NXT REPORT: 04/02/15
- Burgess Matthews
- Feb 5, 2015
- 3 min read
Carmella def. Emma via Submission
Adrian Neville def. Baron Corbin via Pinfall
Bayley def. Becky Lynch via Pinfall
Finn Balor def. Hideo Itami via. Pinfall
With just one week to go until NXT Takeover, we now know the full card for the live event. The new announcements include: Adrian Neville vs. Finn Balor in the final of the number one contender tournament, Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy vs. The Lucha Dragons in a Tag Team Championship match and a No Disqualification match between Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey.
Women's Division
There was little action in the women's division on this edition of NXT. Carmella spoiled the return of Emma, in a bout where they weren't given enough time to produce a quality match. The other women's match, between Bayley and Becky Lynch, was simply booked to build tension between Lynch and Banks. As a result, there are now no 'alliances' between any of the women involved in the fatal four way, which adds an interesting element to the match at NXT Takeover.
No.1 Contender Tournament Continues
Going into the Neville vs. Corbin match, I fully expected Corbin to continue his undefeated streak. To me it was the most logical outcome, as there are a number of rumours circulating the internet claiming Neville will be called up to the main roster in spring. This match just goes to show that they aren't committing to Baron Corbin just yet. The match itself was a hard hitting encounter, but was more focussed on the Bull Dempsey and Baron Corbin storyline. I'm not surprised they had Dempsey interfere, in my opinion however, a Corbin and Dempsey match at NXT Takeover doesn't make any sense. Corbin has defeated Dempsey twice in succession, in dominating fashion over the last two weeks. The idea that we are supposed to be excited about this match up baffles me, and I believe NXT missed a huge opportunity to launch a new star in Baron Corbin.
After the Corbin and Neville match, I was no longer expecting Tyler Breeze to cost Hideo Itami his match against Finn Balor. However, following another promo of Breeze saying he will be watching the tournament very closely, I expect to see him have an effect on the final match of the tournament.
Balor and Itami put together the match of the night. It began with plenty of counters and reversals, drawing on their long history together and emphasising how well these two know each other. All in all, the pair put on a good match, but I am more interested in the rise of Finn Balor. Balor has stormed into the NXT and is receiving a great reaction from the NXT faithful. A win over Neville at Takeover will cement his place amongst the top stars in NXT, and a championship rivalry will do him a world of good.
Fuel on The Fire
Promo videos from both Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens were used effectively to close out the show, and build the rivalry between the two. These videos were used very well to detail each side of the story as well as detailing their journey together to NXT. From Zain's perspective he was pushing how Owens had manipulated both him and Regal into getting what he wanted. Owens explained how his plan had worked perfectly, and that this wasn't about Zayn, it was about the better life the NXT Championship would bring to his family.
Credit to both Owens and Zayn throughout this entire rivalry, as they have always appeared genuine when cutting promos and have done a fantastic job selling this match. The WWE could learn a thing or two from the rivalries they develop on NXT, as so many more matches have a significant story behind them, and as result the crowd are far more invested.
The end result of this segment is a fighting champion, looking to inflict as much pain as possible on a friend who betrayed him, facing off against a family man with a chip on his shoulder after being overlooked by the WWE for 14 years. I cannot wait for the spectacle that these two men will put on next week, at NXT Takeover.
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