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March 8th, 2017 On commentary tonight, at The Venue at UCF, are Tom Phillips, “Showtime” Percy Watson, and Nigel McGuinness Opening Segment Singles Match: "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger vs. Eric Young of SAnitY Young cuts his theme music early and tells his crew to return to the back and insists this match is between him and Dillinger only. Before the match can begin, Wolfe, Damo and Cross return carrying a beat up Roderick Strong, in street clothes. They leave him on the entranceway and Dillinger goes to check on his well-being. The rest of SAnitY joins Young in the ring, smirking at what they’ve done. No Way Jose and other officials come out to check on Strong as well. Dillinger and Jose rush the ring to challenge SAnitY. Dillinger’s getting the better of Young. Damo’s taken down Jose, bringing the boots to him. Wolfe attacks Dillinger from behind and now the numbers game is at play. Wolfe and Damo execute a combination power slam/running knee smash. Young delivers his wheelbarrow neckbreaker to Dillinger and their group stands tall. Match did not start One cool point for SAnitY’s strategy in getting to Dillinger by hurting one of his allies. That attack ensured there was little chance of Dillinger and Jose succeeding against them. Wolfe and Damo could be a great tag team, if given the chance, and would match up well against anyone else in the division. A battle against the Authors of Pain would be the biggest clash of tag teams nXt has ever seen. In a WWE.COM exclusive, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce are showing off their 2016 Breakout Star of the Year award. They wander around the Performance Center and see the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy showcase and say they need one of those. In the background, Ember Moon is working out with a trainer. Kay mocks her through the glass and tells her to get back to her workout. Moon says she’ll take out both of them. The girls shrug off the challenge but, later tonight, Billie Kay will be the one wrestling Moon. Coming Up: Shinsuke Nakamura will be back in action tonight! Second Segment Singles Match: Ho Ho Lun vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas Interesting pants choice from Cien. They look plastic! Huge right hand from Cien on Lun after Lun tried to roll him up from behind. Cien whips Lun from corner to corner turnbuckle. He brings in the knee strikes before choking Lun with his forearm using the top rope. Snapmare and a running kick to the back of the neck of Lun. Cien just pounds on Lun then takes a break. Lun fights back with heavy right hands. Dropkick from the second rope. Spinning back kick to the mid-section. Lun bounces off the ropes straight into Cien’s clothesline. McGuinness says stick a fork in it. Cien twists Lun’s arm behind his back and DDT’s him into the mat. 1-2-3. Winner:Andrade “Cien” Almas via pinfall in 2 minutes One cool point for a decisive victory by Cien. Lun couldn’t get any momentum going. Cien looked very strong in this match. After not seeing him on TV for quite a while, this was a good reminder of his abilities, even if it was a short match. Not sure where he fits into the singles division though. Coming Up:Shinsuke Nakamura vs. TJ Perkins Up Next: Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay w. Peyton Royce Third Segment Takeover: Orlando is quickly approaching and that means promotional theme songs! The first one is called “Are You Coming With Me?” by Crown The Empire. Singles Match: Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay w. Peyton Royce Kay and Royce faux kiss each other’s cheeks near the ropes as Moon prepares to pounce in the opposite corner. The bell rings and just as Kay is turning around, she gets kicked hard in the face. Off the ropes now, Moon with a huge flying crossbody on Kay for a 2 count. Beautiful there. Kay reaches under the ropes for Royce and Moon drags Kay and, by extension, Royce, into the centre of the ring. She shouts for Royce to get out just as Kay clotheslines Moon from behind. Slingshot into the second rope for a 2 count pinfall attempt. Kay tries to pin Moon again but Moon kicks out. Boots to the body of Moon as Royce cheers on her partner. Moon with a quick rollup attempt for a 2 count. Kay extends her right leg underneath the chin of Moon and drops back to the mat for a unique chinbreaker. Cover by Kay for a 2 count. Kay asks the referee to start counting faster. She delivers a headbutt to Moon. She clubs her in the back a few times, sending Moon to the mat. Moon fights back with chops and right hands. She runs the ropes and gets punched hard by Kay. 2 count. Kay continues to taunt Moon and yell at her but she takes too long to act, receiving kick after