6/21 NXT TV REPORT: Aleister Black vs. Kassius Ohno, Ember Moon vs. Peyton Royce, Ealy Brothers vs. Sanity

NXT TV REPORT
JUNE 21, 2017
TAPED AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK

[Q1] Advertised for tonight are details of a backstage conflict between Roderick Strong and Bobby Roode. Kassius Ohno is bills to face Aleister Black as the main event. Billie Kay and Peyton royce start the show, with Peyton being in action and Kay ringside. Looks like Royce is going to be a step stool for Ember Moon’s return. I hope this does not end up as a full fledged feud again. I cannot handle a month or two of Ember Moon facing permutations of the Iconic Duo with and without various tag team partners again. Good reaction for Moon’s return match.

(1) EMBER MOON vs. PEYTON ROYCE (w/Billie Kay)

Lockup, and they maintain it through a number of rolls and transition to the mat for a moment. Royce has some offense, Moon flips through an armdrag, hits one of her own, and a dropkick sends Royce into the corner to eat an elbow. Moon is heading to the top but Royce meets her there. Royce looks for a superplex but Moon gets shoved off and bumped into the ref, letting Kay ambush Moon. Royce with a cover that only gets one. Royce sends Moon into the ringpost.

[ Break ]

Royce has an armbar out of the break and forced Moon to the mat. Moon rolls into a cover to break free of the hold. Royce lays some strikes in, but then Moon pays her back. Springboard crossbody gets a two count for Moon and she starts a rally. Moon wants a handspring move, but Royce catches her with a spinning heel kick. Moon dodges a kick and rolls Royce up for two. They duck each other’s kicks, until Moon catches one and flips Royce over. Moon to the top, but Kay pulls Royce out of the ring. Moon splashes, Royce moves and Kay takes the move. Royce rolls Moon into the ring, but Moon has a crucifix pin waiting for her. Royce hits Widow’s Peak for a nearfall. royce wants a wheelbarrow move, but Moon shifts her weight and slams Royce’s face into the turnbuckle. Moon to the top for the third time, Eclipse ends it.

WINNER: Ember Moon in 7:28. Odd, Percy Watson was silent nearly the entire match, and I didn’t even notice it. Not a great match. There’s just little chemistry here, Royce has zero credibility, Moon should have won in two or three minutes to look credible (Asuka won a Fatal Fourway and a Triple Threat in only a few more minutes!), and we have seen this too many times.

Kassius Ohno is backstage. Hideo Itami says that he has let it get to him that he isn’t as big a star here as he was in Japan. He apologizes for the way he treated Ohno. Ohno says he completely understands, there are high expectations and a lot of pressure. Ohno says tonight’s match with Black starts a new era for him. They seem to be on the same page, for now.

[Q2] The Ealy Brothers are out for a match, I beleive their second in NXT.

(2) THE EALY BROTHERS (GABRIEL EALY & URIEL EALY) vs. SANITY (ERIC YOUNG & ALEXANDER WOLFE) – Tag Team Match

No Killian Dain or Nikki Cross (when was the last time we saw her associate with the rest of Sanity?) ringside, and Sanity in the face corner. Basic lopsided tag team match. Young illegally enters the match to ensure victory.

WINNER: Sanity in 3:23. We are not going to see Sanity face (never mind beat) The Authors of Pain any time soon. Sanity seems to be shedding members and devolving into a basic tag team. Something needs to change.

Recap of last week’s NXT Women’s Championship Triple Threat. They do mention that Cross is a member of Sanity. Announcers tell us that next week is a Last Woman Standing match between Asuka and Cross for the NXT Women’s Championship.

They play the Sonya Deville vignette from last week.

Rachel Evers comes out with a ton of energy. Looks like she has borrowed Alexa Bliss’ old Iron Man ring gear. The announcers give Dville tons of praise on her way out. New entrance music feels like something from the Rocky soundtrack mashed with the Starcraft soundtrack.

