And everyone else is either fighting for the Tag Titles or is in the Andre the Giant Memorial 30-Man Over-The-Top-Rope Battle Royal (Brother).
Down in NXT Land, the Emmalution returns to Full Sail University, while more of These Guys from the NXT Tag Division fall to the juggernauts that are The Ascension. Brodus Clay puts the NXT Champion on notice, while Tyler Breeze "uggo-fies" Yoshi Tatsu. And in the main event, Corey Graves looks to make Sami Zayn "stay down."
Let's just get right into it this week, because I'm slipping behind again and I need to get this done so I can catch up.
A Word on This Week's Commentary
Our team this week was Tom Phillips, William Regal, and Byron Saxton, plus Renee Young for the Diva's match. There's not a whole lot to say about this team that I haven't said already. They continue to play up the platonic flirtations between Regal and Renee, and Saxton adds the heel spin doctor perspective to the desk. Regal, despite proudly defining himself as an old monster, adds more of a face slant to things, while still approving of the heels' tactics.
Match #1: Emma vs Sasha Banks (w/ Charlotte & Summer Rae cut-out)
The BFFs continue to be a thorn in the side of every other woman on the NXT roster. Four weeks ago, Charlotte challenged Emma to a match, and faked an ankle injury, distracting Emma long enough for the "Dirtiest Diva in the Game" to connect with her front-flip cutter for the victory. Renee Young called it great acting by Charlotte, while Regal defended her, noting that Charlotte might just have "wonderful recovery ability."
In a nice touch to further cement their heelness, Sasha and Charlotte both swatted at the bubbles left over from Emma's entrance, looking annoyed by them. Emma started out the match with a little comedy, putting up her dukes (perhaps that should be "duchesses?") in a weird "fisticuffs" taunt, then evaded Sasha's lunges to take her down with a drop toe-hold. After some headlock action, Sasha dropped to the mat, expecting Emma to run the ropes by leaping over her. Instead, Emma just hopped over her and dropped down next to her, then slipped out of the way of an elbow drop from the BFF, leaving her open to clamp in a hammerlock.
Sasha got free from this, and after a bit more offense from Emma, "The Boss" took control and started in on her usual "femme bully" offensive style. Commentary spent some time discussing whether Emma's recent relationship with Santino Marella on the main roster is distracting her. They even called Santino and Emma's dates "hilarious," which is stretching it. Byron Saxton got things back on track by talking about the BFFs themselves, explaining that their relationship is to look out for each other while trying to further their careers. Regal definitely approves of Sasha, saying she's got a bright future, that he likes the "venom and spite" he sees in her.
Commentary also finally acknowledged one of the frequent NXT Crowd chants that's directed toward Sasha. The fans were chanting "Sasha's Ratchet," or sometimes just "Ratchet," which Urban Dictionary tells us is pejorative slang for a low-class woman who thinks she's high-class. Renee just said it's not a very nice thing to call a woman. Regal enjoyed it, however, saying it must describe his ex-wives, whom he usually calls "old bags."
In the final stretch of the match, Sasha put Emma down with a body slam, but took too much time before going for a jumping legdrop, causing her to miss. She charged Emma in the corner, but ran into the Dil-Emma submission. This was followed up with the Emma-mite Sandwich (while Regal cracked wise about "Is this the time when we see how many 'Emma' puns we can make?"), but then Charlotte jumped on the apron, distracting Emma for a moment. Sasha tried to grab Emma from behind, presumably to run her into a strike from Charlotte, but Emma went low and slipped free, causing Sasha to crash into Charlotte and knock her to the floor. The Emma Lock was quickly applied for a tap-out win. "Good trumps evil," Renee said. Charlotte tried to charge Emma after the match, but the Australian Diva just retreated up the ramp, victorious.
Standard solid NXT women's match here, and Emma's finding a good mix of comedy and wrestling to fit in there. It's a bit of a shame that the main roster doesn't know how to book her properly, emphasizing her ditziness instead of her hidden savviness, but at least NXT handles it well.
Hype for the Hype Man
In preparation for a match next week, NXT ran a brief highlight reel for Mojo Rawley. It was mostly just clips of his entrances, of his training, punctuated with some of his energetic offense. Surprisingly, while they did include a clip of Tom Phillips saying "Mojo's going into Hyperdrive," it was played during a clip of Mojo connecting with his corner splash.
