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WWE NXT - October 5 & 12, 2016

by Scrooge McSuck

- With my schedule so restricted this last week or so, I'm double dipping to catch up on the episode of NXT I missed last week.

- Taped from Full Sail University in Orlando, FL, with Corey Graves and Tom Phillips calling the action, unless otherwise noted. This week marks the beginning of the 2nd Annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

The Bollywood Boyz vs. The Authors of Pain (w/ Paul Ellering):

1st Round Match of the Dusty Rhodes Classic. The Bollywood Boyz are Gurv and Harv Sihra, but I'm sure me looking that up will fill more time than the bell-to-bell action of this match. Razar no-sells some strikes and throws Harv down. He takes him to the corner and the AOP with some double team pounding. Harv escapes a slam and connects with a jaw breaker. Gurv tags in and immediately gets laid out with a clothesline. AOP with double knee strikes and a stomach buster. Razar knocks Harv off the apron and charges into the corner with an avalanche. The leg-sweep/clothesline combo (now known as "The Last Chapter") finishes at 1:42. That was a bit longer than I expected. No rating since it doesn't meet the length requirements for me, but this was standard Authors of Pain action.

- Dan Matha ARRIVES... TONIGHT!

Rich Swann vs. Patrick Clark:

Swann dancing around makes me question having two dance-enthusiast entrances in NXT at the same time. It seems like every week Clark has new ring attire. This week he looks like he looted Prince's wardrobe. Swann's reaction is priceless. Lockup, Clark with a side headlock and shoulder tackle. Crisscross sequence ends with Swann showing off his athleticism and connecting with a dropkick. Clark avoids a charge and plants Swann with a spine buster for a two count. Swann fights out of a chin-lock, but Clark remains in control. Swann gets a boot up in the corner, avoids a charge, and lands a roundhouse kick to the midsection. Swann with another roundhouse kick, followed by a handspring moonsault for three at 2:57. Another semi-squash, but Clark is showing decent improvement considering the stink that usually comes with being from Tough Enough.

- Highlight of Asuka's 55-second victory over Liv Morgan. As part of a WWE.com exclusive, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay did their worst impression of Emma and Dana Brooke as the bullying female duo of NXT.

Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kay) vs. Danielle Kamela:

Seems like it's been a while since we've seen Royce on NXT. I don't think the crowd reacted to either women for their entrances. Lockup and Royce escapes a waist-lock with a well-placed elbow. Kamela from out of nowhere with a small package for two. Whip to the ropes and a cross-body press only gets a one count. Kamela knocks Royce into the corner with a dropkick, but Royce comes right back with a standing spinning heel kick for a near fall. Royce with a foot to the throat. Kamela tries fighting back but Royce slows her down with chin-lock. Kamela back peddles to escape and does a handspring elbow that is done way too often. Royce escapes a slam attempt and comes off the ropes with a knee to the face. Fisherman Suplex finishes at 3:44. ½* This was pretty blah stuff, and the laughably bad handspring elbow at the end was bottom of the barrel.

- Charley Caruso is backstage with Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger. Roode is being obnoxious as always and steals the spotlight of the entire segment. This team isn't going to last beyond the 1st round.

- Dan Matha debuts... and is quickly obliterated by Samoa Joe. I guess Joe is targeting newcomers, since last week he also took out the Ealy Twins in their NXT TV debut. It would be pretty hilarious if this would be the one and only time we see Matha in NXT. Joe wants Nakamura or he wants his Championship handed back to him.

- No Way Jose and Rich Swann Interview. Well, that's a likely tag team for the tournament.

- Sanity is coming soon. We promise! I guess the proper spelling is SAnitY. Whatever.

Cedric Alexander & Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. The Revival:

1st Round Match of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Alexander defeated Almas two weeks ago, so they've formed a bond over mutual respect. The Revival are the reigning Tag Team Champions and seem likely to be favorites to reach the finals. Alexander and Wilder start. Dawson tries to tag in for a quick advantage, but Alexander retreats to a neutral corner. Dawson grabs a side headlock and comes off the ropes with shoulder tackles. Alexander with a head scissors take over, followed by arm drags. Andrade comes in for a takedown of the Revival and synchronized dropkicks send the Champions to the floor. Andrade and Alexander with a hip toss and basement dropkick combo. Alexander comes back in and they clear the Revival from the ring again. Andrade lays in the ropes and Alexander goes flying with tope con hilo. Back inside, Alexander covers Dawson for a near fall. The Revival target the arm of Almas to make him the face-in-peril. We return from a quick break with Dawson taking Almas over with a northern lights suplex for two. Dash with double knees across the arm for two. Drop toe hold and elbow drop for two. Andrade counters a suplex with a small package, but the referee is distracted. Dash blocks the boot after coming off the middle rope, but an enzuigiri lays him out. Alexander with the hot tag, and he runs over Dawson with clotheslines. Whip to the ropes and a roundhouse kick gets two. Andrade saves from a suplex and Alexander with a bridging cover for two. Wilder pulls Almas off the apron and the Shatter Machine finishes Alexander at 9:40. To add insult to injury, Andrade Almas lays a beating on Alexander to finally turn heel. **1/2 Good match, but despite the quick action at times, it really didn't flow as well as I would've hoped.

- And now for the October 12th episode...

