Our WWE NXT Showdown results for tonight include Ethan Page defending the NXT North American Championship against TNA’s Mustafa Ali, NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState taking on TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys in a winner-take-all match, TNA and NXT lock horns in two elimination matches: Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans & Myles Borne) battles Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose & Leon Slater) with Joe Hendry as the special guest referee, and the women’s divisions clash when Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Sol Ruca & Jaida Parker) takes on Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration & Mara Sade) with Jordynne Grace as the special guest referee. Here’s our review and grades for tonight’s show, live from the WWE Performance Centre in Orlando, Florida.
WWE NXT Showdown Card:
- Elimination Match: Team NXT- Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans & Myles Borne vs. Team TNA- Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose & Leon Slater (with Joe Hendry as the special guest referee)
- Elimination Match: Team NXT- Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Sol Ruca & Jaida Parker vs. Team TNA- Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration & Mara Sade (with Jordynne Grace as the special guest referee)
- Title for Title Match: NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys
- NXT North American Championship Match: Ethan Page (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
WWE NXT Showdown Result:
The Dudley Boyz are in the crowd watching this match.
NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState vs. TNA Tag Team Champions The Hardys (Winner Take All)
Before the bell rings, all four members of DarkState rush the ring and attack the Hardys. Matt and Jeff clear the ring. The referee ejects the extra members of DarkState. As the match gets started, the Hardys land the spin cycle. Poetry in motion by the Hardys. Osiris misses an elbow drop and sells it, which this writer respects. Lennox gets a blind tag. Matt sets up a Twist of Fate, but Lennox levels him with a clothesline. After the break, Lennox and Osirus are taking turns working over Jeff.
Jeff surprises Lennox and Osirus with a whisper in the wind. Matt gets the tag and lands a flurry on both members of DarkState. Plot Twist by Matt and Jeff. Osirus breaks up the pin. Osirus tries to lift Matt in an electric chair, but his leg gives out. Matt makes he best of the situation and drops Osirus with a Twist of Fate. Lennox dives off the top into a Twist of Fate from Matt. Jeff lands the Swanton for the win!
Winners and NEW NXT Tag Team Champions, The Hardys!
Grade: B
This one started hot with the Hardys getting jumped like they were trying to get initiated into the Crips. This writer swears he heard someone yelling, “Fight back! fight back!” Beyond the fast start, this one turned into more of a paint-by-numbers Hardy Boyz match. Fun to watch, but nothing earth-shattering here other than TNA finally getting some NXT gold… so what if the first ones to do it are two former WWE stars.
Team NXT: Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Sol Ruca & Jaida Parker vs. Team TNA: Kelani Jordan, The IInspiration & Mara Sadè (with Jordynne Grace as the special guest referee)
Jayne and Jordan kick off the match. After a series of near falls, a shoving match ensues. Rana by Jordan. Vice tags herself in and levels Jordan with a clothesline. Jayne isn’t happy. The IInspiration double teams Vice. Cassie and Jessie do an IIconic pose. Mara is in and gets run over by Parker. Everyone rushes the ring, and an argument breaks out. Grace tries to break it up, but says screw it and tells them to have at it. Everyone lands a dive, capped off with a handspring moonsault to the floor from Ruca.
After the break, Ruca manages to tag in Jayne, who lands a series of superkicks. After a top rope senton, Jayne gets a near fall on Jordan. Parker sets up Cassie and Jessie in the corner for a double tear drop hip attack. Sadè overshoots Parker on a moonsault. Parker suplexes Sadè. Jordan breaks it up with a splash. After another flurry of big moves, Parker gets rolled up by Sadè for the three count.
Jaida Parker has been eliminated
While Sadè is celebrating, Ruca sneaks up behind her and hits the Sol Snatcher! Ruca pins Sadè.
Mara Sadè has been eliminated
After the break, the TNA team is working over Jayne. Jayne manages to tag in Vice, who takes out every member of team TNA with kicks. Vice lands a few running hip attacks. After a strike exchange, Vice ducks a kick from Cassie and almost decapitates her with a spinning backfist. Vice pins Cassie.
Cassie Lee has been eliminated
Jessie tries to sneak a roll up on Vice. Vice reverses Jessie’s roll up into a rear-naked choke! Before Jordan can break it up, Jessie taps out.
Jessie McKay has been eliminated
Jordan is outnumbered three to one. Jayne tags herself in. The IInspiration pulls Vice and Ruca off the apron while Jordan hits her finish on Jayne. Grace is out of position. Once Grace makes the count, Jayne kicks out. Team NXT starts to argue, Jordan pushes Vice into Jayne, knocking her off the apron. Jordan hits an Angle Slam on Vice for the pin.
Lola Vice has been eliminated
Jordan lands a few big moves on Ruca, but she can’t keep Ruca down. The crowd chants “traitor!” at Jordan. Jordan lands a Spanish Fly off the top. Ruca gets her knees up while Jordan tries a 450. Ruca lands the Sol Snatcher. Jayne tags herself in and steals the pin.
Kelani Jordan has been eliminated
Winners- Team NXT
After the match, Ruca is upset with Jayne. Ruca helps Jordan to her feet. Jayne jaws at Ruca for being too nice.