kick, standing, running, enziguris. Running knee smash to the face in the corner by Moon. Kay’s down and Moon’s heading for a high-risk manoeuvre. Royce tries to distract her but backs off when Moon stares her down. Total Eclipse on Kay! She’s out. 1-2-3. Winner: Ember Moon via pinfall in 4 minutes Post-match, Moon tells the fans this is her ring. As the commentary team talks, a few of the medical team rush down to the ring to check on Kay who is still down on the mat. She’s talking but she seems unable to move. McGuinness says it could be a stinger because the Eclipse is such a devastating move. Kay’s in noticeable pain as she sits up, trying to keep her neck as still as possible. Royce and the medical team help Kay to her feet but she’s moving slowly and she’s quite unhappy. One cool point for Moon for getting an important win over one of the Takeover: San Antonio Women’s Championship contenders. It’s the kind of victory that gives her further credibility towards getting that title shot against Asuka. We still haven’t learned much about who she is and what motivates her though. More cool points await the revelations we’ll get from some promo time. Hopefully Kay is not seriously injured as that would halt the momentum she and Royce have gained over the past few months. Fourth Segment Backstage, TJ Perkins is making his first appearance since the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. He says he goes where the competition takes him, be it 205 Live or nXt. He trained with Nakamura in Japan. In fact, Nakamura teases him about stealing his flying armbar. Perkins says he may be a thief but he doesn’t steal moves, he steals moments. Tag Team Match: The Revival vs. The Ealy Brothers Gabriel and Uriel Ealy, the first twin brothers tag team in the history of the WWE Performance Centre, barely get on the ring apron before they’re attacked by the Authors of Pain. Seems Akam and Rezar want a piece of The Revival but they wisely leave the ring. Authors deliver the Final Chapter, their double-team finishing move, to one of the Ealys. Manager Paul Ellering claps on the ring apron and congratulates the champs on their work this evening. Match Did Not Start No cool points. That’s two matches that haven’t started tonight. Seems interference is getting the spotlight tonight. I’m okay with that. It furthers pre-existing feuds but it’s too bad the Ealys didn’t get the opportunity to wrestle. This is the kind of thing they can use as motivation down the road though. Seems the Authors of Pain have been rattled though. Interesting seeing the champs on the offensive. Dash and Dawson have them right where they want them. Backstage, nXt General Manager William Regal is standing with Ember Moon. He’s spoken with Asuka and, at Takeover: Orlando, the two of them will fight for the nXt Women’s Championship. Moon says the Women’s Division will begin a new phase at Takeover. Next Week: Bobby Roode vs. Kassius Ohno for the nXt Championship Final Segment Another theme song for Takeover: Orlando is “Come And Get It” by I Prevail. Promo: Phillips interviewed Ohno earlier today at the Performance Center. He asks how it feels for Ohno to return after 4 years. Ohno says it’s weird and surreal. He came to this place when it was an empty warehouse and helped load in. Ohno says everywhere he’s been, he’s worked his way up from the bottom to the main event. He never had an opportunity for the nXt Championship before and, now, until he gets that belt, he can’t rest. He’d love the opportunity to win it and defend it at Takeover: Orlando. Now, via satellite from Toronto, Phillips tries to ask nXt Champion Bobby Roode about Ohno’s words. Roode cuts off Phillips and says he doesn’t care what Ohno said. From day one, he said he was going to class up nXt and just as he’s starting to do that, Ohno has to bring his stink all over it. Roode wants to shape this brand into how he sees it. Would you rather a champion who looks like him or a long-haired dirty hippie from the 70s like Ohno? Roode won’t let Ohno ruin nXt. He’ll be the one walking into Takeover: Orlando as the champion in the main event match. Most importantly, he will continue to make nXt glorious. Unlike this stupid camera and these cameramen in his house… MAIN EVENT Singles Match: Shinsuke Nakamura vs. TJ Perkins Both men stretch in their respective corners to begin. Perkins and Nakamura begin a test of strength which Perkins quickly breaks to go after the left knee. Nakamura grabs Perkins from behind and they lock up in the ropes. The referee breaks the hold and Perkins attempts a few quick kicks which get Nakamura smiling. Quite a height difference between these two. Nakamura takes down Perkins to the mat but can’t keep him there. They circle one another again. Grapple and into the ropes where the referee breaks it up. Nakamura