WWE NXT Spotlight: 8/23/17 By Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to the post-Takeover: Brooklyn edition of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. After a simply phenomenal event this past Saturday, one of the best in NXT’s history, we still have a little unfinished buisness in Brooklyn. Let’s get to it!

No Way Jose vs. Lars Sullivan

Jose gets a huge ovation. He definitely deserves more than he gets. Since it’s Brooklyn, he gets the huge conga line of fans to join him in a little fiesta… but that doesn’t last long at all as Sullivan comes out and attacks Jose. He gorilla presses Jose, who is no small dude, and drops him face first on the apron. He throws Jose in the ring and then does an avalanche splash in the corner. He drops Jose with his modified urinagi and that’s apparently good enough for Sullivan who leaves the ring angrily.

Winner: No contest

K-Tank’s Take: It’s a good opponent for Sullivan to get him sure heat, but again, Jose deserves better. I wonder why they seemingly lost faith in Jose before the WrestleMania Takeover.

We get a recap of the Johnny Gargano & Andrade Almas match from Takeover. We go to “Earlier today” where Gargano discussed the result of that match and Zelina Vega throwing the DIY shirt in his face. Gargano says the road to mediocrity is paved with excuses and he doesn’t have any. He lost, it’s his own fault, and he needs to be better. He knows a lot of people still believe in him. He promises those people and himself that is by far not the end for Johnny Wrestling.

We then get a recap of Asuka vs. Ember Moon from Takeover. If you haven’t heard, Asuka broke her collarbone in that match but still somehow finished it.

K-Tank’s Take: The legend just keeps growing for Asuka. That’s double tough to keep going with a broken collarbone. I highly doubt they take the title off of her as she has more than enough time to make it back for the next Takeover, which should be in November for Survivor Series weekend. If anything, at the next tapings I would have Asuka already laid out backstage and Ember standing over her to make Ember look strong and dangerous and that can easily write Asuka off until it’s time for the rematch.

We then go to Wolfgang and UK Champion Pete Dunne who will be in action later tonight. They’re asked what a win tonight would do for the UK Division. Dunne says when he won the title at Takeover: Chicago, he says that was the beginning of the UK Division. Any time he’s in the ring, the brand will get stronger and stronger. It belongs to the Bruiserweight. Wolfgang says he’s been waiting patiently for his title shot, so when they win, how about he gets the next title shot? Dunne tells him not to get too ahead of himself and focus on tonight.

Peyton Royce (w/Billie Kay) vs. Sarah Logan

Logan, for those that don’t know/remember, is the former Crazy Mary Dobson on the indy scene. She’s been on NXT before and will be in the Mae Young Classic that starts airing on Monday. She’s going with a county/backwoods gimmick now in NXT. Of course when you’re in a big show like Brooklyn, you have to bring the best looking woman on the roster to the show, so we’re all fortunate to see Peyton here. Peyton starts with a side headlock and Logan tries to turn it to a bodyslam, but Peyton holds on. Peyton then gives Logan a shoulder tackle, but gets tripped by Logan who then gets Peyton in an armbar. Peyton fights out and goes back to the headlock. Logan comes off the ropes and ducks a clothesline but turns right around into a spinning heel kick. Peyton shows some incredible flexibility as she chokes Logan with her boot in the corner. We haven’t seen anything like that since the days of Stacy Keibler. Peyton then gets Logan tied up in the ropes with a Tarantula like manuever until the ref makes her break it. She starts to toy with Logan and goes for another spinning heel kick but Logan ducks and then grabs and deadlifts Peyton in a German suplex. Logan firing up now. A couple shoulder tackles and a front dropkick but Peyton kicks out at two. Peyton goes to Billie for help but Logan rolls up Peyton anyways. Peyton kicks out and then hits a knee to the face of Logan. She locks on the Perfect Plex, the Peyton Plex?, and that gets the big win for Peyton.

Winner: Peyton Royce

K-Tank’s Take: Billie and Peyton are a unique pairing and really work well together. It’s good to see them hopefully get some momentum behind them again.

We get a recap of the Sanity/Authors of Pain tag title match from Brooklyn where Sanity became the new tag team champions, along with the subsiquent attack by RedDRagon after the match.

