By Jason Powell
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NXT on WWE Network
Taped July 13 in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University
The NXT opening started the show… Tom Phillips and Corey Graves were on commentary. Shinsuke Nakamura made his entrance and then the broadcast team introduced themselves from ringside. Blake received a full entrance…
1. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Wesley Blake. The broadcast team noted that Blake had a different look. Footage aired of Blake and Buddy Murphy bickering about their split. Blake claimed he would beat Nakamura, and Murphy boasted that he would prove himself against Kota Ibushi. Nakamura dominated the match and performed the Kinshasa knee for the win…
Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Wesley Blake.
Powell’s POV: Nice. I think most of us who saw the spoilers assumed that the Ibushi vs. Blake match was a dark match, which is why I didn’t list it in the preview/spoilers today. Good news, Zack Zimmerman will be able to cover the WWE Cruiserweight Classic show after all, so stick around for his live coverage after NXT.
After the match, William Regal made walked onto the stage to address Nakamura. Regal said he wished Samoa Joe would have been present, but he seemed to be absent. Regal announced Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship for the NXT Takeover live special for August 20 in Brooklyn… [C]
The band Of Mice And Men checked in and delivered a brief statement about their song being used as the theme of the NXT Takeover event…
2. Billie Kay vs. Santana Garrett. The broadcast team spoke highly of Kay for working all over the world and mentioned that she had a good showing on Smackdown. Kay won with a big boot to the head…
Billie Kay defeated Santana Garrett in 3:10.
Phillips brought up the big surprise at Battleground. Still shots aired of Bayley teaming with Sasha Banks…
Footage aired of Bayley telling William Regal that she is ready for her rematch with Asuka and she wants it to happen at NXT Takeover in Brooklyn, where she won the title the first time. Regal approved of the match, because how could anyone say no to Bayley?!?… TM61 was hyped for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: For some reason, Garrett’s rainbow gear left me thinking she could pull off a Single White Female or Mickie James stalker type of gimmick in a program with Bayley. Hopefully that happens on the main roster where Bayley belongs. Meanwhile, Kay’s gear left me feeling like she is the All Blue Everything counter to Eva Marie’s love of the color red. Okay, bad ideas aside, I love that they take the extra step to include newer still shots. They didn’t show much, yet it’s a nice touch that makes the show feel current.
3. TM61 vs. Rob Ryzin and Adrian Nails. Philips said Nick Miller told him that he and Shane Throne are inspired by the Dudley Boyz. TM61 performed Thunder Valley for the win. The teams shook hands afterward…
TM61 beat Rob Ryzin and Adrian Nails in 3:15.
Footage aired of Austin Aries attacking No Way Jose last month, and of Jose showing fire in attacking Aries two weeks ago… [C] A Hideo Itami video package aired. The broadcast team hyped that Itami will return next week…
4. No Way Jose vs. Steve Cutler. Graves said he wishes he had a seatbelt because he can’t help himself so that he didn’t embarrass himself by getting caught up in Jose’s enthusiastic entrance. Jose won with a Cobra Clutch slam…
No Way Jose beat Steve Cutler in 1:55.
After the match, Jose cut a promo on Austin Aries. He said he tired to show him some of the enthusiasm he brought to NXT. He said Aries thought he was something that he’s not and when he shoed him he can take the fiesta and turn it into a fight, the greatest man that ever lived showed that he’s the biggest coward in NXT… Footage aired of Kota Ibushi warming up backstage… [C]
Powell’s POV: The match was a showcase for Jose, and the post-match promo was well written and the crowd responded well.
5. Kota Ibushi vs. Buddy Murphy. Ibushi caught Blake with a great kick and followed up with a German suplex into a bridge for a two count. Murphy avoided a moonsault and followed up with a nice combination after running Ibushi into the middle turnbuckle. Ibushi sold Murphy’s offense for a bit, yet came back to win with a sit-out powerbomb…
Kota Ibushi beat Buddy Murphy in 4:50.
Powell’s POV: A good NXT debut for Ibushi, who could be an immediate fixture in the NXT top mix. I assume we’ll have to wait for him to finish his run in the WWE Cruiserweight Classic, and it’s also possible that he will go right to Raw given that the cruiserweight division will be Raw exclusive.
Backstage, Samoa Joe spoke about being disrespected and wasn’t happy about Regal booking him to face Nakamura….
The broadcast team hyped Bobby Roode’s arrival on NXT television for net week…
NXT Champion Samoa Joe came to the ring for a promo and claimed the match with Nakamura will not be happening due to an oversight of William Regal not consulting him first. Joe said Nakamura is an undeserving challenger. Joe claimed he would not be facing Nakamura at NXT Takeover.
William Regal made his entrance and said Joe will fight who he wants him to fight. Joe said Regal made him jump through hoops to get a shot at the tight, and he claimed Nakamura didn’t go through what he did. Joe said he was giving Regal an opportunity to go back to his office to find a deserving challenger. Regal said that if Joe refuses to fight, then he will take it as a default and he can hand over the title, and he can find someone deserving to face Nakamura for the title.
Joe said he would not hand Regal anything. “Fine, you want the match, you’ve got the match,” Joe said. Joe added that this is the biggest mistake Regal has made. He said he decimated Regal’s golden boy Finn Balor, and he will do the same with Nakamura. Joe hinted that Nakamura may not even make it to Takeover. Nakamura made his entrance and did Nakamura things on the stage to end the show…
Powell’s POV: A good closing segment with the Joe showing some fear of facing Nakamura, and Regal standing his ground. Plus, Nakamura doing “Nakamura things” is always fun. The live crowd is so hot for Nakamura that they sing along with his instrumental entrance theme and seemed almost as happy to see him at the end of the show as they were to see him start the show. It’s a gem of an NXT Takeover main event, and with Smackdown desperately in need of one or even both men, I sense some real mystery regarding the outcome of the match. Thanks for watching along with me. Darren Gutteridge will be by with the NXT Hit List on Thursday, and Zack Zimmerman will host the All Access podcast with the NXT audio review on Thursday as well. Join Zack on the main page for his coverage of the WWE Cruiserweight Classic.
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