WWE NXT Spotlight: 7/27/16 by Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to the next installment of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. We have had a great string of episodes lately, but after our Brand Split, the roster has changed completely. While we’re still looking for challengers for Samoa Joe, The Revival, and Asuka at Takeover: Brooklyn 2, let’s get to the action and see what the new era of NXT has for us tonight.

For those interested, the intro video for NXT already has taken out everyone that was drafted. Corey Graves and Tom Phillips are still your announcers for this week.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Wesley Blake

I’ve said it before, I don’t understand wasting Nakamura matches like this, but the ovation he got tonight was insane. So I guess that’s all that matters. Blake has new theme music, it’s pretty bad. It sounds like music that would play during a sex scene in a PG-13 movie. He’s also wearing tassels on his boots. Blake shoves Nakamura when he does his tease in the chest of Blake. Blake gets a headlock, gets shot off, avoids a Nakamura attack and… Blake just blew two kisses to Nakamura. Then Nakamura caught them, dropped them, and stomped on them. I can’t believe I just wrote that. Nakamura then knees Blake and then gives him Good Vibrations a couple times in the corner. Blake cuts him off though and then drops him with a big clothesline. Nakamura kicks out at one. Blake hits a knee drop off the ropes and goes for another pin but Nakamura kicks out. He shoots Nakamura into the ropes and catches him with a back elbow. Blake tries mocking the Good Vibrations but Nakamura catches the foot and then starts to go to town on Blake. He hits forearms, knees, and kicks. Nakamura stomps away on Blake in the corner and then sets him up for the big knee to the ribs. Reverse Exploder and then KINSHASA!!!

Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura

Post match, Nakamura celebrates his win until William Regal’s music hits and here comes the General Manager. Regal congratulates him on his win. He is incredibly pleased to announce that the main event at Takeover: Brooklyn 2 will be Samoa Joe defending his NXT Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura is very pleased.

Billie Kay vs. Santana Garrett

Graves and Phillips act like Billie Kay hasn’t been on NXT before, even saying that Garrett has been here before but we’ve only seen Kay on Smackdown last month. That was a squash match loss to Dana Brooke, but they’re making it seem like a competitive match. I guess they’re wanting to push her now so they’re reestablishing her. I love Santana and wish they would/could do more with her. Billie gets Santana over with a Fireman’s Carry and then taunts her. She then gets an armbar and shoots Santana to the ropes. Santana ducks under Billie and hits a dropkick. They end up in the corner but Santana gets caught with a roaring elbow. Billie goes for a pin but Santana kicks out. Billie takes her to the corner and chokes Santana with her boot. Billie hits a unique suplex, almost like a northern lights without the bridge. Billie starts clubbing Santana on the mat and then goes for a neck wrench. Santana gets out and starts to fight back finally. She hits a headbutt and then sends Billie to the corner and hits a cartwheel back elbow. Billie ducks a follow up boot and then Santana turns around into a big boot of her own and Billie Kay picks up the win with that.

Winner: Billie Kay

We get a recap of Bayley’s appearance at Battleground. Then we go to Bayley in William Regal’s office. Bayley says he’s been there for everything of hers. He was there for Brooklyn last year, the biggest match of her career, and Regal knows that she’s ready for her rematch now. She wants her rematch back in Brooklyn. Regal says he will go talk to Asuka and if she doesnt object, then he will draw up the papers and we’ll have a contract signing.

A vignette for something is shown. I couldn’t even explain it if I tried, and I watched it three times. It ended with, “This is just the beginning”.

TM61 vs. Rob Ryzin and Adrian Nails

Shane Thorne and Adrian Nails start the match. Thorne escapes a wrist lock and then tags in Miller.They send Nails into the turnbuckle and then Miller hits a back suplex. Thorne tags back in and hits a pescado over the top rope and then tags back in Miller. Nails runs into a back elbow and then they hit a double team fist drop and moonsault. Thorne tags back in but Nails is able to coax him into his corner and Ryzin makes the tag in. Ryzin hits a backbreaker and then works on the neck of Thorne. Thorne fights out but gets caught in the wrong corner. Nails tags in and they both charge Thorne in the corner, but he moves and tags in Miller. Miller hits a couple forearms on Nails, and then a clothesline in the corner. Then he hits an ugly spinebuster. He takes care of Ryzin and then Thorne tags in so they can hit Nails with Thunder Valley and that’s the match.

Winners: TM61

Post match, TM61 shakes the hands of their opponents.

We get a recap of the feud between No Way Jose and Austin Aries.

Hideo Itami returns next week!

No Way Jose vs. Steve Cutler

The crowd is fully behind Jose, it’s good to see. Jose teases Cutler early with some dance moves and then gets a headlock. Cutler pulls the hair and is able to reverse it. Cutler shoves Jose right in the face and Jose’s attitude changes completely. He starts going to town on Cutler, repeatedly hitting him and then hits a hiptoss into a neckbreaker. Here comes the windup and pitch, he decks Cutler with the right hand. He picks up Cutler and goes for the full nelson slam and that’s the match.

