Original Airdate: Wednesday, April 29th, 2015
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Kevin Owens is here to kick off the show. He calls out Sami Zayn and says that he is ready for a fight. We get William Regal out instead and Owens isn't happy with it. Sami does make his way out shortly after and Regal does not want this to turn into a circus again. Regal then decides that Owens and Zayn will square off on May 20th at TakeOver. Owens says he wants to fight him, but he doesn't think he deserves the title to be on the line. Sami says that he doesn't just fight, he fights for a prize and ends up talking Owens into the title being on the line.
We get an announcement that NXT is hitting the road and then is interrupted by Big Cass, Enzo and Carmella arguing. Blake and Murphy come in and try to charm Carmella after Enzo and Cass leaves. In walks Alexa Bliss and she wonders why Carmella doesn't carry herself with more class if she's a princess. She pushes her and walks away and Blake and Murphy check on Alexa.
Sami is signing his contract with Regal backstage and in walks Alex Riley, who wants another chance. Regal tells him that he's all out of opportunities, so Zayn offers to wrestle him. Riley accepts and says that if he runs through Zayn, he gets Owens at TakeOver.
Enzo & Big Cass vs. Blake & Murphy
The champs get the early advantage on Enzo, but we quickly get a double tag. Cass takes care of both opponents with ease and hits the big splash in the corner before the side suplex. Blake breaks up the pin attempt and then Enzo tries to take out both from the top rope, but misses. Murphy is distracted by Carmella and eats a big boot. Cass then launches Enzo off the top and they pick up the upset victory. This was a non-title match and it was fine.
Match Rating: *
Becky Lynch talks about her journey and that she didn't do all of that just to be second best.
Bayley is all flustered because she can't find any of her stuff. She goes to look for it and Emma walks in holding it.
We get a Baron Corbin vignette and they remind us that he doesn't get paid by the hour.
Bayley vs. Dana Brooke
Bayley is without her headband here. The thing with Dana is that she has that trait that most subpar wrestlers have and that's how she telegraphs everything she is going to do instead of making it look natural. After a little bit of dominance from Brooke, Bayley shows a little bit more aggression on her comeback. She's up on the second rope and all of a sudden Bayley's music hits. Out comes Emma dressed in Bayley's shirt and headbands. The distraction allows Brooke to hit her finisher and get the 1-2-3. You knew they couldn't have Brooke lose yet, so this at least made sense.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Regal announces that there will be a triple threat match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Championship at TakeOver. It will be Hideo Itami vs. Tyler Breeze vs. Finn Balor.
Hideo Itami vs. Adam Rose
Hideo's look of disgust as Rose entered was well done. We get the usual Rose shenanigans and then Hideo hitting him with some kicks. He hits the running dropkick in the corner and then the big kick for the easy victory. That was a squash.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Bayley is looking for Emma so that they can squash this once and for all.
Becky Lynch vs. Sarah Dobson
Dobson is Sarah Logan looking much different than her 2023 self. They go with a quick pace to start off the match and Becky hits a few running leg drops. They keep up the pace before Becky puts on the Dis-Arm-Her for the submission win.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Rhyno tells Baron Corbin that making people feel pain makes him tick. Rhyno is not just the past, he's the present and the future.
Alex Riley vs. Sami Zayn
Owens is in the announce table for this one. Riley gets most of the offense to start, as I'm still not really sure what they are doing with him as a character. Zayn ducks a charging Riley and he falls to the outside. Zayn then hits the senton over the top rope. Owens then leaves the announce table and attacks Zayn for the DQ ending. This entire show was about building to TakeOver, so I'm not sure why I would have expected this to be an actual match. Owens then hits a powerbomb on the apron to Riley. Owens walks to the back laughing, as both enemies lay wounded as we go off the air.
Match Rating: 1/4*
NXT's weekly show has been in a little bit of a slump lately. This one was building to TakeOver in 3 weeks, but it didn't necessarily translate to a great episode. I'd like to see some of the younger talent get a little bit of a chance to shine rather than putting them in rushed matches.
Overall Rating: 40%
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