NXT – March 4, 2015
By Scott Keith on March 5, 2015
NXT
Date:
March 4, 2015
March 4, 2015
Location:
Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators:
Jason Albert, Rich Brennan, Alex Riley
Jason Albert, Rich Brennan, Alex Riley
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
Tonight
it’s time to get back to the serious business around NXT as Sami Zayn
is making his first appearance after losing the NXT Title to Kevin
Owens by referee’s decision. Owens is currently gearing up to defend
against #1 contender Finn Balor, but it’s clear that another showdown
with Sami is coming. Let’s get to it.
it’s time to get back to the serious business around NXT as Sami Zayn
is making his first appearance after losing the NXT Title to Kevin
Owens by referee’s decision. Owens is currently gearing up to defend
against #1 contender Finn Balor, but it’s clear that another showdown
with Sami is coming. Let’s get to it.
We
open with a recap of Owens saying he’ll fight anyone anywhere, which
leads to his feud with Balor. This includes Owens being insulted by
Alex Riley on commentary and beating Riley up as a result.
open with a recap of Owens saying he’ll fight anyone anywhere, which
leads to his feud with Balor. This includes Owens being insulted by
Alex Riley on commentary and beating Riley up as a result.
Riley
demanded that William Regal give him a match with Owens. However,
Regal says no because of what happened to him when he tried to be a
competitor and commentator at the same time. That’s not good enough
for Riley as he wants the match, but Regal says he has to pick.
Riley seems to be thinking about it.
demanded that William Regal give him a match with Owens. However,
Regal says no because of what happened to him when he tried to be a
competitor and commentator at the same time. That’s not good enough
for Riley as he wants the match, but Regal says he has to pick.
Riley seems to be thinking about it.
Opening
sequence.
sequence.
Adam
Rose vs. Tyler Breeze
Rose vs. Tyler Breeze
The
Trust Fall works this time and Rose seems to be a good guy here. The
fans chant for Rose’s ninja turtle before he chases Breeze around the
ring. An armdrag sends Rose down and Breeze lounges across the top
rope. They pose at each other a bit more until Rose grabs an atomic
drop, giving us the Honky Tonk Man sell job.
Trust Fall works this time and Rose seems to be a good guy here. The
fans chant for Rose’s ninja turtle before he chases Breeze around the
ring. An armdrag sends Rose down and Breeze lounges across the top
rope. They pose at each other a bit more until Rose grabs an atomic
drop, giving us the Honky Tonk Man sell job.
Rose
dives into one from Breeze though and both guys are in pain. Breeze
nails him in the face a few times but Adam leans back in the ropes
and raises his feet to fend Tyler off. With a raise of the roof (as
we flash back to 1998), Rose hits a running corner clothesline, only
to walk into the Beauty Shot for the pin at 2:35. Again, who in the
world thought making Rose a heel was a good idea? He’s one of the
easiest acts to cheer for in years so they turned him heel. Main
roster brilliance personified.
dives into one from Breeze though and both guys are in pain. Breeze
nails him in the face a few times but Adam leans back in the ropes
and raises his feet to fend Tyler off. With a raise of the roof (as
we flash back to 1998), Rose hits a running corner clothesline, only
to walk into the Beauty Shot for the pin at 2:35. Again, who in the
world thought making Rose a heel was a good idea? He’s one of the
easiest acts to cheer for in years so they turned him heel. Main
roster brilliance personified.
Breeze
fends off the Rosebuds with the selfie stick in a funny moment.
fends off the Rosebuds with the selfie stick in a funny moment.
Enzo,
Cass and Carmella don’t like what Murphy and Blake have been saying.
No one talks to Carmella like that and she thinks Cass and Amore need
to take care of them. Enzo promises to beat the bacon off their
backs and bring that bacon home. Do whatever you want with the
bacon. Just drop Carmella already.
Cass and Carmella don’t like what Murphy and Blake have been saying.
No one talks to Carmella like that and she thinks Cass and Amore need
to take care of them. Enzo promises to beat the bacon off their
backs and bring that bacon home. Do whatever you want with the
bacon. Just drop Carmella already.