Tye Dillinger & Bobby Roode vs. SAnitY:

1st Round Match of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Roode's entrance includes being spun around on a pedestal. Roode and Dillinger don't appear to be getting along too well. SAnitY is comprised of Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Sawyer Fulton, and Nikki Cross. Wolfe and Fulton are representing the group in the match. Dillinger gets double teamed in the corner and theytake turns choking him across the rope. Roode teases coming in, but thinks better of it and walks out, still wearing his robe. Wolfe and Fulton with a double-team Power-Slam (think set up for the Magic Killer) and Dillinger is done at 1:59. Post-match, Cross and Young officially unmask and get some shots in as well. Interesting way to introduce the new stable, by feeding them an established name without burying the person at the same time.

- Peyton Royce and Billie Kay Interview. They make fun of Liv Morgan to hype a match between Morgan and Kay.

- Bobby Roode calls Tye Dillinger "The Perfect Loser" and denounces the concept of the Tag Team Tournament.

Liv Morgan vs. Billie Kay (w/ Peyton Royce):

You're telling me this isn't the Main Event for the week?! Liv Morgan's non-success against Asuka should be a running storyline. Graves makes fun of the lone fan chanting the Jersey area code in what will likely be the highlight of the match. Morgan grabs a side headlock, but Billie counters with a fireman's carry. Morgan catches her off the ropes with a drop toe hold and follows with a basement dropkick. The match has already exceeded the time of Morgan's match with Asuka. Back slide for a two count. Kay with a stomach buster into a "unique" cover for two. Billie Kay with a torture rack before slamming Morgan face-first into the turnbuckle for another two count. Morgan comes back with a modified STO out of nowhere. Whip to the ropes, Morgan with a clothesline and dropkick. Royce trips her up in full view of the referee, and Billie Kay finishes with the big boot at 3:29. * Do I smell a losing streak?

- We recap Andrade Almas turning heel on Cedric Alexander.

TM61 vs. Tino Sabbatelli & Riddick Moss:

This isn't announced as part of the Dusty Rhodes Classic, but it most definitely is. Both men are making their NXT TV debut after spending about a year working regularly on NXT house shows. Miller and Moss start. Lockup into the corner and Moss with a bit of disrespect. Lockup and Miller returns the favor. Miller works the arm and grabs a side headlock. Whip to the ropes and Moss drops him with a shoulder tackle. Miller with a drop toe hold and Thorn comes in with a somersault senton. Whip to the ropes, double elbow, and a fist drop/moonsault combo. Tino runs in and gets knocked out with a dropkick. Thorn gets taken out on the floor as we take a break. We come back with Moss connecting with a suplex. Tino tags in and pounds away. They keep referencing his NFL career and playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Tino works the arm as the crowd continues to only react to him. Thorn fights out of enemy territory but slingshots into a Power-Slam from Sabbatelli for a near fall. Moss with knees to the midsection, but a suplex is countered with a small package. Miller with the hot tag, unloading with forearms. Roll up on Moss for two. Miller with a sliding forearm, followed by a delayed vertical suplex for two. Sabbatelli goes for a Power-Slam, but Miller escapes. Thorn with a running leg lariat in the corner, and Thunder Valley finishes at 8:35. *1/2 TM61 continues not to impress, and even though it was competitive, neither Moss or Sabbatelli did much to impress, either.

- Blake vs. Murphy... is NEXT! Tony Nese and Drew Gulak take on Rich Swann and No Way Jose... NEXT WEEK!

Wesley Blake vs. Buddy Murphy:

Heel vs. Heel Match. I wonder if this will actually get going or they'll kiss and make up shortly after the bell. So much for Blake's "Beautiful Blonde Blake" name change making it to the weekly TV product. Lockup and neither man with the advantage. Lockup, more aggressively this time, and Blake gives a clean break. Murphy grabs a side headlock. Blake counters with a head scissors, and they take repeat with the roles reversed. They both land kicks at the same time, then trade uppercuts and forearms. Blake meets Murphy in the ropes with a forearm, and Murphy returns the favor with an elbow, sending Blake to the floor. Murphy follows him out with a tope con hilo. I don't recall ever seeing him do that before. Suddenly Samoa Joe makes his way to the ring area and attacks Murphy. Blake tries to save and gets spiked on the floor. Call it a No Contest at 3:13. How are we going to find out who is better?!

- Samoa Joe is here to remind William Regal that his time to make a decision is up. Bring him Nakamura or bring him his Championship. Shinsuke Nakamura's music plays and he's back to answer the challenge, still sporting a neck brace. He rips the brace off and rushes the ring for a pull-apart brawl. Both men fight through separate groups of "security". Nakamura fights off a few and continues to go after Joe, but again, it's broken up. Nakamura beating up on security should lead to some kind of discipline, but it'll probably be ignored.

Final Thoughts: Maybe I just wasn't feeling it today, but there wasn't a lot to get excited about when it comes to the immediate future. Joe vs. Nakamura is obviously the hot angle going forward, and Andrade Almas' heel turn should boost his stock a bit. The stuff between Liv Morgan and the Aussies might be the most heatless segment I've seen on NXT TV in a long while, and the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is giving us a look at some new faces, but isn't doing much yet to make me really care about anyone. It's just an awkward time where plans are shuffling, new faces are being introduced, and there's no clear path for a lot of people.

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