By Zack Zimmerman
WWE NXT on WWE Network
Taped February 1 in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University
The opening video played… Inside Full Sail arena, the commentary team of Tom Phillips, Percy Watson, and the newly assigned Nigel McGuinness welcomed viewers. They promoted Bobby Roode’s celebration later in the show, as he returns to Full Sail for the first time as NXT Champion…
The lights cut out and the four members of Sanity made their entrance. Their opponents, The Bollywood Boyz, were out next. One of them had some sort of instrument with him that he was clapping together.
1. Sanity (Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain w/ Eric Young and Nikki Cross) vs. The Bollywood Boyz (Gurv and Harv Sihra). The giant Dain bullied Harv and then tossed him back towards his own corner and inviting Gurv into the match. The crowd chanted “shave your back” at Dain. Both Sihras tried to team up on Dain, but he took them both out single-handedly. He hit a Wasteland and leaping senton onto one, and then powerbombed the other on top of him. Dain put Harv away with an electric chair driver, which Nigel McGuinness called the Ulster Plantation.
Sanity beat the Bollywood Boyz in about 2:30.
Replays aired of Dain’s impressive power offense before Young had a microphone in the ring. Nikki Cross tried to grab it and was screaming for Asuka. Young said that everyone eventually finds their place, and those who can’t will get put in place by Sanity. He said that he told Tye Dillinger once, and he’ll tell him again: “you belong with us.” Sanity’s music hit and they left the arena with the offer left on the table…
Billie Kay vs. Liv Morgan was advertised for up next… [C]
Zim Says: Dain smash. That was very impressive. I think he’s going to add a lot of in-ring intensity and intimidation that the group based on intensity and intimidation lacked before. It’s still early, but it’s an early improvement.
Back in the arena, Liv Morgan made her entrance. Percy Watson claimed that she was always trying to hang out with him, but Nigel McGuiness shot him right down. The “Iconic Duo” of Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were out next.
2. Liv Morgan vs. Billie Kay (w/ Peyton Royce). Liv got the better of Kay early with a sunset roll all around the ring, but Blllie cut her off before long and began to work her over. Billie hit an armlock suplex for a quick one-count before going to various rest holds. Liv fought back with a headscissors out of the corner. Things devolved into a tug-o-war for Billie between Liv and Peyton on the apron, which resulted in Peyton falling off the apron and Liv scoring the surprise win with a leg-clutch roll from behind…
Liv Morgan beat Billie Kay in about 3:40.
Backstage, Tye Dillinger was asked to respond to Eric Young’s offer. Dillinger said at Takeover, he lost the numbers game. Ha. “Am I joining Sanity? Hell no.” He began to catty on about his appearance in the Royal Rumble when he was blindsided by all of the members of Sanity. They beat him down and dragged him out into the arena, where he began to make his comeback. Before long however, he was put right back down by Killian Dain. They continued to beat on him until Roderick Strong and No Way Jose ran out to make the save. They fended off Sanity and ended up standing tall in the ring with Tye Dillinger as Sanity backed up the ramp… [C]
Zim Says: The ladies match was just there. Not particularly good nor bad. I’m not sure what Liv getting the win means, but I would assume it’ll move into a tag program with Aliyah or Daria, but we’ll see.
In his office, NXT William Regal announced that the WWE United Kingdom Champion Tyler Bate will appear on NXT for the first time next week, defending his title against Trent Seven. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay barged in complaining that Liv’s win was illegal and they demanded a match. Regal said ordinalrily he doesn’t give into demands like that, but next week it’ll be Billie and Peyton against Liv and a partner of her choosing. The ladies cackled that she doesn’t have any friends on their way out…
An update on Shinsuke Nakamura’s knee was advertised for next week…
Back in the arena, the Heavy Machinery duo of Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic made their entrance in new matching gear. The crowd responded well to them, having seen them previously in the opening round of the Dusty Classic. Former NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival were out next, They got a big pop from the crowd despite no indications of a turn.
3. The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) vs. Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight). Dash tried to out-speed Knight to no avail. Knight picked Dash up in a bear hug, tagged in Otis, and tossed Dash over into a bear hug from Otis. A short time later, The Revival took momentum. They used some double-team offense including an assisted leg drop for a two-count. The crowd rallied and Otis fought out of a headlock with a back suplex. Tucker and Dash tagged in fresh, but Tucker rolled right through Dash. He hit a high speed splash in the corner and then caught Dawson with a Thesz Press when he tagged into the match.
Heavy Machinery looked to be in control, but The Revival did one of their trademark reroute distractions and Knight walked into a DDT from Dawson for the pin.
The Revival beat Heavy Machinery in about 3:45.
A replay of the finish aired, and when it concluded, The Revival had mics in the ring. Dash said that apparently not everyone is an idiot because they won NXT Tag Team of the Year in the fan polls. The crowd chanted you deserve it. Dawson told them to relax because they didn’t say everyone is smart. Dawson said that DIY should’ve never been tag team champions considering how they got demolished by the Authors of Pain. Dawson declared that the Revival are the best team in the world, and they will prove it to the Authors of Pain at Takeover Orlando (WrestleMania weekend). They wrapped up, but before they could leave the Authors of Pain music hit.