Alexa
Bliss has been off recovering from an injury but she’s back and
better than ever. She’s coming for Sasha, whether she keeps the
title or not.
Bliss has been off recovering from an injury but she’s back and
better than ever. She’s coming for Sasha, whether she keeps the
title or not.
Buddy
Murphy/Wesley Blake vs. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton
Murphy/Wesley Blake vs. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton
Non-title.
I keep thinking the champs’ record scratch music is Solomon Crowe
hacking the feed. Dawkins and Fulton are part of a trio of amateur
wrestlers with Fulton rocking the Rick Steiner head gear. He takes
Murphy down to start and cranks on an armbar. Murphy makes a blind
tag though and a double elbow gets two.
I keep thinking the champs’ record scratch music is Solomon Crowe
hacking the feed. Dawkins and Fulton are part of a trio of amateur
wrestlers with Fulton rocking the Rick Steiner head gear. He takes
Murphy down to start and cranks on an armbar. Murphy makes a blind
tag though and a double elbow gets two.
It’s
off to Blake for a chinlock but Fulton flips him over and nails a
nice uppercut. Dawkins comes in to speed things up and hammers
Murphy down, but makes the mistake of going after Blake. Murphy gets
in a cheap shot and suplexes Dawkins down, setting up the frog splash
from Blake for the pin at 2:27. That was one heck of a leap for the
splash. The losers looked good while they were in there but they
need more ring time to get the gimmick over.
off to Blake for a chinlock but Fulton flips him over and nails a
nice uppercut. Dawkins comes in to speed things up and hammers
Murphy down, but makes the mistake of going after Blake. Murphy gets
in a cheap shot and suplexes Dawkins down, setting up the frog splash
from Blake for the pin at 2:27. That was one heck of a leap for the
splash. The losers looked good while they were in there but they
need more ring time to get the gimmick over.
Bayley
offers Charlotte good luck on the title shot tonight but Charlotte
says Banks needs the luck. Charlotte leaves and Emma comes in and
brings up Bayley lost at Takeover. She tried being nice like Bayley
and look where it got her on Raw: right back here to NXT. Just
something to think about for Bayley.
offers Charlotte good luck on the title shot tonight but Charlotte
says Banks needs the luck. Charlotte leaves and Emma comes in and
brings up Bayley lost at Takeover. She tried being nice like Bayley
and look where it got her on Raw: right back here to NXT. Just
something to think about for Bayley.
Rhyno
return video.
return video.
Baron
Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Corbin vs. Tony Briggs
Briggs
says bring it on so Baron hits him in the face and plants him with
End of Days at 54 seconds. Kevin Owens was shown standing behind
Alex Riley but didn’t touch him.
says bring it on so Baron hits him in the face and plants him with
End of Days at 54 seconds. Kevin Owens was shown standing behind
Alex Riley but didn’t touch him.
Riley
turns around to look at Owens but doesn’t do anything. Owens pours
water over him and Riley snaps. Albert holds him back and reminds
Riley that he has a job. Kevin turns his back on him and leaves with
no physicality. Owens is nailing this evil bully character to
perfection.
turns around to look at Owens but doesn’t do anything. Owens pours
water over him and Riley snaps. Albert holds him back and reminds
Riley that he has a job. Kevin turns his back on him and leaves with
no physicality. Owens is nailing this evil bully character to
perfection.
Sami
Zayn was in Montreal earlier this week but he can’t help but feel
that the NXT landscape is changing. You have guys like Rhyno and
Kendrick back and new faces like Solomon Crowe with Kevin Owens on
top. This is filmed on March 1, 2015, meaning he’s been a wrestler
for thirteen years to the day. For the first time though, Zayn
doesn’t feel like he’s mentally ready to be in the ring. That’s why
he’s here in Montreal, where it all started for both he and Owens.
He still hasn’t watched the Takeover match, but maybe that’s what he
needs to get his mind right.
