WWE NXT Spotlight: 8/9/17 By Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to another installment of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. We are just under two weeks away from Takeover: Brooklyn and we had our 4th match of the card announced since the last time we were together, as Aleister Black will now take on Hideo Itami. That’s got real potential to steal the show. So who will get the 5th match on the card? Let’s see if we find out tonight.

Sanity Writes the Next Chapter

The show starts with Nikki Cross in the ring yelling for Authors of Pain. Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe shortly after come through the crowd into the ring. AOP and Paul Ellering come out with no theme music. Before they can get to the ring though, Eric Young comes from behind them and blindsides them both. Dain and Wolfe work over Akam in the ring while EY ties up Rezar to the guardrail outside. He’s use a ziptie to trap his arm. Now it’s a 3 on 1 beating on Akam. Rezar breaks the guardrail and starts to drag it to the ring. He tries to get in, but it’s hopeless for him as Sanity swarms him. Dain stands on Rezar’s chest and then just drops back into a senton splash. Wolfe and EY hit a double team back suplex/neckbreaker on Akam. Nikki Cross now has the tag titles and hands them to Wolfe and Dain and Sanity is standing quite tall right now.

K-Tank’s Take: I can’t wait to see this battle at Takeover. No one has left AOP laying like that, so it makes an impact. Sanity played the heel role, but the crowd definitely cheered them. I’ve mentioned before that the dynamic of this match is interesting in terms of if one of these teams is supposed to turn face.

We get a recap of the face to face meeting with Asuka and Ember Moon last week when Ember left Asuka laying after The Eclipse. Next week we will have a contract signing between the two.

We get a vignette for The Street Profits will are about to debut.

We go to “earlier today” where Peyton Royce and Billie Kay want to give a makeup tutorial. Ruby Riot shows up behind them and they start to mock her and make fun of her looks.

The Street Profits vs. The Metro Brothers

The Metro Brothers are 100% stealing the gimmick of Deuce and Domino from back in the day. Apparently they were trained by The Dudley Boyz. The Street Profits are Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. Dawkins has been on NXT before in a jobber role but this tag team has been on live events for a few months. Montez definitely comes across as the charasmatic one of the team. Chris Metro and Dawkins will start the match. Dawkins starts with a side headlock and then a shoulder tackle. He leapfrogs Chris, follows that with an arm drag and body slam. Ford gets tagged in and hits a seated dropkick, followed by a big splash by Dawkins. Ford with a back suplex but then gets caught in the Metro corner and JC tags in. Ford escapes a back suplex and then makes a big jump to tag in Dawkins. Dawkins clears house and spears Chris. JC in the Profits corner and Dawkins follows him in with a avalanche splash. Ford is tagged back in and Dawkins hits a Sky High, followed by a frog splash by Ford and that gets the win.

Winners: Street Profits

K-Tank’s Take: I like what I see. The Metro Brothers were not good opponents, they couldn’t get the hot tag spot right, but The Street Profits have a ton of personality and I liked that finishing combo for sure. NXT is desperate for tag teams, so they’re going to get an opportunity quick I think.

We go to last week after the show where Hideo Itami tried to attack Aleister Black outside the Full Sail Arena but was unsuccessful before it got broken up.

A Championship Confrontation

William Regal is in the ring and will bring out the participants for the NXT Title Match at Takeover: Brooklyn. Roode came with his own security detail. Roode grabs the mic first and says they’re here to protect everyone. There’s a madman named Roderick Strong who’s trying to get his hands on Roode and since he has a big match against McIntyre, he’d hate to see something happen to him that would jeopardize that match. They’re here to protect the money in the match, which is Roode and not McIntyre obviously. Roode officially welcomes Drew to NXT. Roode recaps what Drew said last week and confirms to Drew that he does feel entitled. Because Bobby Roode doesn’t need a second chance. He said since day one that he was going to make a change and become the face of NXT. He’s done everything he said he was going to do. So whether Drew likes it or not, this is his NXT. It’s not “we”, it’s me. Roode brings up how McIntyre used to be known as The Chosen One. Bobby Roode didn’t need to be chosen. Because Bobby Roode is simply The One. Drew speaks up and says he’ll give Roode credit. He’s the prototype champion. He’s has perhaps the best year as a NXT champion ever. But Bobby Roode is a complete ass. He thought this was a facade but now he knows Roode actually believes the crap that comes out of his mouth. McIntyre is going to Claymore Kick Roode back to reality in Brooklyn and Roode will be staring at the next NXT champion.

Roderick Strong’s music hits and Regal tries to tell Strong to leave. Strong says he respects what Regal says, but he wants everyone to know that he’s not done with Bobby Roode. Everyone here is talking about the NXT Title but this isn’t about the title. This is about how Roode disrespected everything about Strong. This is about a fight. Roddy wants a fight so is Roode man enough? Roode finally tells Strong to shut up and gets angry. He says he’ll fight Strong anytime and put his title on the line. If he wants a fight, he’s got a fight. All he has to do is go through Drew McIntyre. Next week, if he wins then he’ll see Strong. Regal tells Roode that he’s the one that makes the matches. McIntyre tells Regal to make the match. Because unlike Roode, who will take off as much time as possible before a big match, McIntyre will go against Strong and then 4 days later will take out Roode. Regal doesn’t want to accept the match but Roode cuts him off and says if this is “we are NXT” and everyone wants the match, then Regal needs to make the match. Regal confirms next week it’ll be McIntyre vs. Strong next week and if Strong wins, Strong gets Roode AFTER Takeover. But nothing changes for Takeover: Brooklyn, it’s Roode vs. McIntyre still. Roode is proud of himself and declares that this will be GLORIOUS!