Grade: B
We haven’t had “Survivor Series” style matches in years on WWE TV. Happy to see this set up return, and if you ask this writer, the Survivor Series PLE should go back to the elimination tag matches. This match was a lot of fun, with everyone getting a chance to shine. Despite a few misteps, this one is worth checking out. The finish here may be building to Ruca challenging Jayne, which is interesting, but Ruca needs to do something with the NA championship. It’s insane to think about how much of an afterthought that championship has been.
NXT North American Championship Match: Ethan Page (c) vs. Mustafa Ali
Page and Ali trade pin attempts and strikes. Standing moonsault by Ali. Page kicks out. The fight spills out of the ring. Head scissor DDT by Ali. Ali tries to go up top, but Page trips him. Page swings Ali’s face into the ring post. After the break, Ali lands a sunset flip bomb. Page crotches Ali on the top rope. Page sets up a turnbuckle backbreaker. Ali fights out of it. Page turns it into a top rope snake eyes. Running boot by Page. Ali bridges out to break the pin, then collapses to the mat. Ali and Page trade kicks. Page launches Ali into the middle turnbuckle! That was nasty.
Ali kicks out. Ali surprises Page with a tornado DDT. Page kicks at two. Ali reverses an Ego’s Edge into a rana hold. Page kicks out. Ali tries a springboard but ends up eating a right hand. Prawn hold by Ali. Page kicks out! Page ends up out on the floor. Ali lands a suicide dive that sends both men over the commentary desk. Ali tries to go up top, but his foot is caught on the mic cord. Page pushes Ali off the top to the floor. Ali hits the floor with a thud. Page brings Ali back in and hits the Twisted Grin for the win.
Winner and STILL NXT North American Champion, Ethan Page!
Grade: A
What a match. Mustafa Ali is and always was amazing to watch in the ring. Ali is a bad guy, but his story is too compelling not to cheer for him. Ali has been cursed. Always close to the brass ring, but never able to reach it. Page is the ultimate heel, and oh so hateable. Ali wrestled this heart out tonight in yet another losing effort. This one had so many big moves and insane near-falls, it was hard to keep up. We need Ali and Page to run this back, but it’s hard to even think about that, since it’s not clear if Ali can survive another one of these matches. This was brutal.
Team NXT: Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans & Myles Borne vs. Team TNA: Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose & Leon Slater (with Joe Hendry as the special guest referee)
Evans and Slater try to start the match. Williams tags himself in, and Kaz follows suit. Borne tags ina nd gets trapped in the TNA corner. Team NXT rushes the ring. The ring clears. Borne lands a dive. Borne rolls back in and hits a series of powerslams. Kaz catches Borne with a slingshot cutter for the pin.
Myles Borne has been eliminated
After the break, Hendry catches Kaz trying to pin Evans with his foot on the rope. Williams tags in and lands a flurry of offense. Slater runs into sit down by Williams. Cyclone boot by Williams. Slater kicks out. Slater lands a handspring cutter for a near fall. The ring clears after a bunch of big moves. Santana and Williams are left in the ring. Williams tags in Evans to avoid fighting Santana. Evans clears the ring and hits a series of dives. Moose catches Evans during a dive, but Evans turns Moose’s powerbomb into a rana. Evans tries a springboard and gets rolled up by Slater.
Je’Von Evans has been eliminated
After the break, Team TNA is working over Williams. Williams fires up, Saints tags himself in. Williams is pissed. Saints lands a flurry, but gets blasted with a spinning powerbomb by Slater. Saints crawls to the corner. Williams hops off the apron and leaves Saints to fend for himself. Kaz attacks Saints from behind. Saints manages to roll up Kaz for the three count.
Frankie Kazarian has been eliminated
Slater dives in and splashes Saints. Saints kicks out. Slater attempts the Swanton 450. Saints gets his knees up and rolls up Slater for the three count.
Leon Slater has been eliminated
Moose unloads on Saints. Moose tries a powerbomb. Saints turns it into a DDT! Santana breaks up the pin. Santana walks into a superkick from Saints. Moose accidentally Spears Santana! Saints falls on Santana. Santana kicks out! Santana tosses Saints into a powerbomb from Moose. Santana obliterates Saints with Spin the Block for the win.
Ricky Saints has been eliminated
Winners- Team TNA
Grade: B-
Fun match, but not as good as the women’s Survivor Series-style match earlier today. The finish was evident from the minute the teams were announced. Having the TNA Champion, who is a total diva, on the NXT team had to lead to him being the reason NXT lost. Even money says Williams drops the TNA Championship to Santana at TNA Bound for Glory and ends up being Saints’ first challenger for the NXT strap.
NXT Showdown Review:
All in all, Showdown was a fun show. There were no duds here tonight, with the Mustafa Ali vs. Ethan Page North American Championship match taking match of the night honors. Go out of your way to see this match, and please check on Ali; this writer isn’t sure if he’s still alive after some of the shots he took during that contest. The biggest thing coming out of tonight is TNA finally getting one over on NXT. Even money says the Hardys will drop the titles back to DarkState after their title defense against the Dudleyz at Bound for Glory, but with their victory today, they are giving the Dudleys a run for their money when it comes to being the most decorated tag team of all time. What did you think of the show? Let us know in the comments!
Rating: B-
This event is ongoing. This information will be updated as the event progresses.
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