(3) SONYA DEVILLE vs. RACHEL EVERS

[Q3] Deville imemdately takes Evers down with strikes and a clothesline. Cover for one. Evers with a suplex, but Deville comes back with knees. Deville circles Evers like a shark, then sends her to the corner for stout kicks. Leg scissors and a forearm grind draw Evers some sympathy fromt he ground. Evers escapes, Deville chases her down an dhits a double leg takedown into a two count. Jawbreaker and a big boot give Evers some steam, but Deville shrugs it off, removes her right glove and wrecks Evers with body blows. Evers quickly taps to a double wristlock.

WINNER: Sonya Deville in 2:40. Clunky match, we need to see Deville in the ring with a better worker to evaluate her.

Bobby Roode is getting his pictures taken backstage, but Roderick Strong and his family are walking through. Roode makes some trailer trash jokes at them, and tells Strong’s fiance where to find him if she wants a “real man”. Strong assaults Roode and a brawl breaks out. It’s quickly broken up, and Roode tells Strong he is ready at any time for a title match. Announcers tell us that Strong is getting a title shot in two weeks.

(4) KASSIUS OHNO vs. ALEISTER BLACK

This is a match that feels like the only good finish will be a non-finish or a dirty finish. Ohno and Black both need to be strong. They grab hands, and Ohno is able to throw Black. Black with a waistlock, then a front facelock but Ohno stands up and plants Black on the turnbuckle and backs off. Another lockup, Black transitions to a wristlock then a hammerlock. Ohno reverses it as Watson talks about Black’s tattoos. Quick cover from Ohno is only good for one. Black returns to the front facelock. Ohno turns into a wristlock, then twists Black onto the mat. Black reverses the hold, into a hammerlock and gets Ohno to the mat, Ohno grabs a rope. Black breaks before the ref starts the count. Stiff chop from Ohno to change the pace. Black lands a hard kick to the chest. Ohno looks for a strike but Black surprises him with a side headlock. Running knee to the middle. Ohno rolls out of the ring to evade Black Mass. Black does his springboard into a crosslegged sit routine as Ohno comes into the ring. Ohno tries to kick the sitting Black, Black springs to life with kicks. But Ohno hits a forearm and they are both down. Black rolls to the floor.

[ Break ]

[Q4] Ohno is landed strikes in the corner coming out of the break, then a big boot in the corner. Slow cover from Ohno for two. Ohno controls Black with a chinlock. Tom Philips points out that this is “humanizing” Black. Senton crushes Black for two. Ohno does the sit on the mat to taunt Black. Black recovers and kicks Ohno in the back. Ohno sends Black to the mat and hits a low dropkick for another two count. Very one-sided match so far, it is definitly taking the shine off Black. Black catches a punch, some quick tussling, and a stomp puts Ohno down on the mat. Black with kicks, then a springboard moonsault. Black calls for the end, Ohno ducks Black Mass, Black lands a follow up kick to the nead for a nearfall.

Yes kicks to Ohno, but Ohno catches the leg and hits a huge knee to Black’s face. Ohno rallies right into a boot, hits one of his own for a close nearfall. A light chant gets going in support of Ohno. Ohno tries setting up a move but Black rolls him up for two, then hits rapid strikes for two. Ohno flips over the ropes, fights into the ring. Black catches a kick, Ohno hits an enziguri and kips up. Bicycle kick, cover gets two for Ohno. Ohno takes his elbow sleeve off, but Black has an answer. They trade strikes. Ohno lands a released suplex and Black looks out. Ohno wants the rolling elbow and rungs right into Black Mass.

WINNER: Aleister Black in 15:07. Methodical match to show that neither man would take shortcuts. Black took a very long time to beat Ohno, who has not won a high profile singles match against a credible opponent since his return (no, Elias Samson does not count). Having Black take this long to win did not do Black many favors. He did not get a chance to show many more moves than he would in a three minute squash. This could have been built to a good Takeover match, but it was just thrown out there on a Wednesday night with no real purpose, and no one really benefiting from it.

Final Reax: Aside from the quality technical work at the beginning of the main event, there is no reason to watch this episode.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 6/14 NXT TV REPORT: Triple Threat for Women’s Title – Asuka vs. Cross vs. Ruby Riot, Drew vs. Ryzin, Dream vs. Mendoza