Tonight on NXT, all three men included in the triple threat match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Championship are in singles action. What kind of statement will Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Samoa Joe make before they collide next week?
Sami Zayn vs. Adam Rose
Once the intro video is over, we start out with none other than Sami Zayn entering for his match. There is not a better way to get the crowd at Full Sail University pumped up than starting with the arguable face of NXT. Adam Rose has gained some screen time on the main roster as part of the newly formed Social Outcasts, although he has not had much time in the ring. For Adam Rose, being on NXT against Sami Zayn is a great way to display some of his in-ring ability.
Since Sami Zayn has been gone for months and this is his second match since returning, he gets a chance to show the fans what they have been missing. Adam Rose starts to get the better of Zayn, but Zayn counters Rose into the Koji Clutch for the victory.
Winner (via submission): Sami Zayn
Backstage Segment
Rich Brennan takes us to the backstage area where we hear from Johnny Gargano, who facse Samoa Joe later on in the night. “Johnny Wrestling” has been impressive in NXT since debuting with his tag team partner Tomasso Ciampa. Gargano mentions that he ready to take on Samoa Joe, the “bully” that he is going to punch in the mouth.
Vignette
Chad Gable and Jason Jordan are outside… somewhere near the arena, discussing their successes since teaming up. They mention that they had a surprising amount of success in 2015, yet were not nominated for the NXT Year-end award for “Tag Team of the Year.” They challenge Blake and Murphy to a match on a future NXT show, and eventually they come up with a team name in the process: American Alpha.
Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger
Two of the most solid in-ring performers in NXT go head-to-head in a very impressive bout. Tye Dillinger is gaining traction with his “Perfect 10” gimmick in one of the most important areas: fan interaction. The fact that Dillinger has a gimmick that can get the fans chanting means great things. However, chants won’t win you a match. Apollo Crews gives a great showing of strength and speed, and hits Dillinger with a spinning sit-out powerbomb for the victory. Winner: Apollo Crews
After the match, Apollo Crews gets on the microphone to challenge NXT champion Finn Balor, which makes sense considering everyone should want an NXT title shot. However, Crews notes that he hasn’t earned a title shot and wants to get it fairly. The challenge is to make up from a match the two had several months ago that ended in a disqualification. Crews wants a match that ends cleanly, fair and square.
Backstage Segment
Blake and Murphy are backstage with Alexa Bliss, who tells Blake and Murphy that they embarrased her at NXT Takeover: London by losing. However, it is noted that it took half of the tag team for them to lose. She says that she’ll show them how to win later on when she teams up with Emma to take on Carmella and Bayley.
Baron Corbin vs. Rich Swann
Rich Swann makes his NXT debut against one of the participants in the triple threat match next week, and he does a great job of showing his acrobatic style. Corey Graves and Tom Philips on commentary note that he is one of the most popular stars in the independent circuit and the fans clearly seem to know him pretty well. Although Swann shows of quite a bit, it isn’t enough for him to stop Corbin from hitting the Deep Six for the victory. Winner: Baron Corbin
Carmella and Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss and Emma (w/ Dana Brooke)
Carmella became the #1 contender for the NXT Women’s Championship last week in a battle royal, but tonight she teams up with the champion, who is also her best friend. Putting the title opportunity aside, Bayley and Carmella are able to overcome the numbers game, and Carmella locks in a headscissors chokehold for the victory. Winners (via submission): Carmella and Bayley
Samoa Joe vs. Johnny Gargano
The first thing I noticed in this match was the size different between Gargano and Samoa Joe. Joe easily has got an 80-pound advantage on Gargano, but at least Gargano has the speed advantage. Unfortunately, Samoa Joe is faster than he may seem and locks in the Coquina Clutch on “Johnny Wrestling” for the victory. Winner (via submission): Samoa Joe
Next week on NXT is a triple threat match to determine who the #1 contender is for the NXT Championship and it involves Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, and Sami Zayn, who all won their respective singles matches tonight. All have a ton of momentum going into a huge main event, but who will come out on top?
