RESULTS & RATINGS
(1) Hideo Itami def. Tyler Breeze.
Breeze has a “selfie stick” and does his usual cocky routine, so Itami gives him a kitchen sink knee lift and kicks away until “Prince Pretty” goes down. He follows up with big kicks in the ropes until Breeze pulls him onto the apron and slams his leg off the ring. Tyler goes to work on the knee for several minutes as Hideo limps around the ring. He slams the knee into a ring post and locks in the Figure Four, working the full 5-count. That’s followed up with a modified trailer hitch (might have been a standing Indian deathlock?) until Itami gets to the ropes. Breeze takes a bit too long taunting and almost gets caught with the GTS, but rolls him up for a close two. Itami with a big kick, but Tyler throws a superkick in return, for another close nearfall. Breeze sets in with closed fists, until Hideo starts no-selling them and actually “Hulks Up”. He throws a kick combination then a half dozen kicks in the ropes, before remembering he was selling a worked-over knee. That doesn’t last long, as he runs the full ring for a hesitation dropkick, then hits the Busaiku knee for three. [7]
(2) Baron Corbin def. Bull Dempsey.
No disqualifications in this one. Corbin rushes the ring and doesn’t even take off his shirt before they start brawling around the ring. Dempsey suplexes him on the ramp then tosses him off the apron, the barricade and the ring steps. Bull with a big thump, then hits the diving headbutt from the top rope, but Corbin becomes the first man to kick-out. Bull freaks out and throws him off the steps again, then goes to grab a chair. He swings and misses, caught with the End of Days for the pinfall. There was nothing bad here, but really nothing more than you’d expect either. Corbin stays strong. [3]
(3) Buddy Murphy & Wesley Blake (c) def. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto & Sin Cara) to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Sin Cara chops Blake a few times but somebody messes up and he goes flying on a headscissors attempt. The next time he hits it. Murphy gets involved so Kalisto knocks him off the apron then looks to fly, but slips on the ropes and settles for a plancha. The Dragons work over Murphy for a few minutes, including a wheelbarrow senton for two. In comes Blake and the champions hit a double team neckbreaker, launching Sin Cara about 8 feet in the air. Kalisto redeems himself with a killer powerbomb reversal into a headscissors takedown, then has a great pinning combination with Blake. Both teams tag out and Murphy rolls through a springboard splash for two. Sin Cara with the deadlift single-arm powerbomb for a close count, but Blake makes a blind tag and he doesn’t see it. Murphy with a running suplex and Blake hits the frog splash seconds later to retain. This one started bleak with two botches in quick succession, but everyone upped their game and finished strong. Solid. [5.5]
(4) Finn Balor def. Adrian Neville to become the #1 contender to the NXT Championship.
Neville wins the first lock-up and Balor wins the second, followed by a pinning combination and some counter-grappling. Neville with a dropkick, Balor with a dropkick and they’re neck-and-neck. Finn teases a suicide dive, but Neville stops him short with a kick, followed by a springboard clothesline. They briefly slow the pace with a rest hold with the former champion in control. He takes advantage of multiple 5-counts with kicks in the corner and brings Finn back into the ring with a stalling vertical suplex. Eventually Balor fights back and connects with a suicide dive, then stalks Neville around the ring and dropkicks him through a chair and the barricade. Big “holy shit” chant. He throws him back into the ring and does the double foot stomp to the back of the head, but Neville kicks out at two-and-a-half. Adrian with a big kick out of nowhere, followed by another and another, a Pele kick and finally a superkick; both men down. Slowly they both get up, and Neville hits a snap German suplex, then follows with a second for a two-count. He’s starting to get mad now, so he heads to the second rope and connects with a corkscrew moonsault. Neville gives him a stiff elbow, but Balor hits a Slingblade out of nowhere. A lariat connects, followed by a reverse lifting DDT for yet another nearfall. He heads to the top and Neville holds his leg, buying enough time to hit a step-up enzuigiri. He sets up for Red Arrow, but Finn rolls out of the way, only to run into a big kick. Red Arrow attempt again, but Balor gets the knees up. Roll-up for 1…2…kickout before 3. A huge dropkick connects in the corner, and Balor hits the double foot stomp to the gut, and this time he gets three. Absolutely phenomenal. The two shake hands after the match. [8.5]
(5) Sasha Banks def. Charlotte (c) & Becky Lynch & Bayley to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
The heels take out Charlotte to start the match, throwing her into the LED screen on the side of the ring. They go to work on Bayley next, but the alliances crumbles as they both go for the pin. Lynch hits Banks with a huge pump-handle suplex, then three leg drops to Bayley for a two-count. “Better Than Hogan” chant. Sasha misses her double knee drop in the corner and takes a top rope legdrop from Becky, but the champion returns to save the match. Charlotte with a neckbreaker to Lynch a neckbreaker to Banks, using some hair for the assist. Charlotte and Bayley spear Banks and Lynch, respectively. Sasha fights back and does her double knee strike on both Charlotte and Becky hung up in the ropes; really cool spot. Bayley-to-Belly on the champ, but the heels break it up. She does a dropkick through the ring ropes and Banks flies out of the ring to take them both down. Charlotte does a plancha to take down everyone. Becky is the first up, and she takes everyone out one by one. Bayley fights to the top turnbuckle with the champ, and hits her with the B2B from the top! Banks tries to steal the pin but Charlotte kicks out at two-and-a-half. She freaks out and locks in a crossface, breaks the hold to knock the others off the apron, then puts the crossface back on. Out of nowhere she drops the hold and rolls her up for the pin! Sasha and Charlotte hug after the match, there’s a bit of shoving, but ultimately they part smiling and full of pride. Awesome, awesome match. [8.5]
(6) Kevin Owens def. Sami Zayn (c) to become the new NXT Champion.
The crowd is split 50/50. Owens bails at the bell to build heat, and after several times refusing to get in the ring, Zayn leaps over the referee and the ropes to take him out. It’s Owens in control going forward though, as the brawl continues outside the ring, with only brief flurries of offense for the champion. Every time Sami gets up, Kevin puts him back down. Zayn clotheslines the big man over the top rope and has a few minutes of offense leading into a Blue Thunder Bomb. He builds for the Helluva Kick with a dropkick and exploder suplex, but comes up short not once, but twice. They tease a powerbomb on the apron again, but Zayn recovers and hits a springboard splash, smacking his head on the ramp. Owens with the pop-up powerbomb for a nearfall. At this point Kevin snaps and goes after the champ in the ropes, ignoring the referee with nasty rights and lefts. They bring out a trainer to check on him, but Owens pulls him back into the ring gives him two more powerbombs; Zayn kicks out at two-and-a-half. Again with the medics, and again Owens hits him with one, two more powerbombs. He picks him up for a third and the referee pulls Owens off and calls for the bell. The crowd chants “bullshit” until they realize Owens has won the NXT Championship via TKO. A bunch of guys cheer for the decision, and it kind of kills the intended mood. [8]
