This past Saturday, NXT hosted TakeOver: Orlando, which as usual, exceeded expectations. SAnitY defeated Tye Dillinger, Roderick Strong, Kassius Ohno, and Ruby Riot, Aleister Black had a successful debut against Andrade “Cien” Almas, and all three champions retained. Since WrestleMania weekend is over, NXT sees their usual handful of Superstars losses. The Revival headed to Monday Night Raw, while Tye Dillinger and Shinsuke Nakamura headed to SmackDown. Tonight, we find out the new direction NXT is going in.
Peyton Royce (w/Billie Kay) vs. Aliyah
Even though NXT lost some of its stars, the Women’s Division remained untouched. Asuka retained the Women’s Championship against Ember Moon at TakeOver: Orlando, increasing her win streak to 161-0. Since Moon suffered her first loss ever in that championship match, there is a vacant spot for a new #1 Contender. Whoever wins this match will get themselves one step closer to a championship opportunity.
Aliyah and Peyton Royce feuded briefly at the tail end of 2016 when Royce and Billie Kay picked on Aliyah and Liv Morgan.
Aliyah is in control for most of the match, but Peyton Royce hits a Fisherman Suplex out of nowhere to pick up the win. Winner: Peyton Royce
Social Media Segment
Tom Phillips highlights one of Andrade “Cien” Almas’ Instagram posts. Apparently, Almas has been more focused on his nightlife than his string of recent defeats (like his loss to Aleister Black four days ago), so this could develop into something more in the future.
Heavy Machinery vs. The Bollywood Boyz
It has been a while since we have seen the Bollywood Boyz on WWE television, and their regular appearance could help add depth to a Tag Team Division that just lost The Revival. Harv and Gurv Sihra first made waves in the Cruiserweight Classic and they competed in the first-ever match on 205 Live. Since then, they have been sent down to NXT for some developmental work.
Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight) made their return to regular in-ring action last week when they unsurprisingly defeated two Superstars whose names were barely mentioned. They are two massive men with impressive agility and a potential for a ton of charisma.
Otis Dozovic has a Sihra brother ready for a World Strongest Slam, and Tucker Knight jumps onto Dozovic’s back to add another 300 pounds of force to the move, undoubtedly winning their second consecutive match. Winners: Heavy Machinery
Video Package
As usual, the NXT following a TakeOver event is full of recaps, and we get a nice video package highlight the NXT Championship match from TakeOver: Orlando, as well as Shinsuke Nakamura’s NXT career.
Interview
Drew McIntyre, who competed in the independent scene over the past couple years as Drew Galloway, was sitting ringside during TakeOver: Orlando and stirred up tons of speculation online. He was interviewed by Dasha Fuentes backstage, and he made it clear that he has signed with NXT.
Announcement
On May 20th (one night before the SmackDown Live exclusive Pay-Per-View Backlash), NXT will host another TakeOver event outside of the usual “Big Four” Pay-Per-View events. The next event will be TakeOver: Chicago.
Oney Lorcan vs. El Vagabundo
Before the match, Oney Lorcan was going into this without knowing who his opponent was going to be. El Vagabundo has never competed in NXT, but he sure looks like Elias Samson in a luchador mask. El Vagabundo starts singing a song, and he is interrupted by Oney Lorcan who outs him as being The Drifter. Instead of admitting to his true identity, El Vagabundo sneak attacks Oney Lorcan and the match begins. Elias Samson lost a “Loser Leaves NXT” match to Kassius Ohno last week, which is why he is donning the mask tonight.
Oney Lorcan, who competed last night against Rich Swann on 205 Live, rips off El Vagabundo’s mask during the match and reveals that it is indeed Elias Samson. Samson is shocked by being unmasked, which leads to Lorcan finishing him off with the running Blockbuster. Winner: Oney Lorcan
A security guard shows up a ringside and forcibly removes Elias Samson from the arena to end the show.
