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January 18th, 2017 On commentary tonight, at Full Sail University, are Tom Phillips, “Showtime” Percy Watson, and Corey Graves. Opening Segment Singles Match: Nikki Cross w. SAnitY vs. Kennedy Lewis As per usual, SAnitY travels as a group, with Young and Wolfe staying on at ringside to support their sister. That entrance is all kinds of creepy and it certainly stands out amongst the many dynamic entrances in nXt today. The bell rings and Cross charges at Lewis. Arms flailing this way and that as she punishes Lewis against the turnbuckle. The referee tries to call Cross off multiple times. Finally, he does and Lewis is able to get a few chops in. Cross sustains her attack, crashing Lewis to the mat and pulling hard on her nose. Lewis tries to fight back on her knees but this just makes Cross angry. She lifts her to her feet, hooks the leg and slams her with a spinning neckbreaker. 1-2-3. Winner: Nikki Cross via pinfall in 1 minute Post-match, we are reminded of the nXt Women’s Championship match which was booked for Takeover: San Antonio. It’ll be a Fatal Four Way between the champion, Asuka, Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, and Cross. No cool points for that succinct match. Cross shows her vicious side but we still haven’t seen her in a major fight yet. Seems like that’ll be next Saturday. Second Segment The third official theme song for Takeover: San Antonio is “Intro 2” by NF. Like many of the Takeover themes, it is also a hard alternative rock song. Backstage, No Way Jose is asked how he can keep his momentum going in 2017. Jose says, new year, same thing, 100% No Way Jose. He’s interrupted by Kona Reeves who’s sour about not getting any help in December when he was beaten up by SAnitY. Jose says that’s awkward but if he wants to come to the ring for fun or a fight, that’s cool with him. Reeves walks away smirking... Coming Up: What’s next for Tye Dillinger? After losing two big matches to Bobby Roode, the future for Dillinger is unclear. He’ll address the nXt fans later. Also, the contract signing for the nXt Championship match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode Backstage, Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson of The Revival are asked what’s next for them after losing the nXt Tag Team Titles to #DIY. Wilder says 2016 was the year of The Revival. Dawson says the Takeover: San Antonio Tag Team Championship match should be a triple threat. Suddenly, Nick Thorne and Shane Miller of TM61 interrupt! Miller says you can’t demand a tag team title match. You’ve got to fight your way for one, just like the rest of us. Dawson says they’re different and they’ve earned the right to demand title matches. TM61 are the tilapia, the bottom feeders of the nXt roster. Tonight, they’ll fight and they’re gonna cripple Thorne and Miller. Up Next: Roderick Strong vs. Steve Cutler Third Segment Singles Match: Roderick Strong vs. Steve Cutler Strong and Cutler lock up with Strong forcing Cutler to the mat by hyper-extending the left arm of Cutler. Strong doesn’t hold Cutler for long and Cutler’s throwing Strong off the ropes. Strong evades a few times, throws Cutler off the ropes for a dropkick to the face. Strong stomps on Cutler but the match evens out as Cutler fights back with some pestiness, They run the ropes and Strong shows off leaping and ducking tactics to miss the swinging arms of Cutler, the latter of whom gives an atomic drop to Strong. Now it’s Cutler who’s on a roll and in control. He puts Strong in a sleeper hold. Cutler tries to break free a few times but can’t until he backs Cutler into the turnbuckle to break the hold. Snappy clothesline by Strong. Gordbuster. Running high knee across the ring to the face of Cutler. Face first throw slam by Strong and we’re just about done. Winner: Roderick Strong via pinfall in 2 minutes. Post-match, Strong is interviewed about what Andrade “Cien” Almas had to say about him last week. Strong said he doesn’t care because he came for one reason: to win the nXt Championship. Post-match, Ember Moon is on the outside looking in for this Fatal Four-Way. When the match ends, Moon will forge her own destiny. Suddenly, she’s interrupted by Liv Morgan who says they want the same thing... the nXt Women’s Championship. She thinks they should have a little fight to show there’s plenty of competition for whomever wins the Takeover: San Antonio match. Moon says Morgan will be eclipsed and then she’s going for the title. One cool point for Strong who takes advantage of a rare televised singles match to get a little more facetime. There’s no doubt that he’s a talented wrestler. The audience just needs to see more and hear more of him to form an opinion on him. Up Next:Tye Dillinger Fourth Segment A 4th theme song for Takeover: San Antonio?? Why so many? Do they connect with specific matches or just promotional in nature? This one’s called “This Light I Hold” by Memphis May Fire. “The Perfect 10” Tye Dillinger’s music hits and he walks down the ramp to the ring. He thanks the fans for the chants, and is surprised by a “Royal Rumble #10” chant, too. Dillinger says he doesn’t know what’s next but he was so close to winning that Fatal Four Way for the #1 Contender. There’s only so many times you can let down the people who’ve had your backs for the last 15 years. Dillinger’s not sure he can still do this. And yetr, so many people still believe in him, including General Manager William Regal and all the fans. Suddenly, SAnitY’s music hits and the lights go dark, accented by spotlights. Eric Young has a microphone and he says Dillinger doesn’t have it, but he could have it. Young says he just needs some guidance and make the right choices. You gotta pick the right friends. Wolfe takes the vest from Young and walks down to the ring, holding out the vest for Dillinger to take. Dillinger holds the vest for a few moments before dropping it on the floor. Young motions for Wolfe not to attack and comes down the ramp to pick up the vest. Young says he gets it. The right choice can be unclear. 