K-Tank’s Take: Not quite the development I was expecting. If Strong beats McIntyre, then it makes Brooklyn quite predictable. But if Strong loses, that would be really bad for his momentum. Maybe Roode ruins the match and Regal gets fed up and makes a triple threat match? We shall find out in a week’s time.

We go backstage to Johnny Gargano who is asked about his match last week. He said he enjoyed it but he realized he was alone now and can’t help but think about his appearance at Takeover: Brooklyn last year. The way the crowd got behind DIY and he thought he’d never be alone again. But now he needs that feeling again to be Johnny Wrestling. He hasn’t missed a Takeover event since that one last year and he’s not starting now. He wants a match for Brooklyn.

Danny Burch vs. Oney Lorcan

It’s time for the rematch I wanted! They have a strong tie up that no one wants to break. They finally get a clean break and go back to the middle. Lorcan with a single leg takedown. Burch blocks a second one as he ends up in the corner and another clean break. Another tie up and Burch gets a front face lock. Lorcan gets him to the ropes and yet again another clean break. Burch goes right back to the front face lock and then comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle. Lorcan tries to leap frog Burch, but Burch turns it to a flapjack. Now both men trade European uppercuts. Lorcan ends up getting Lorcan up in a Alabama Slam and slams him hard into the turnbuckles. He goes for a pin but Burch kicks out as we go to commercial.

We come back with Lorcan hitting a back suplex and Burch kicking out of a pin again. Lorcan with a series of hard chops in the corner. Lorcan hits one of his running elbows in the corner. He goes for a second but Burch cuts him off. Burch with a dropkick off the second rope. He splashes Lorcan in the corner. He goes for the Tower of London but Lorcan escapes. Burch manages to come with a German suplex though and then follows that up with a big lariat. Lorcan kicks out of a pin. Lorcan blocks a suplex attempt, but Burch just ends up putting Lorcan’s feet on the top rope and hitting a Tower of London that way. Lorcan still kicks out. Lorcan comes out of the corner with a European uppercut. Burch chop blocks Lorcan but Lorcan still comes back with another uppercut and then a running blockbuster. They come face to face and Burch yells at Lorcan to hit him. Burch ends up slapping Lorcan repeatedly. Lorcan grabs Burch and looks for the single leg crab. He repeatedly kick Burch in the spine but he can’t get him over. Burch kicks Lorcan repeatedly with his free leg but Lorcan grabs it and turns it into a Boston Crab. Burch somehow powers out and then turns it into a pinning situation and he’s able to hold Lorcan down for the three!

Winner: Danny Burch

Post match, Lorcan is in disbelief and Burch wants to shake hands. Lorcan just slaps it away but then stops to ponder it and then he decides to shake Burch’s hand. Burch holds the ropes open for Lorcan as they give each other a sign of respect.

K-Tank’s Take: This wasn’t as good as the last match, but it was still a hell of a battle. Perhaps a tag team is born? A best of three series? Either way, more please!

Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/Zelina Vega) vs. No Way Jose

Zelina is looking muy bueno in an outfit that is very close to Carolina Panthers blue. Almas with a go behind on Jose and turns it into a side headlock. Jose throws him off and Almas lands in his arrogant pose. Zelina is not happy with it and pulls him out of the ring to talk about it. Back in the ring and Almas hits a shoulder tackle. He ends up getting flapjacked by Jose though. Jose with a snapmare and then wants an airplane spin but Almas gets out. Almas gets sent to the ropes and does his Spiderman pose. Jose kicks him out of the ring and once again Zelina yells at Almas. Almas comes back in and puts the attack on Jose with repeated kicks and punches. Almas escapes a back suplex and goes back to the brawling offense with kicks, punches and forearms. He sets up Jose for his running double knees in the corner and nails it. He goes for a pin but Zelina yells at him to finish Jose instead. Almas hooks his hammerlock DDT and that gets the pinfall.

Winner: Andrade Almas

Post match, they walk up to the rampway and Zelina decides she has something to say. She grabs a mic at the announce table and asks if everyone saw what her associate just did. He deserves the spotlight. What’s the biggest spotlight here? Takeover: Brooklyn. If the Golden Boy Johnny Gargano is still looking for an opponent, he’s got one. That ends our show.

K-Tank’s Take: They haven’t really explained the relationship between Zelina and Almas, but Zelina does not have a hispanic accent at all. It sounds Brooklyn ironically. So that’s odd to me. I can only assume we’re supposed to figure she’s from his past or his neighborhood and now I don’t get that vibe after she’s talked. So they’re going to need to explain that a little better I think. Gargano vs. Almas doesn’t really do anything for me with some of the other talent in NXT that’s being left off the show, but it is what is.

That’ll do it for this week. Next week we’ll have that huge match between Strong and McIntyre. Until next time, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… but if you do, name it after me!