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WWE NXT - September 21, 2016

by Scrooge McSuck

- Last week on NXT... Samoa Joe finally strikes, putting a beat down on Shinsuke Nakamura, including a uranage onto the ring steps. Nakamura ended up being removed from the area via stretcher, and his status is now questionable going forward. Oh, some other stuff happened too, but last week was a pretty blah week, to be honest, and the crowd really stopped giving a shit since the beating took place in the opening segment. Good news is that we are starting a new taping cycle with tonight's episode.

- Taped from Full Sail University in Orlando, FL, with Tom Phillips and Corey Graves calling the action, unless otherwise noted.

- Samoa Joe comes out to grace everyone with his appearance. He's got some documents in his hands. Perhaps it's his fantasy football picks, perhaps the true location of Jimmy Hoffa's remains. I guess it's the "medical report" for Shinsuke Nakamura. He's even highlighted the important stuff, in TWO different colors. Whoever is in charge of writing sure fell in love with "contusions" as the go-to excuse for any kayfabe injuries. The list of injuries could take between 6-12 weeks to rehabilitate. He wants Nakamura stripped off the title and the belt handed back to him. William Regal comes out and promise to take care of the problem Joe has caused. Joe makes a move for Regal, but stops short to tell him to get what he wants or he'll do what he did to Nakamura to the rest of the NXT roster.

- Highlights of Cedric Alexander vs. Kota Ibushi from the Cruiserweight Classic to hype the NXT debut of Cedric Alexander on today's episode.

- Liv Morgan interview. Is she trying to use a speech impediment or is that how a Jersey accent really is these days? Asuka interrupts her butchered promo and gives her a creepy smirk.

Oney Lorcan vs. Austin Aries:

Seems like it's been a while since we've seen Lorcan. It might've been his "upset" of Tye Dillinger more than two months ago. Lockup into the corner and Aries takes Lorcan down with a waist-lock. Aries with a side headlock. Lorcan gives Aries a slap for showboating in the corner abd grabs a headlock of his own. Whip to the corner, Aries ends up on the apron, and Lorcan goes back to the headlock. They trade slaps in the corner and this time Aries counters the hold by dropping Lorcan over the top rope and onto the ring apron. We return from a break, with Aries driving a knee into the throat. Snap mare, rake of the eyes, and a second rope elbow across the back for a near fall. Aries with a flurry of strikes in the corner. Lorcan retaliates with his own strikes and sends Aries to the corner for a pair of running hip attacks. Aries avoids a third attempt, sending Lorcan to the floor, and follows with a double axe-handle from the top rope. Back inside, Lorcan counters another axe-handle attempt with a European uppercut for two. Aries fights Lorcan into the corner. Lorcan goes for a Blockbuster, but Aries avoids it, hits a discus forearm, a modified version of the GTS, and the Last Chancery finishes at 7:33. **1/4 Perfectly acceptable match. Aries was never in real doubt to lose, but he gave Lorcan enough to not make it a squash.

- Austin Aries cuts a promo on Hideo Itami afterwards. He doesn't make people "go to sleep", he makes them tap out. He suggests Itami doesn't have the testicular fortitude to come out and face him, and wouldn't you know it, here's Itami. Aries quickly leaves the ring and dicks around to really get up his goat.

- Hype video for "NXT's newest signee", Dan Matha (pronounced May-Tha). He arrives in TWO WEEKS. I don't think I've seen him before on the live event circuit.

- WWE.com EXCLUSIVE Interview with Tomaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano from the Cruiserweight Classic Special. They're quickly confronted by the Revival and they have a parking lot brawl to remind us that their issues with each other are far from over.

Billie Kay vs. Aliyah:

I used to look forward to the Women's Division matches on NXT. Now it's a weekly reminder how badly the WWF gutted it for the sake of having two divisions on the main roster. Lockup and Kay shoves Aliyah off. Billie Kay with a fireman's carry into an arm-bar. Whip to the ropes and she runs over Aliyah with a shoulder tackle. Aliyah with a charging elbow and weird body dive into the corner. She slaps on a sort of an Octopus Hold, but being on the apron makes it pointless. She comes back in the ring with a leg drop off the middle rope for a two count. Kay fights out of a full nelson, connects with a stomach buster, followed by a discus forearm. She stomps Aliyah down in the corner and covers for two. Billie Kay lifts her up into a Torture Rack and throws her face-first into the turnbuckle pad. Aliyah avoids the big boot, takes Kay over with a snap mare, and hits a float-over neck snap for a near fall. Aliyah hits the ropes, but the big boot hits on attempt #2 and that's it at 3:16. *1/2 Better than what's been produced lately, but it was too short and even worse, the crowd barely cared.

- SANITY. Coming to NXT.

- Mandy Rose cuts a promo on Ember Moon. She's going to make sure that when she meets Ember Moon in the ring, "she'll be totally eclipsed."

- Next Week: Asuka vs. Liv Morgan. I give it less than 4-minutes.

Cedric Alexander vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas:

It's a battle of the babyface in today's Main Event. At least Almas is not coming out just wearing a t-shirt. This guy has to be turning heel soon. He's just dead in the water as a cookie-cutter babyface. They shake hands to start. They fight over a wrist-lock, complete with acrobatic reversals. Alexander with a side headlock takeover. Almas counters with a head scissors, and Alexander escapes with a nip up. Another series of counters until Almas takes him over with a flying head scissors. They continue to go at a lightning speed and finally they have an opponent that fits Almas' style. Alexander tries tossing Almas, but he hangs out in the ropes. Alexander misses a dive through the ropes and Almas nails him with a baseball slide. He hits the corner and follows him out with a corkscrew plancha. We return from a break with Almas in control with a chin-lock. Alexander backs him into the corner and escapes with a jaw buster. Alexander gets a boot up on a charge and connects with a pair of forearms. Whip to the ropes and Cedric with a handspring enzuigiri, sending Almas to the floor. He hits the ropes for tope con hilo with some major height on it. Back inside, Alexander springs in with a clothesline for a near fall. Almas blocks a German Suplex with elbows and rolls him up, lifts him overhead, and plants him with a slam for two. They trade forearms with Almas getting the upper-hand. Alexander counters the wheel-barrow bulldog, setting Almas across the top rope. Alexander goes up with him, but gets knocked off with elbows. Almas hits the double-flip moonsault, but it only gets two. He sets up for the double knees, but Alexander counters with the Lumbar Check for three at 8:34. Post-match, they shake hands and Almas gives him a hug *** Pretty good for TV. Once they got away from the flashy flips that doesn't really add to the match quality, this turned into something worth giving a look.

Final Thoughts: Not the hectic show NXT usually is trying to cram too much into one hour. They only featured three matches, one of them barely surpassing 3-minutes and the others combined for less than 15. We pushed the next phase of the Samoa Joe/Shinsuke Nakamura angle, set up the destruction of Carmella Morgan at the hands of Asuka, and they just kind of shoe-horned something for Ember Moon against Eva Marie 2.0. With a few debuts to be taking place soon and the signing of CWC participants, they are at least trying to reload on talent.

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