WWE NXT - January 15, 2015
by Samoa Rowe
-From Winter Park, FL. Our hosts are Renee Young, Alex Riley, and Rich Brennan.
Tyson Kidd vs. Finn Balor
These two had an excellent singles outing a couple months ago (that I wish I’d recapped) so I have high hopes for this one. Bell rings and Balor charges with a drop-kick! He misses a double stomp but saves himself with some chops. Basement drop-kick by Balor but Kidd rolls out to avoid a possible double stomp. Kidd dodges a baseball slide and drives Balor into the guard rail! Kidd builds momentum working over Balor and talking smack. Balor takes a prolonged beating but bounces back with a Pele kick. Balor continues to roll with a Tanahashi-like spinning clothesline and nails a somersault senton to the floor. Kidd recovers enough to hit a dragon screw leg sweep in the ropes and a soccer kick to the chest. Springboard elbow drop by Kidd gets a 2 count! Kidd applies the Sharpshooter! Finn gets the ropes and dodges a guillotine leg drop. Balor double stomps the head for the win at 8:19. This was criminally short, as I could watch these two square off all night, ***.Winner: Finn Balor
-Devin Taylor interviews Bull Dempsey about his match against the also undefeated Baron Corbin. Dempsey is promising a quick fight ending with Corbin laying on his back.
Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey
I have no idea if this will be good or bad, but it promises to be interesting. Dempsey and Corbin have won all their matches in under a minute (with the fans counting along) so this is a big moment (and test) for both of them. Bell rings and both men start throwing bombs. Dempsey gets flustered and heads to ringside, but Corbin pursues to continue the brawl. Back to the ring, Dempsey scores an avalanche and heads to the top. Dempsey’s diving head butt misses! Corbin finishes it with End of Days at 1:34! I appreciate that Dempsey has been built up for months and months for this one moment where he puts Corbin over big time. This isn’t rocket science, but you don’t see this sort of booking often these days.Winner: Baron Corbin
Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs. NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte and Natalya
Natalya squares off with Becky in a nice chain wrestling sequence. Becky retreats to a huddle with Sasha and they suffer stereo baseball slides from Natalya and Charlotte. The match restarts with Becky eating a double delayed vertical suplex. Charlotte and Natalya use the same wheelbarrow senton that the Lucha Dragons use. Sasha finds an opening with her double knees to Natalya’s gut and takes control. Charlotte gets a somewhat hot tag but Sasha nails a neck breaker and pins her with a handful of tights at 4:18. Sasha is still in the title hunt and that’s a good thing.Winners: Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch
NXT Championship:
Sami Zayn © vs. Adrian Neville
They set the tone with a friendly handshake and begin the feeling out process. Neville starts to get the upper hand, prompting Zayn to rethink his strategy. Sami avoids some attacks and catches Neville with a drop-kick for 2. The tone changes as they start trading hard forearms. Neville dumps Zayn for a leaping dive over the ropes. Cue the commercial! Back from the break, and Neville is firmly in control. Sami retaliates with a flying cross body. Sami runs into a sick hurricanrana for a near fall. Zayn scratches and claws to deliver the Blue Thunder Bomb for only 2. Zayn follows with rolling German suplexes! Neville lands on his feet, Sami goes for an Electric Chair, but Neville reverses with a rana! That last sequence was off the charts. Zayn seems to have been knocked loopy and the referee teases stoppage. Zayn snaps out of it (or was playing possum) and nearly applies a Koji Clutch. Sami goes for his DDT through the ropes, but Neville counters with a super kick! The Red Arrow misses, but so does the Helluva Kick, and Adrian nearly Zayn. Sami fires an Exploder Suplex and finishes with the Helluva Kick at 11:07 (shown). They were never going to match at they did at R-Evolution, but this was still a great effort in it’s own right, ****.Winner and still NXT Champion: Sami Zayn
-Once again, Zayn’s celebration is tarnished by an attack from Kevin Owens! Kevin puts his boot on Sami’s throat and kicks the NXT title at him.
Final Thoughts: One of the best hour long episodes of wrestling television I've ever seen. Thumbs up for a can’t-miss episode
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