The tag champs made their way to the ring with manager Paul Ellering, but The Revival backed out of the ring and left the arena. Having apparently made their statement, The Authors left the arena as well. However, as they held their titles up at the top of the ramp, they were attacked from behind by The Revival. They put a quick beating on both guys and then took off, as the Authors recovered quickly but could not catch up…
A graphic promoted a six-man tag team match between Sanity and the team of Roderick Strong, No Way Jose, and Tye Dillinger based on the opening segment…
Bobby Roode’s “Glorious Celebration” was advertised up next… [C]
Zim Says: I wanted so much more out of that tag team match, and I can say the same for Heavy Machinery, They seem like such a fun team. I want to see them given some squash wins before they’re dropped into the tag division, not just dropped in cold. The angle with The Revival and The Authors was pretty well done too. With TM61 on the shelf, I’m all for making it a three-way tag title match in Orlando.
A graphic advertised Tyler Bate vs, Trent Seven for the WWE UK Championship on next week’s show… A video package aired introducing Tyler Bate to the NXT audience. He spoke about his hands, “bop” and “bang,” and said that he may be only 19, but age is just a number and he can put anyone out for the 1-2-3…
Back in the arena, Bobby Roode made his entrance into the Full Sail Arena for the first time as NXT Champion. The crowd sang along with his music as he stood on the revolving pedestal. He made a long and drawn-out entrance before speaking. He laughed at the idea of not being the guy to say “I told you so,” and so he did exactly that. He said he told everybody since he arrived that he was on a different level, and he proved exactly that.
Roode said that Shinsuke Nakamura dominated Japan for a decade before coming to NXT. He listed Sami Zayn, Finn Bálor, and Samoa Joe as people that Nakamura beat, but Nakamura couldn’t beat him. He laughed that Nakamura hit him with everything he had, including the “deadly Kinshasa,” but couldn’t get the job done. He said that Roode winning was the greatest moment in NXT history because they finally have a real champion.
He said he dresses like a champion, walks like a champion, and talks like a champion. The crowd “woo’ed” with every one he listed off. He said it’s no longer “We Are NXT,” it’s his NXT, and his NXT will be “simply glorious!” Fog shot down from four corners above the ring as Roode held his title up and soaked it in. He stood in the ring posing as the lights shined on him so they could get all of those good promotional photos and video clips…
The six-man tag was advertised up next…
Before that though, they went to a vignette for Trent Seven. He said he’s from Mustache Mountain which is where British Strong Style started. He said he’s come to find the grandest stage to showcase his skill…
Trent Seven vs. Tyler Bate for the WWE UK Title was advertised for next week…
Back in the arena, entrances were underway for the main event. Tye Dillinger was out first, followed by No Way Jose, and rounding out their team, Roderick Strong. Sanity was out next, but the brawl began by the time they were halfway down the ramp. The babyfaces re-entered the ring and held it strong, inviting Sanity in as the show went to its final break. [C]
4. Tye Dillinger, No Way Jose, and Roderick Strong vs. Sanity (Eric Young, Killian Dain, and Alexander Wolfe w/ Nikki Cross). The match was joined in progress with Dillinger firing up on members of Sanity, who again went to ringside to regain composure. Once things finally got started, Jose got the better of Wolfe with a string of offense culminating in a flapjack for a two-count. Roderick Strong tagged in. He was immediately backed into the Sanity corner, but he fought out and caught Wolfe with a kick to the jaw before tagging in Dillinger.
Dillinger tried to capitalize on his team’s momentum, but he was met by Killian Dain who quickly beat him down. Wolfe tagged in, allowing Dillinger to fight back with a back suplex and tag in Strong. Strong flew across the ring and knocked Dain off the apron with a high knee strike. He hit a capture backbreaker on Wolfe as Young tagged himself in. Rowdy didn’t miss a beat, as he hit a dropkick on Young and a big slam for a two-count.
Things broke down with dives to the outside and a bunch of distractions. Dillinger hit the Tye Breaker on Young, but Nikki Cross used a diving ‘rana on Dillinger to knock him to ringside. With the referee still distracted, Dain wiped Strong out with a running crossbody and Young made the cover for the win.
Sanity defeated Roderick Strong, Tye Dillinger, and No Way Jose in about 6:15.
Replays aired and the show closed with Sanity celebrating on their way out and the babyfaces left to recoup in the ring.
Zim Says: I enjoyed that. Not a great or memorable match, but it served its purpose well. I’m not thrilled about Roderick Strong being put on the level of Dillinger and Jose, but this looks to be a story that’s taking shape for Takeover so I’ll reserve further judgement until we know more about positioning and matchmaking. Overall, this was a show that felt like it started things rolling forward a little bit, but not as much as I’d hoped. I’m looking forward to next week’s show, which features a highly touted match for the UK Championship, but I’m not really happy with the hangover pattern that they fall into post-Takeover rather than capitalizing on whatever momentum they might’ve had and kickstarting things towards Takeover Orlando. I’ll have more to say in audio form tomorrow, which as a rare treat will be available to everyone who is reading this right now. Be sure to check back for that. Thanks for reading along.
Throw comments, questions, criticisms, or corrections @DotNetZim or DotNetZim@gmail.com; always happy to discuss.
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