling powerslam and finally walks out of he ring.

We go to a video package showing how Asuka managed to retain her title at Takeover against Ember Moon. We then go to footage of the Arena being taken apart after the show and see Ember Moon come out to look around. Her voiceover starts and says that this was supposed to be her moment. It was to be her opportunity to show the world she can do anything. It was her destiny to win and go down in history as the one. That’s where it all went wrong though. That’s where Asuka proved she’ll do anything to keep the NXT Women’s Title. She tells Asuka, just as she was Ember’s, Ember will be hers. She will be the one to give Asuka her first loss and she will be the next NXT Women’s champion. This was a well done package.

Ruby Riot vs. Kimberly Frankele

Before the match, we go to a pre-taped interview from Ruby. She says she’s not too crazy with how Sanity has handled their business but make no mistake, she’s here to win the NXT Women’s Title. Tonight she starts that path and tonight we start a riot.

Frankele is another recent indy signing for NXT as she was the former Kimber Lee. They tie up to start and Ruby throws Frankele off. Frankele arm drags Ruby and then hits her with a stiff shot to the jaw. Riot avoids her charging in the corner and then comes off with a hurricanrana. There’s a commotion in the crowd now and it’s Nikki Cross announcing her presence to Ruby. Ruby gets distracted and Frankele connects with a jaw jacker and then a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. She takes a bow after Ruby kicks out of a pin and then hits a hard kick to the spine. Riot fights back with a series of chops and then a dropkick after a clothesline. Riot slams Frankele’s face into the turnbuckle using a headscissors. Riot then connects with a soccer kick, Nigel calls its a wind-up Pele kick, and that gets the win.

Winner: Ruby Riot

Post match, Nikki leaves up the ramp as both women stare down each other.

We see a video package hyping up the domination of The Authors of Pain since they debuted.

Then we go to earlier today in the Performance Center where Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are walking around. They run into Liv Morgan and Aliyah. They mock Aliyah for Peyton’s win last week and then Liv proceeds to push Billie into a whirlpool and she struggles to get out.

Drew McIntyre vs. Oney Lorcan

I don’t think I could’ve chosen a better first opponent for McIntyre. All Lorcan does is have good matches. McIntyre doesn’t have the Broken Dreams theme anymore and I really want to know what idiot made that decision. Even if was McIntyre himself or Triple H, it’s still idiotic. McIntyre gets a huge reaction when he comes out nonetheless. They tie up and Lorcan wants to brawl in the corner but the ref gets a clean break. Lorcan ducks a clothesline but then runs right into an overhead belly to belly throw that sens him to the outside. Lorcan comes back in and comes full force with a couple hard European Uppercuts that sends McIntyre to the floor. He then doesn’t hesitate to dive over the top rope and wipes out McIntyre. Lorcan then goes to the top rope and wants to take out McIntyre again but McIntyre catches him in mid air and drops him on the apron with a backbreaker. We go to commercial.

We come back to McIntyre chopping Lorcan in the corner and then delivers another belly to belly overhead throw. Lorcan manages to kick out. Lorcan avoids a rush in the corner and then catches McIntyre with a running blockbuster but McIntyre kicks out. Lorcan goes to the top rope again but McIntyre head butts the hell out of him and then goes for a top rope superplex. Lorcan manages to hit McIntyre off and he lands in a tree of woe position. Lorcan hesistates for just a second and that allows McIntyre to sit up in the corner and deliver another belly to belly overhead throw, this time while tied up in the corner. That was a cool spot. Lorcan comes back though and smacks the hell out of McIntyre repeately. McIntyre has enough of that and elbows him right in the temple, which opens up Lorcan the hard way. McIntyre then gets Lorcan in a reverse Alabama Slam and plants him right on his face. McIntyre sets up in the corner and he hits what looks very similar to Roddy Strong’s Sick Kick which turns Lorcan inside out and outside in, and that picks up a hard fought win.

Winner: Drew McIntyre

Post match, Drew is asked on the rampway what brings him to NXT. He says this is right where he needs to be. He’s built up a reputation where he could’ve signed anywhere in the world. He has all the “raw” talent and can lay the “smackdown” on anyone, but there is nowhere he’d rather be than NXT.

A Farewell to The King of Strong Style

Shinsuke Nakamura comes out to his normal rock star reception. He grabs a mic after his entrance and says that one year ago he came to NXT. He was already a champion in Japan, but he came to fight the best in the world. He calls NXT his home. He’s learned a lot from the NXT roster and coaches and from the fans. NXT is its own brand, energy, and life. NXT creates something new and different. The NXT universe is CRAZY. They created the chants and the singing. The passion is different from the rest, NXT has its own style. He will always be NXT because WE are NXT. YEEOHH!

Nakamaura’s music hits and as he celebrates with the crowd, here comes the majority of the NXT locker room, led by DIY, Hideo Itami, & William Regal to give him a standing ovation. Nakamura bows to them all. Finn Balor shows up, which looked like a genuine suprise to Nakamura and shakes his hand and hugs him as the show goes off the air.

K-Tank’s Final Takes

  • That was a GREAT episode top to bottom, and that’s with none of the three champions being on the broadcast. The new era of NXT is off to a very strong start.
  • There’s something to be said about The Performance Center’s “mystery men” as I’m calling them. When you look at Braun Strowman, The Authors of Pain, and now Dylan Miley, these are guys that are hidden for a long time and then when they finally show up, they make an incredible impact. Obviously, Miley didn’t do too much tonight but the announcers really hyped him up as a monster and he came across as such. NXT may have a star that no one was prepared for on their hands.
  • Lorcan and McIntyre beat the hell out of each other. They really presented McIntyre as a star, which they should. My guess is they manage to keep him and Roode apart until Brooklyn.

So next week we have the huge Cage Match and I’ll be here for all the action. Until then, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do but if you do, name it after me!