Zayn was in Montreal earlier this week but he can’t help but feel
that the NXT landscape is changing. You have guys like Rhyno and
Kendrick back and new faces like Solomon Crowe with Kevin Owens on
top. This is filmed on March 1, 2015, meaning he’s been a wrestler
for thirteen years to the day. For the first time though, Zayn
doesn’t feel like he’s mentally ready to be in the ring. That’s why
he’s here in Montreal, where it all started for both he and Owens.
He still hasn’t watched the Takeover match, but maybe that’s what he
needs to get his mind right.
Riley
storms into Regal’s office and quits being a commentator so he can
get his hands on Owens. Regal says he’ll get Owens when he (Regal)
thinks he’s ready. CJ Parker is in the office too and laughs at the
idea of Riley fighting Owens, so Riley wants Parker next week.
storms into Regal’s office and quits being a commentator so he can
get his hands on Owens. Regal says he’ll get Owens when he (Regal)
thinks he’s ready. CJ Parker is in the office too and laughs at the
idea of Riley fighting Owens, so Riley wants Parker next week.
Bull
Dempsey vs. Solomon Crowe
Dempsey vs. Solomon Crowe
Crowe
comes into the ring with a bunch of energy and nearly slides under
the ropes upon entry. He goes right after Dempsey and gets stomped
down, setting up a stiff headbutt. All Dempsey so far and he mounts
Crowe for some right hands. Solomon fights back but can’t slam the
big man. Instead Dempsey just pounds him in the chest with forearms
for one. Solomon fights up and now the slam works. Dempsey runs him
over again but misses the top rope headbutt. A running knee and
running elbow drop Bull and a slingshot headbutt to the rips is
enough to give Solomon the pin at 3:01.
comes into the ring with a bunch of energy and nearly slides under
the ropes upon entry. He goes right after Dempsey and gets stomped
down, setting up a stiff headbutt. All Dempsey so far and he mounts
Crowe for some right hands. Solomon fights back but can’t slam the
big man. Instead Dempsey just pounds him in the chest with forearms
for one. Solomon fights up and now the slam works. Dempsey runs him
over again but misses the top rope headbutt. A running knee and
running elbow drop Bull and a slingshot headbutt to the rips is
enough to give Solomon the pin at 3:01.
Rating:
D+. Solomon comes off as a guy
where the character is going to drive the development instead of the
in ring action. I was getting something like a Kevin Sullivan vibe
off his in ring style, as he’s much more of a scrappy brawler than a
polished wrestler. He basically just stuck around and waited for an
opening to take Bull down, but it worked well enough. I need to see
more of him though.
D+. Solomon comes off as a guy
where the character is going to drive the development instead of the
in ring action. I was getting something like a Kevin Sullivan vibe
off his in ring style, as he’s much more of a scrappy brawler than a
polished wrestler. He basically just stuck around and waited for an
opening to take Bull down, but it worked well enough. I need to see
more of him though.
Women’s
Title: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks
Title: Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks
Banks
is defending in a one on one rematch from Takeover: Rival’s fourway
where Charlotte lost the title. This
gets big match intros, which is actually deserves over Nikki vs.
Paige on Monday. The fans
are split, as you would expect. Banks
hides in the corner to start so Charlotte asks if she’s here to fight
or not. Some chops have the
champ in early trouble but she bails to the floor for another
breather.
is defending in a one on one rematch from Takeover: Rival’s fourway
where Charlotte lost the title. This
gets big match intros, which is actually deserves over Nikki vs.
Paige on Monday. The fans
are split, as you would expect. Banks
hides in the corner to start so Charlotte asks if she’s here to fight
or not. Some chops have the
champ in early trouble but she bails to the floor for another
breather.
Sasha
grabs her title and says count her out but that doesn’t work for
Charlotte, who chases her down and rams the champ’s back into the
apron. Now the fans are
almost all behind Charlotte as she slaps on an early figure four.
Banks is way too close to the ropes though and bails to the floor one
more time as we take a break. Back
with Banks hitting a running
slap to a seated Charlotte before busting out La Mistica into the
crossface.
grabs her title and says count her out but that doesn’t work for
Charlotte, who chases her down and rams the champ’s back into the
apron. Now the fans are
almost all behind Charlotte as she slaps on an early figure four.