Through it all, they included Mojo's original hype vignette clip of talking about what "hype" can do to a person, and what it could do if a person "stays hyped, all the time." Not much else to say.
Match #2: The Ascension vs These Guys
NXT is playing up the dominance of The Ascension, with Saxton quipping that "The bulldozers are here," when the team came out. Commentary also noted that These Guys (Jack Hurley & Jon Vandal) were extremely reluctant to take the match; Hurley, they said, even started dry-heaving at the thought of it. All I can say to this is, "show, don't tell." Even if These Guys are just meant to be jobbers with no real personality, showing us this fear in a brief backstage clip would do more to sell The Ascension than just having Tom Phillips blandly tell us the information.
Hurley started out with Viktor, who went on the attack immediately with his usual new-found ferocity. He even through Hurley, when he was done, at Vandal, knocking him to the floor. This, apparently, counted as a tag, so Viktor just grabbed Vandal and tossed him in the ring. Vandal saw Konnor looming on the apron and begged off, but got clobbered from behind by Viktor, who tagged in The Ascension's "bludgeon." Konnor delivered a body slam into the ropes, which caused Vandal's head to come dangerously close to bouncing off the mat. Konnor delivered a second, in a safer fashion, which triggered a "One More Time!" chant. ("What a bloodthirsty universe!" opined Regal.) Konnor delivered on the request with a third slam.
Then he spotted Hurley getting up and kicked him back to the floor before crushing Vandal with a huge avalanche in the corner. A quick tag to Viktor set up the Fall of Man for the academic pinfall. Standard jobber match for The Ascension, who sorely need some more competition.
Match #3: Xavier Woods vs Brodus Clay
Xavier Woods is another person, like Emma, that's floundering on the main roster, but is still treated well by the fans in Full Sail University. While he's got "Somebody Call My Momma" as his theme, he's still doing his usual NXT entrance, including being announced as hailing from Angel Grove, California.
This marked Brodus Clay's first match in NXT since his heel turn late last year, using his new heel theme, "Ain't No Party," and with his mohawk flattened down and growing out a bit more. Saxton said that Clay blames Woods for everything that's gone wrong in his life, and is looking for "redemption" (which is even spelled out on the back of his ring gear). Commentary was calling him "Monstrous" Brodus Clay.
Woods did the smart thing and went on the attack early with a dropkick, some strikes, and then a series of kicks, actually getting the big man down on one knee. Clay grabbed a kick, however, and delivered a T-bone Suplex before starting to pummel and beat him down in the corner. Clay, as befits a man of his dimensions, used his size and weight as part of his offense, crushing Woods in the corner with an avalanche, then hitting another T-bone Suplex for a near-fall before clamping in a trapezius hold.
Woods fought back up with some strikes and some loud chops to the chest, even connecting with a boot to the face and a spinning enzuigiri to put Clay down enough for Woods to connect with a Shining Wizard. This only got a near-fall, however, so Woods set up Clay for a 10-Punch in the corner. Clay shoved him off once, then a second time and tweaked Woods' ankle. Clay mowed him down with a charging headbutt, then a huge standing powerbomb, which the NXT Crowd called "Better Than Batista." Clay finished him off with a diving splash from the second rope to get the pinfall.
After the match, Clay grabbed the microphone. "WWE, you took everything from me. You took my music, you took my girls, you took my tag-team partner. Worst of all, you took my pride, my self-respect, and my dignity. From now on, I'm doin' the takin'! And the first thing I'm gonna take? Adrian Neville, the Man That Gravity Forgets? You about to feel the gravitational pull of Brodus Clay, and I'm gonna take the NXT Championship! And you do know that!"
Very solid heel promo from Brodus Clay to set him up as a challenger for Adrian Neville. Clay can't do a whole lot, which is due in large part to his large size and weight, but he makes what he does mean something. Only thing I'd recommend is that he just use that powerbomb as his finisher. It looked brutal as hell.