2016 was supposed to be Young’s year. He says 2017 will be done his way...their way. Young hands Dillinger the vest again and wants to make sure Dillinger knows this is not a request...it’s an order. Dillinger drops the vest in front of Young’s face and shows him the ten sign. The fight is on! Dillinger clears house of Young and Wolfe and he’s fired up and ready to deliver the perfect 10 facebreaker when he’s speared by Damo. Damo slams Dillinger to the mat with a modified sit out powerbomb. Young hands the vest to Damo and Damo holds it before swinging it over his shoulder. Young yells in glee and SAnitY is a foursome again. One cool point for SAnitY because they are even more threatening with that mass of a man, Damo, in their stable. There’s a slow build happening with this group and I maintain that we’re going to see all 4 of them involved with championships as the year progresses. By fighting Dillinger, Young will get his first major match at a Takeover event and provide a much needed mid-card boost to the card. Fifth Segment Tag Team Match: The Revival vs. TM61 After the opening melee which saw Wilder and Miller spill out of the ring and on to the floor, it’s Thorne and Dawson left battling inside. When Thorne is distracted by Wilder’s jump up to the ring apron, Dawson seizes the opportunity to take out Thorne’s left knee from behind. Dawson pummels Thorne in the head. Powerslam. Tag to Wilder. Dawson lifts Wilder up for a leg drop on Thorne. 1-2- kickout. Wilder with a European uppercut on Thorne. He sends Thorne’s head into the knee of Dawson, through the ropes, after tagging his partner in. Dawson sets a slow, methodical pace and he continues to strike and club Thorne to the mat. Uppercut on Thorne as Dawson jaws at him about being the main attraction. Quick leg drop on Thorne and another uppercut. Thorne starts fighting back with punches of his own and then a backslide pin which surprises Dawson for a 2 count. Dawson quickly scrambles for a tag, sending Thorne off the ropes and, on the return, a SHATTER MACHINE! Thorne rolls out of the ring though so no pinfall attempt is made. Miller rushes in, having tagged Thorne when he bounced off the ropes, and he goes to work on Wilder with clotheslines and a back suplex. Wilder takes exception to this and counters with a vicious spinebuster. Dawson’s tagged in, trying to get a leg submission on Thorne when Thorne reaches around and gets an inside cradle pin on Dawson. 1-2-3! TM61 win! Winner: TM-61 via pinfall in 4 minutes Immediately after the match ends, The Revival get to work beating down Thorne and Miller. They give Miller the Shatter Machine. Thorne crawls into the ring and Dawson lies Thorne across his knee for Wilder to elbow drop him in the sternum. Dawson holds Thorne again and Wilder hits him with a top rope stomp. Thorne scrambles back into the ring to protect Miller and beckons The Revival to come back to the ring. The referees try to send them back up the ramp, and they’re finally successful. nXt medical staff check on Thorne as we go to commercial break. One cool point for TM61 because this feud could provide them the boost they need to look like legitimate title contenders. Squeaking out the victory the way they did should fire up The Revival for the next few weeks. One cool point for The Revival and their in-ring dominance. Final Segment Next Week: Breaking News: Andrade “Cien” Almas will face Roderick Strong at Takeover: San Antonio and Ember Moon vs. Liv Morgan is signed for next week’s nXt show. nXt General Manager William Regal is in the ring to announce the contract signing between Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode for the nXt Championship at Takeover: San Antonio. Both men make their respective entrances and it’s Roode cutting off Regal, albeit politely. Roode says tonight’s contract signing won’t include physicality or fighting like many of the other ones. Nakamura/Roode is the biggest money match in nXt history. Roode says he’s pretty familiar with Nakamura’s career in Japan, but he never really felt like he was worth his time. Roode talks about giving Nakamura his ticket to Takeover: Dallas...the beginning of the Nakamura era. The people went crazy for him. The match was incredible. Roode says from that moment on, you’ve made quite a name for yourself. The fact is that the King of Strong Style has no style. You look like you’re from the Thriller music movie by Michael Jackson. Roode makes fun of Nakamura’s physical actions and his half of a haircut. Nakamura finally speaks up and says he knew their paths would cross. He calls Roode a dog, in Japanese, and Roode reacts quite negatively to it. The crowd even chants it back at the Glorious One. Nakamura says Roode won’t change nXt as long as he’s champion. Roode says everyone fears change but, wake up, you’re in the ring with the biggest superstar on God’s green earth- the IT Factor of sports entertainment. Roode calls Nakamura a joke. The guys in the back and the fans in the crowd are slowly but surely trying to look like and act like Bobby Roode. The final change will happen at Takeover: San Antonio when Roode silences all of Nakamura’s fans by taking the nXt championship. Roode signs the contract as the warring chants begin in the crowd. He begins to say the word “glorious” when Nakamura puts a hand up to stop him. He says Bobby looks great but, at Takeover, you’re not taking my nXt title. In fact, he’ll be kicking his head off. It will be... The fans finish the phrase with “glorious” as Roode fumes and the two stare each other down, talking trash as the show closes. Two cool points for the presentation of this contract signing and one cool point for the fact that Roode and Nakamura did not lay a finger on one another. Keeps the anticipation running high for Takeover and suits the feud better for them to have kept the fight to only words. It’s gotta be said. Bobby Roode’s promo work, tonight, might be the best promo work for an nXt championship match since the Kevin Owens/Finn Balor feud. Roode was extremely comfortable out there, giving plenty of props to Nakamura, building him up as a credible superstar at every turn. Of course, he was simply setting up moments to insult Nakamura but that’s the kind of mic work that a great heel does. Will Roode vs. Nakamura be the big money match of the year? Looking forward to your thoughts and cool point suggestions for tonight’s episode. Peace!
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