Last week on NXT, we heard announcements of three huge matches that will take place at NXT TakeOver: Dallas on April 1. American Alpha defeated the Vaudevillains to become the #1 Contenders to the Tag Team Championship, and will take on the Revival in Dallas. We also learned the Bayley’s challenger for the NXT Women’s Championship is the undefeated Asuka, and Sami Zayn will take on NXT’s latest signee, Japanese wrestling mega-star, Shinsuke Nakamura.
Tonight’s episode of NXT features Asuka taking on longtime rival, Emma.
Elias Samson vs. Johnny Gargano
Oh great, “The Drifter” is back on NXT. Elias Samson has had no buildup to his character. Instead, he just silently does this thing, and wins his matches very quickly. Johnny Gargano has been very impressive with his in-ring ability, and he is definitely Samson’s greatest challenge so far in NXT.
To further my point on how boring Samson is, the fans keep chanting “Drift away.”
Elias Samson attempts to hit a knee on Johnny Gargano, but Gargano counters and rolls up Samson for the win. Winner: Johnny Gargano
After the match, Elias Samson attacks Johnny Gargano, yelling that Gargano embarrassed him, and now it is time for Samson to embarrass “Johnny Wrestling.” Samson drags Gargano onto the entrance ramp, and Apollo Crews interferes, causing Samson to back away to the locker room.
Finn Balor vs. Rich Swann
At NXT TakeOver: Dallas, Finn Balor will defend his NXT Championship against Samoa Joe, who has had very dominant showings in recent weeks in his matches with Sami Zayn. Rich Swann had a very impressive bout against Baron Corbin several weeks back, showing off a very various aerial arsenal. If Finn Balor can pick up a win over Rich Swann, he will definitely build some momentum going into his championship defense.
Rich Swann gets in a decent amount of offense, but Finn Balor hits the Coup de Grace, followed up by an underhook brainbuster on Rich Swann for the win. Winner: Finn Balor
Backstage Segment
Emma and Dana Brooke are being interviewed about Emma’s match later tonight against Asuka. Emma says that she is the one that deserves to be the #1 Contender to Bayley’s Women’s Championship. Dana Brooke then reveals that she’s been out of action due to injury, caused by Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Respect.
Sarah Dobson vs. Alexa Bliss (w/Blake & Murphy)
Alexa Bliss has been on a roll as of late in her singles matches, and she will definitely be in the NXT Women’s title picture in the future.
Dobson seems to have Bliss put away, but Blake and Murphy provide the distraction, leading to Alexa Bliss hitting Dobson with the Sparkle Splash on Dobson for the win. Winner: Alexa Bliss
Bull Dempsey vs… nobody
Bull Dempsey (who is now gone from the company, but this might be the last taping he was a part of) makes his way to the ring, and Samoa Joe comes out of nowhere, and knocks out Bull Dempsey with the Coquina Clutch, as well as his opponent, to make a statement directed toward Finn Balor.
Tom Philips announces two matches for next week’s episode of NXT:
- Samoa Joe vs. Bull Dempsey
- Apollo Crews vs. Alex Riley
Emma (w/Dana Brooke) vs. Asuka
Asuka will face Bayley for the Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, and a win over Emma would give her plenty of momentum going into her big match. Emma, on the other hand, has just been announced as part of a multi-Diva tag team match at WrestleMania, where she will team up with Lana, Summer Rae, and Team B.A.D. to take on the cast of Total Divas.
After a running kick to Emma, Asuka locks in the Asuka Lock (essentially a crossface chicken wing) on Emma for the win, ending this episode of NXT. Winner (via submisison): Asuka
Want to give your comments about this article? You can either leave them here or you can join us on the Get More Sports Forum and talk about this article and many more! Brag about your favorite team, argue about an athlete’s performance or tell us about a game you saw. Join a new community of sports fans who live and breathe sports and sports entertainment. It’s free! Join now!
