1. We kick off with a sweet video package recapping the Finn Balor / Samoa Joe feud, ending with the excellent news that Finn Balor returns to NXT tonight!
2. Finn Balor makes his way to the ring, and talks for a while until The Drifter comes out to a chorus of boos. Balor hits him with a Pele kick and throws the guitar at him. Gold.
3. Next up Hollis and Skylar take on American Alpha, and Jordan & Gable are so good they can make a squash match entertaining. The jobbers get in a decent amount of offense on Gable before Jordan gets the hot tag and takes them apart. The Revival come out at the end and make no difference whatsoever.
4. It’s Nakamura time, and the newly unemployed Alex Riley is his latest victim. Proving once again how good he is, Nakamura makes Riley look good for a few minutes before kicking the living crap out of him.
5. Austin Aries is taking to Regal and is interrupted by Blake and Murphy, and Regal sets up a tag team match next week. Aries gets to choose his own partner, not that he needs one. Awesome.
6. Rachel Ellering makes her debut against Alexa Bliss next, and Ellering is a second generation wrestler (of sorts). Decent match despite the fact that Rachel is still very green – Alexa wins with the sparkle splash.
7. Bayley interview is interrupted by Nia Jax, and it will be interesting how a feud between them plays out as Bayley looks poised to move to the main roster. Seems like a perfect opportunity to get Jax over as an unstoppable monster.
8. Our main event is Elias Sampson vs Finn Balor, and we have seen entirely too much Sampson in the main event lately. Sure, he’s never portrayed as a serious contender, but he’s taking up space that could be filled by far more talented and/or entertaining wrestlers. It’s not that he is terrible in the ring, but his gimmick sucks so much that you almost feel sorry for him. Almost.
9. It seems that Finm Balor is incapable of having a bad match, making the Drifter look capable before taking him out with the Bloody Sunday, now renamed the 1916. I prefer the old name.
10. After the match Balor picks up a mic and demands a rematch with Samoa Joe. Apparently he’s possessed like a demon, but that doesn’t stop Samoa Joe from coming out and getting in his face. Ever the killjoy, Regal comes out and makes a title rematch for for Takeover on June 8th. Joe complains for a while, and Balor hits him with a tope con hilo. Great ending to an excellent episode of NXT.