Backstage with Adrian Neville
We promptly went backstage, where Devin Taylor stood with Adrian Neville. She congratulated him for his victory over Bo Dallas. "Thanks, Devin, but I'd rather talk about what just happened. Brodus Clay wants a championship match with me. You know, he doesn't think he's getting the respect he deserves on Raw or Smackdown, so he wants to come to NXT, take the NXT Championship, easy as kick, and then bugger off. Nah. Brodus, are you not aware of what NXT has become? Have you been livin' in a cave, man? We're the future of this business, man. We're young, we're hungry, and we're just as good as anybody on Raw or Smackdown. And besides that, here, we earn our opportunities. Bo earned his, and Big E before him, and Seth Rollins before that. You may be 400 pounds, you are a monster. But I'm Adrian Neville, I'm a fighting champion, and if, if you earn an opportunity, well, I'll be right here."
The interview ended a little awkwardly at that point, but a pretty on-point promo. Neville basically answered Clay's challenge with a declaration of, "You want a title shot? Earn it and then come find me." No fear shown.
Match #4: Yoshi Tatsu vs Tyler Breeze
Regal noted that Breeze claimed his boots this week were made from "Guatemalan alpaca, made for him especially by a humpback dwarf from the Panarat tribe." I have no idea if that's what the tribe is called, or how it's spelled. Phillips talked about how Breeze doesn't like Neville, calling him "the Uggo-Face of NXT." This was a nice call-back to their brief rivalry earlier this year following NXT 200, implying that Breeze may be looking to challenge Neville down the line.
Breeze showed more of his aggressive, "ruthless" side in this match. Tatsu got a headlock early on, and when Breeze shot him off the ropes to break the hold, he grabbed the Japanese man by the hair to control him and pummel away in the corner. When the referee had to pull him back, Breeze angrily snapped, "Don't touch me!" Breeze continued to dominate with some kicks and a side headlock, but Tatsu elbowed free and delivered some chops to the chest.
This just infuriated "Prince Pretty" even more, flooring him with a forearm when Tatsu came off the ropes, then some mounted strikes. He pulled Tatsu back to his feet for the Beauty Shot at the victory. The aggressive style that Breeze has started using is a good thing for him, it adds just a little more of an edge to his character that elevates him past "complete joke" status.
Backstage with Sami Zayn
Plucky interviewer Devin Taylor stood backstage with Sami Zayn. How does he feel going into his match with Corey Graves tonight? "I feel fine, honestly, fine. But I make no bones about it, he snuck up on me a couple of weeks ago, got my bell rung, I admit that. But I feel fine now, WWE's doctors have cleared me, I'm ready to go. Mentally, it's a different story. See, Graves kind of opened a can of worms here, and the only person who's got anything to worry about tonight is Graves."
Backstage Exclusive
Corey Graves was approached by a cameraman as he headed for the ring for the main event. He was asked about his match up next with Sami Zayn. "Sami Zayn. NXT's resident underdog. Let me tell you a story about an underdog that strayed just a little bit too far into the woods. Got his little paw trapped in a bear-trap. And he fought and he scratched and he clawed, and then out came the wolves. Out comes the wolf. This isn't gonna be pretty."
Hype for the Diva of Tomorrow
Much as NXT did earlier for Mojo Rawley, we were treated to a highlight video for Paige, NXT's resident "Anti-Diva" and the NXT Women's Champion. If you saw "NXT Arrival," this is pretty much the same vignette they showed during that show.
We then segued into a Backstage Exclusive, where the cameraman congratulated her for retaining at "Arrival," and asked if she had any comments on Charlotte. Does she see her as a threat to her title reign? "Yeah, 'threat.' Well, I always knew I was going to have some kind of competition or some people trying to come in my face, but you know what? I'm the champion. I expect it. But the thing is, they wouldn't even let me have my moment. The first-ever NXT live special on the WWE Network, and I retain my championship? It's a huge deal, but they would not let me have my moment. So if Charlotte wants to come at me, she needs to stop hiding behind her Daddy and come and face me one-on-one, alone. Now, if you don't mind, can you get the camera out of my face?"
Match #5: Corey Graves vs Sami Zayn.
The issue between Graves and Zayn started following "NXT Arrival," as Graves questioned why Zayn still gets all the attention despite having a pretty serious losing record. When Zayn picked up a win over him in response, Graves jumped him the following week by ramming his head into the ring-post, giving him a concussion. Even William Regal was appalled by this, although the monster in him did admire it objectively.