After that we get a recap of the Bobby Roode/Drew McIntyre NXT Title match where Drew McIntyre became the new champion as well. Of couse this recap isn’t complete without the footage of the debut of ADAM COLE BAY BAY!! We find out that next week Drew McIntyre will be on NXT to discuss what he thinks about the debut of Adam Cole.

We then go to Bobby Roode’s post match reaction after the loss to McIntyre. He refuses to talk and just wants to leave immediately. Roddy Strong walks in and tells Roode that he’ll see him soon. That of course gets followed up by the debut of Roode on Smackdown Live this past Tuesday. We then go to “earlier today” where Roode is asked if we’ve seen the last of Roode in NXT. He says he never leaves unfinished business. That leads him to the ungrateful Roddy Strong. He had the audacity to blow Roode a kiss after a grueling match. So he’s going to dispose of Strong, then he’s going to get his rematch against McIntyre and he will win back his NXT Title. Only then will he leave NXT. Then at that point, he will make Smackdown Live GLORIOUS.

K-Tank’s Take: That sounds all well and good, but it’s gonna be quite odd for him to be a heel on NXT and a babyface on Smackdown. I’m not mad about the babyface turn on Smackdown because his entrance just screams babyface and he’s such a natural that he can do either side with ease. It’s just great to see him get his just due finally.

We then get a recap of the Hideo Itami and Aleister Black match from Takeover. We go to post match, where Black is leaving the arena and is asked by multiple people to speak on his match with Itami, but he walks past them all without saying a word.

Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs. Pete Dunne & Wolfgang

Is Moustache Mountain the greatest hometown of all time? Big reactions for Bate and Seven, Seven actually a little bigger than Bate. But of course, Dunne gets the biggest reaction of everyone. Only 9 minutes left in the show when the bell rings, which is really disappointing. Would’ve loved to see these guys get at least 15 on a show like this. Dunne and Bate start and grapple on the mat. Crowd is definitely hot for this. Great mat wrestling by the both as neither can get a full advantage. Dunne finally gets a pin attempt, Bate kicks out and both men do a flip kip up and we’ve got a stalemate as we go to commercial.

We return with Bate tagging in Seven, who drops Dunne with Wasteland. Bate tags right back in and comes off the second rope, lands knees on Seven’s shoulder, and then jumps for a senton splash on Dunne. Seven tags right back in, but Dunne catches him with a nasty forearm smash and now has the advantage. He brings Seven over to his partner and Wolfgang tags in for the first time. Seven tags Wolfgang with some chops, Wolfgang bends over to duck one, but Seven just grabs him and drops him in a DDT instead. Dunne manages to distract Seven long enough for Wolfgang to get up and nail Seven with a lifting spear. Dunne now tags back in and works over the left arm of Seven. Dunne tags in Wolfgang after a while of working on that arm and Wolfgang gutwrenches Seven and then just drops him face first. Seven gets out of a fireman’s carry and then hits what looked to be a dragon suplex. Both men get the tags and Bate catches Dunne in mid air and suplexes him over his head. He then tries a deadlift German suplex but Dunne lands on his feet. Dunne sends Bate into the rope, who bounces off and comes back with a clothesline. Airplane Spin! Bate with a pin but Wolfgang breaks it up. Seven now attacks Wolfgang but Dunne knocks him out of the ring with a forearm. Back to Bate and Dunne. Bate smacks the hell out of Dunne but Dunne comes back with an enziguri. Bate comes back with a rolling kick. Wolfgang makes a blind tag as Bate hits the Tyler Driver 99. Wolfgang is on the top rope though and he hits his Howling senton splash and picks up the win for his team.

Winners: Wolfgang and Pete Dunne

K-Tank’s Take: Not much to this match. Wish there would’ve been more. I guess Wolfgang will be Dunne’s next challenger. Just seems like there was no sense to capitalize on the momentum Dunne and Bate created in Chicago. Victim of cutbacks?

That’s it for this week. Next week we’re back in Full Sail, which I believe is taping as I write this. Hopefully we’re just a week away from the debut of Adam Cole in the NXT home arena but we’ll all find out together! Until next time, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… but if you do, name it after me!