- It’s NXT time and we’re kicking off with Blake and Murphy (with Alexa Bliss) vs Austin Aries and his mystery tag partner… Shinsuke Nakamura! Probably the most entertaining match I’ve ever seen from B&M, despite the fact that Murphy got in exactly one offensive move before getting hit with the Kinchasa and eating the pin. After the match Alexa walks out on Blake and Murphy, and then Blake walks out on Murphy. Could this be the end of the Dubstep Douchebags? Does anyone really care?
- Nice interview with Bayley who talks about her desire to win back the NXT women’s championship, but she still has to get past Nia Jax tonight!
- No Way Jose loves to dance and has a nice smile. He also gives a fairly incoherent interview, followed by Carmella talking up Big Cass and her desire to win the Women’s Championship. Okay then.
- Carmella is out next, and the Princess of Staten Island is facing Peyton Royce, who now has purple hair. Solid match from both women, with Royce hitting some stiff strikes and a nice rolling suplex. Carmella seems to be working hard to get better in the ring, and picks up the submission victory.
- Next up we get a recap of a Finn Balor / Samoa Joe brawl from a live event last weekend, and the entire locker room can’t keep them apart. Regal makes their bout at Takeover a Steel Cage match, which seems like another opportunity for NXT to outshine a main brand PPV. Extreme Rules indeed…
- Now it’s Ciampa and Gargano vs Rob Rysin and Danny Burch. Rysin has a bad dye job and a spider motif on his tights, while Burch has lost a bunch of weight and now looks like Christopher Daniels (but not as good in the ring, obviously). Decent match, and Gargano and Ciampa pick up the win with a nasty tag team kick combo.
- Regal announces American Alpha vs The Revival at Takeover, which should be a fun match.
- Our main event is Nia Jax vs Bayley, and once again it’s great to see NXT giving talented female wresters the spotlight. Jax plays a power game as Bayley bumps like a trooper and tries to wear her down. Bayley takes a nasty face first bump then fires up, only to be clubbed down by Jax again.
- Classic power vs heart match, with Bayley making comeback after comeback and getting shut down again and again. Jax employs some nice psychology as she works the arm before locking in a modified sleeper hold, then a bear hug. After Bayley legit hurts her knee in a suplex reversal, Jax takes advantage and picks up the win after a big leg drop to the back of Bayleys head. Bayley had to be helped to the back after the match, so fingers crossed that the fan favorite isn’t too badly hurt.
- Yet another four star episode of NXT, with a couple of good tag matches and an old fashioned storytelling main event.