As the match started, Zayn was chomping at the bit to get started, while Graves maintained his cool, calculated composure, leaned back in the corner with a smirk on his face. He refused to rise to Zayn's bait, even backing through the ropes a couple of times when Zayn advanced, keeping the international superstar from starting any momentum. This continued even after the first lock-up, as Graves backed through the ropes again, and just looked amused after Zayn smacked him in the face. He finally evaded another lock-up and bailed to the floor, staring him down with that smirk on his face and saying, "Not today." He teased leaving again, drawing Zayn out to the floor.
Zayn, however, saw Graves' sneak attack coming and avoided it, unloading with some strikes and bouncing his head off the apron. They went back in the ring, where Zayn caught a kick from Graves and chopped him back into the corners, beating him around the ring. A back body-drop off an Irish whip set Graves up by the ropes, where Zayn clotheslined him to the floor, setting up for and then wiping him out with a big tope con hilo.
On the floor, Graves tried to shove Zayn into the same ring-post that gave him the concussion, but Zayn put on the brakes and caught him with a back elbow. They went back in the ring, where Graves begged off as he rolled to the opposite apron. Zayn caught him with a punch, then went for a shoulder thrust through the ropes. Graves sidestepped it and caught him with a vicious knee to the head. That kicked off the real story of the match-- that irregardless of whether he was cleared or not, Sami Zayn came back to soon.
Throughout the match, commentary was questioning whether it was a wise idea for Sami Zayn to even be out there. Regal noted that it wasn't safe for Zayn to come back so soon, even if he did clear his ImPACT Test. The gist of their concern came straight from the fact that "Sami Zayn won't go away." Zayn is defined by his indomitable will to compete no matter the obstacles, and that this very determination could be causing him to make poor decisions in regards to his health and career. Regal pointed out that while Zayn's refusal to quit is ordinarily a brave thing, it's extremely dangerous in circumstances such as this, when he's in the ring with a competitor like Corey Graves, who will happily exploit any weakness he perceives without remorse.
Graves' offense for the rest of the match was focused on strikes and holds around the head and neck. From punches to the temple and ear, to rear chinlocks, Graves maintained strong control for the duration of the match. Zayn kept fighting back, but his stance and movements were increasingly uncoordinated and loopy. Commentary called it "instinctual," and kept urging the referee to step in and call off the match for Zayn's health.
Zayn did manage to come back with some big moves, but the post-concussion loopiness meant that he wasn't able to capitalize straight away in some cases. When he caught Graves with a turnbuckle Exploder suplex, he went for a cover too soon, without making sure that Graves' limbs weren't under the ropes. It was even tacitly implied that Zayn wasn't delivering his moves with his usual crispness and that was why he couldn't get pins off them.
In the home stretch of the match, Zayn started to set up the Blue Thunder Bomb, only to have Graves punch him in the head to get free. Zayn just fought through it and connected with the Blue Thunder Bomb anyway for a near-fall. Despite his dazed state, Zayn lined up Graves for the Heluva Kick (corner boot), but Graves caught it and set up for a fireman's carry backbreaker. Zayn slipped free and sent Graves into the ropes... but their heads collided and both men went down. Unfortunately for Zayn, he was the worse off, with his head injury, and it showed when he tried to go to the second rope for some big move... only to wobble, then step down onto the mat when he could barely keep himself upright.
Graves put him down with one last huge haymaker to the side of the head, to which Zayn went into the "fencing posture," on his back, his arms up. Graves immediately locked in the Lucky 13 submission, but Zayn was unresponsive. The referee called for the bell almost immediately as he called for a medic to check on Zayn. Graves looked insufferably pleased with himself, looking over his handiwork before posing with his "Stay Down" knuckle tattoos.
It may be that someone finally found a way to make Sami Zayn "go away."
Weekly Rundown
- Emma defeated Sasha Banks with the Emma Lock.
- Mojo Rawley is still hyped.
- The Ascension defeated Jon Vandal & Jack Hurley with the Fall of Man.
- Brodus Clay defeated Xavier Woods with a powerbomb and second-rope splash.
- Brodus Clay called out Adrian Neville.
- Adrian Neville told Brodus Clay to earn a title shot.
- Tyler Breeze defeated Yoshi Tatsu with the Beauty Shot.
- Paige welcomes all challengers.
- Corey Graves defeated Sami Zayn via ref stoppage when Zayn was unresponsive in the Lucky 13.
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