taunts Perkins putting his head on Perkins’ stomach. He backs off and motions for Perkins to challenge him. Head scissors from the mat by Perkins! He’s keeping Nakamura on his back, legs folded across the neck. Nakamura sits up and holds Perkins’ legs so that his shoulders are on the mat. 1-2- Perkins stands on his head, spins and takes down Nakamura with another head scissors. Nifty! Perkins motions for Nakamura to bring it while he has him locked in. Nakamura kips up and out of the hold and taunts Perkins back. They run the ropes. Both men evade one another by leaping. On the next run, Perkins connects with a flying head scissors, sending Nakamura out of the ring. He runs to the corner and climbs the turnbuckle. Flying kick…no! Perkins lands, butt first on the apron where Nakamura kicks him hard in the chest. He drapes Perkins’ head over the apron and connects with a knee smash. Commercial Break On the return, Nakamura’s still in control and he has Perkins down on the mat. Jumping knee smash to the head of Perkins. Rear headlock now as Perkins slowly gets back to his feet, punching his way out of the hold. Nakamura rolls out of a sunset flip attempt, hits the ropes and gets his knee smashed by Perkins. Perkins tries for the knee again but an enziguri by Nakamura stops him. Into the turnbuckle, Nakamura chokes Perkins with his foot against the bottom rope. Out from the corner, neckbreaker by Perkins, evading the rushing attack from Nakamura. Both men are down but it’s Nakamura who rises first. Perkins immediately comes alive, striking Nakamura with punches and kicks. Off the ropes, running front kick. Running elbow smash in the corner. Springboard kick from the inside second rope to the adjacent ring apron! Leapfrog over the ropes…flying DDT! 1-2- kickout by Nakamura. Perkins picks Nakamura up on his shoulders. Nakamura shakes off and chokes Perkins in a triangle. Perkins bridges up and flips over Nakamura to pin his shoulders. 1-2- kickout! Nakamura with a spinning heel kick which sends Perkins to the mat. Nakamura motions for Perkins to get up. Heavy knee strikes to the chest. Irish whip to the corner. Running knee. He lies Perkins face down across the ropes in the corner. Nakamura prepares for double knees…no! Perkins moves out of the way. He gets to the top rope. Low flying dropkick to the left knee of Nakamura! Perkins is targeting that left knee but Nakamura wraps his legs around Perkins’ head for another triangle! He transitions it into an armbar. Perkins and Nakamura go back and forth with armbars until Perkins locks that left leg in a version of the Scorpion Deathlock. Perkins brings Nakamura back to the centre of the ring but Nakamura rolls him up for a 2 count. Perkins immediately seizes Nakamura in a kneebar! Centre of the ring. Nakamura’s struggling to get to the ropes. He does and the referee calls for Perkins to break the hold. Is Nakamura’s knee too injured for a Kinshasa? Nakamura catches Perkins’ leg during a kick attempt. He responds with a knee to the gut and a kick to the back of the neck. He hits his leg a few times and then Perkins with the high kick to the head. He’s heading for the top rope. Nakamura trips him up. He’s lying on the top rope…double knees by Nakamura! Perkins is in trouble. Nakamura rushes him, catches Perkins in a wheelbarrow and hits him with a single leg backbreaker! Inverted exploder suplex! Nakamura’s charging up in the corner…KINSHASA! 1-2-3! Winner:Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall in 11 minutes Post-match, GM Regal is in his office with a special announcement for Takeover: Orlando. The winner of the Roode/Ohno match, next week, will face Nakamura for the nXt Championship. One cool point for TJ Perkins who wrestled a fantastic match tonight. He kept up with Nakamura’s striking prowess, speed, and even incorporated an effective strategy focused on the left knee. He almost got the win a few times but, ultimately, Nakamura’s height makes it difficult to win by submission. From just about anywhere in the ring, Nakamura can move a few inches and reach the bottom rope. And you can’t teach that. One cool point for Shinsuke Nakamura who did well in his return bout. He wasn’t dominant and his left knee was tested, but he overcame his weakness to get the win. Nakamura may need more ring action to be ready for Bobby Roode (or Kassius Ohno) at Takeover: Orlando, but confidence, swagger and in-ring taunting are the same as they’ve always been. I liked seeing the submission attempts from the former champ. Gotta say, he’ll need those against Roode, who is a superb all-around wrestler. I just don’t see Ohno winning on such short notice before Takeover. Looking forward to your thoughts and cool point suggestions on tonight’s show Peace!
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