Winner: No Way Jose

Post match, Jose gets on the mic and calls out Austin Aries. He tells Aries that all he tried to do was show Aries some of the good vibes and the fun he’s been bringing to NXT. Aries took advantage of that and mistook him for something he’s not. When he shows Aries that he could turn a fiesta into a fight, The Greatest Man that Ever Lived turned into the biggest coward in NXT. So the next time he sees Jose, there will be no running, cause he is gonna whoop Aries’ ass.

Buddy Murphy vs. Kota Ibushi

I’m not going to complain about seeing Ibushi in action, but definitely odd to see him in a random NXT when he’s still in the middle of the CWC. Huge ovation for him as he comes out. Murphy starts out with a headlock and then drops Ibushi with a couple shoulder tackles. Ibushi then leapfrogs him and Murphy is able to stop his momentum before getting kicked in the head but Ibushi drops him with a dropkick anyways. Ibushi then hits a standing moonsault. Murphy kicks out of a pin and goes to the outside. Ibushi tries to follow but Murphy trips him on the apron. Now Murphy is on the attack back in the ring and grabs another side headlock on the mat. Ibushi manages to ram Murphy into the corner a couple times, but Murphy hangs on as best he can. Third time is a charm, but Ibushi gets caught with double knees from Murphy after getting separation. Ibushi is able to kick out of a pin. Murphy pie faces Ibushi and taunts him, but then Ibushi catches a boot and then unleashes a fury of shots. Murphy is able to fight back with a kick of his own though. Murphy comes off the ropes, Ibushi ducks and kicks Murphy in the head so hard, I’m pretty sure Murphy’s head ended up in the second deck. Ibushi then goes right to a bridging German Suplex and Murphy somehow kicks out! Ibushi then goes for a moonsault off the top rope but Murphy moves. Ibushi lands on his feet but Murphy is able to slam him into the turnbuckles. He rolls up Ibushi but he kicks out. Murphy suplexes Ibushi onto the top turnbuckle and now wants a superplex. Ibushi fights out and goes for a sunset flip powerbomb. Murphy blocks at first, but Ibushi muscles him up and hits his Last Ride sitout powerbomb and that gets the win. That match was far better than it had any business to be.

Winner: Kota Ibushi

We go backstage to Andrea catching up with Samoa Joe. She notifies Joe that Regal has made the match between Joe and Nakamura at Takeover. Joe is not happy and feels disrespected once again. He says he’s going to fix this right now.

Next week is finally the arrival of Bobby Roode

The Champ Has a Problem

Joe says that upon his arrival tonight, he found out that William Regal made the match between himself and Nakamura in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, due to some oversight by Regal not confirming with Joe first, that match will not be happening. Nakamura is an undeserving contender. He has not done what Joe had to do to win the title and he is clearly not material to be #1 Contender. So as it comes to Brooklyn, he will not be facing Nakamura.

Regal’s music hits and he comes out to confront Joe. He tells Joe that his decisions are final, so Joe will fight who he wants him to fight. Joe says when he wanted his opportunity at the title, Regal made him jump through every hoop possible. He had to battle everyone on the roster to get an opportunity and Nakamura has not done that. So he’s going to give Regal an opportunity to fix this disrespect to his champion. Joe wants to go back to Regal’s office, and figure out a way to determine a deserving #1 contender of whom Joe approves.

Regal says he’s sorry Joe feels that way, but if he refuses to fight, he will take that as a forfeit and Joe can give him the title right now. He will find someone else to face Nakamura at Takeover: Brooklyn for the NXT Championship.

Joe says he will hand Regal nothing. Is this how they’re going to play it? If Regal wants this match, then he gets it. This is the biggest mistake Regal has ever made though. Joe destroyed Regal’s golden boy Finn Balor and he’s going to do the same to Nakamura. That is unless he sees Nakamura before then and he might make sure that Nakamura doesn’t make it to Brooklyn at all. Nakamura’s music hits now and he comes out to the ramp. He signals that he has his sights set on Joe as both men stare down each other. That ends our show.

K-Tank’s Final Take

– Well I guess the streak had to end at some point. Nothing but squash matches, except for that last match with Ibushi. That match really was better than expected. Next week’s show should be really good with the return of Itami and the debut of Roode.

– I wasn’t keen on the re-introduction of Billie Kay, but they obviously had to do something with the three girls that got called up. I would assume her and Peyton Royce will be at the top of the new class now.

– No Way Jose went a long way tonight to really develop his character and make it more than one dimensional. That promo he cut had a lot of fire and was very well done. The crowd bought into it big time.

That’s it for this week, but I’ll be back as always for next week’s show which should be a lot of fun with two new faces in the fold. Until next time, never wear tassels on your shoes.