Banks is way too close to the ropes though and bails to the floor one
more time as we take a break. Back
with Banks hitting a running
slap to a seated Charlotte before busting out La Mistica into the
crossface.
Charlotte
powers up and hits a running backpack Stunner. The
moonsault misses but Charlotte lands on her feet, only to have her
front flip hit Sasha’s knees. That’s a nice bit of psychology there
as they learn each other’s spots and build on the sequences. Sasha
chokes and WOOs in the corner as the fans argue (YES SHE IS/NO SHE’S
NOT) over Sasha’s level of ratchetness.
powers up and hits a running backpack Stunner. The
moonsault misses but Charlotte lands on her feet, only to have her
front flip hit Sasha’s knees. That’s a nice bit of psychology there
as they learn each other’s spots and build on the sequences. Sasha
chokes and WOOs in the corner as the fans argue (YES SHE IS/NO SHE’S
NOT) over Sasha’s level of ratchetness.
Double
knees to the back have Charlotte in trouble and Sasha bends her ribs
around the post to stay on the injury. The
Backstabber into the double arm choke has Charlotte in even more
trouble but she refuses to give up. That’s fine with Sasha who rolls
into the Bank Statement, only to have Charlotte right next to the
ropes for the escape. A big
spear gets two for Charlotte and she puts on a Hartbreaker (figure
four around the post). Back
in and Natural Selection off the top is countered and Sasha puts her
feet on the ropes (ala Ric Flair) for a rollup pin at 15:00.
knees to the back have Charlotte in trouble and Sasha bends her ribs
around the post to stay on the injury. The
Backstabber into the double arm choke has Charlotte in even more
trouble but she refuses to give up. That’s fine with Sasha who rolls
into the Bank Statement, only to have Charlotte right next to the
ropes for the escape. A big
spear gets two for Charlotte and she puts on a Hartbreaker (figure
four around the post). Back
in and Natural Selection off the top is countered and Sasha puts her
feet on the ropes (ala Ric Flair) for a rollup pin at 15:00.
Rating:
B-. Not quite a classic but
still a very good TV main event. The girls are so far ahead of Nikki
and Brie that it’s unreal, but they can’t afford the same plastic
surgery or whatever. This was a solid match in the same vein of
Orton vs. Christian from 2011 as they built on previously established
sequences and made logical progressions. Well done indeed.
B-. Not quite a classic but
still a very good TV main event. The girls are so far ahead of Nikki
and Brie that it’s unreal, but they can’t afford the same plastic
surgery or whatever. This was a solid match in the same vein of
Orton vs. Christian from 2011 as they built on previously established
sequences and made logical progressions. Well done indeed.
Overall
Rating: C+. Much better than
last week which seems to have been an aberration. It’s amazing what
happens when you do stuff that matters instead of just filler for an
hour. Sami holding off on his return is an interesting idea as it
allows them to go through Riley and Balor before we get back to the
big time feud that a lot of people really want to see. This is the
fallout period from Rival before we start building to the next
Takeover, which means we should be coming up on some big shows soon.
Rating: C+. Much better than
last week which seems to have been an aberration. It’s amazing what
happens when you do stuff that matters instead of just filler for an
hour. Sami holding off on his return is an interesting idea as it
allows them to go through Riley and Balor before we get back to the
big time feud that a lot of people really want to see. This is the
fallout period from Rival before we start building to the next
Takeover, which means we should be coming up on some big shows soon.
Results
Tyler
Breeze b. Adam Rose – Beauty Shot
Breeze b. Adam Rose – Beauty Shot
Buddy
Murphy/Wesley Blake b. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton – Frog splash
to Dawkins
Murphy/Wesley Blake b. Angelo Dawkins/Sawyer Fulton – Frog splash
to Dawkins
Baron
Corbin b. Tony Briggs – End of Days
Corbin b. Tony Briggs – End of Days
Solomon
Crowe b. Bull Dempsey – Slingshot headbutt
Crowe b. Bull Dempsey – Slingshot headbutt
Sasha
Banks b. Charlotte – Rollup with feet on the ropes
Banks b. Charlotte – Rollup with feet on the ropes
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