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NXT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
TAPED 9/14 IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Pre-credits, William Regal announces that a Fatal Fourway will occur at Takeover: Houston for the NXT Women’s Championship. Kairi Sane will be in thanks to her winning the Mae Young Classic. The other three participants will be determined over the next few weeks.
Sanity enters the ring from the four corners of the arena with unique camera angles ot make them seem like an imposing presense. Eric Young addresses Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Adam Cole and says that Sanity wrote the book on making a mark. Young vows to take Adam Cole to the “edge of sanity.”
Kassius Ohno is booked to face Fabian Aichner.
Lars Sullivan is out for in-ring action. Backstage with Oney Lorcan. Lorcan doesn’t like Sullivan because he does stuff like beat up No Way Jose.
(1) LARS SULLIVAN vs. ONEY LORCAN
Lorcan with an immediate headlock but Sullivan shoves out and knocks Lorcan down. Giant boot to Lorcan’s middle, but Lorcan has a dropkick. Sullivan shakes it off and throws Lorcan over the top rope. Lorcan scrambles into the ring, then needs two tries to get Sullivan off the apron. Sullivan catches Lorcan off a suicide dive then smashes Lorcan into the apron. Uppercut out of the corner doesn’t stop Sullivan but for a moment. Chops and slaps and Sullivan just eats it. Running uppercuts but Sullivan has a huge lariat to put Lorcan on the mat. Side spinebuster wraps it up.
WINNER: Lars Sullivan at 2:55. Lorcan is so physical and provided a great opponent for Sullivan. Sullivan is being built as the Braun Strowman of NXT, and so far it is a success. It feels like Sullivan’s only match might be the Authors of Pain or Heavy Machinery.
Post-match, Sullivan decides to keep putting it to Lorcan. But Danny Burch runs out. Sullivan drops Lorcan and Burch pulls Lorcan from the ring. I suspect we will be seeing Burch facing Sullivan soon.
Backstage with Ruby Riot. Apparently Billie Kay and Peyton Royce want to face Riot and Nikki Cross. Riot says that Cross is not her friend, they have always been enemies, and has no idea why Cross helped her. If Cross wants to help out again, it wasn’t because Riot asked her to and Cross needs to stay out of her way.
Speaking of Heavy Machiney, here they are to a pretty thunderous reception.
(2) HEAVY MACHINERY (TUCKER KNIGHT & OTIS DOZOVIC) vs. PATRICK SCOTT & DEMITRIUS BRONSON – Tag Team Match
Knight and Scott start. Knight uses a wristlock, then maintains it while holding Scott in mid-air. Scott tries slapping Knight’s chest then looks at his hand with regret. Bronson tags in, takes a drop toe hold. Dozovic tags in, team headbutts to Bronson. Bronson jumps on Dozovic and tries a chinlock from on his back, then a pair of dropkicks. Crossbody gets caught and Bronson takes a giant suplex. Scott tags in and gets steamrolled. Knight press slams Scott into Dozovic arms, Knight rams Dozovic from behind, he collapses on Scott and Bronson, cover for the win.
WINNERS: Heavy Machinery at 3:11. Back up a minute to when Tucker Knight was playing with wristlocks and drop toe holds. So much fun to see these two in the ring, switching up unique big-man tag team moves and classic mat work.
Outside the Performance Center, Regal is about to say something, and he sees Johnny Gargano and grants him a rematch against Andrade Almas in a few weeks.
Interview with Roderick Strong. He says he is preparing like he does for every match, like it will be his last. He does it because he wants to be the best. And Drew McIntyre knows it. Strong will keep fighting and fears nothing. He has worked his whole life to get here, and this time it will be different. McIntyre doesn’t have the tenacity to beat him. Strong says this is personal and will bring everything he has until he wins the championship. Their championship match is next week.
Liv Morgan and Vanessa Borne are facing each other, with implications for the NXT Women’s Championship. It is not quite clear if this is a bracket tournament, or if each of these matches is a qualifier, or something else. Inset promo with Morgan. She says she is the next NXT Women’s Champion. Inset promo with Borne. She says it is time to give the NXT Universe what they want, which is her.
(3) LIV MORGAN vs. VANESSA BORNE
They lock up and Borne picks Morgan out, Morgan slips out and picks Borne out who slips out. Jacknife from Morgan but Borne bridges out, backslide for two. Morgan uses speed to land a leg drop to Borne’s head for one. Borne trips Morgan into the turnbuckle then has forearms and a suplex into a corver for only one. Borne slams Morgan’s face into the mat, one count. Borne steps on Morgan’s hand then kicks her in the face. Schoolgirl out of the corner gets Morgan two then she runs into a lariat for two. Borne starts to bully Morgan, then a drop toe hold sends Borne into the corner. Morgan fires up. Really ugly bulldog from Morgan, then a Codebreaker to the face for the win.
WINNER: Liv Morgan in 3:43. I don’t know if Morgan has never won a match, or if it has just been so long that I don’t remember it. Not a super great match, but Morgan has personality and seems to be growing in the ring.
[Q3] Recap of last week, when Velveteen Dream interupted Aleister Black’s promo.
“Earlier today” with Black in the Performance Center sparring. They ask for his thoughts on Velveteen Dream. In this age of individuality, there is always one that thinks they are more unique or special. Everyone wants recognition. Black refuses to acknowledge children that throw tantrums to get attention. Black won’t give “Patrick” attention simply for being “bizarre.”
[ J.J.’s Reax: It isn’t that Black delivers bad promos, but this takes way too much of his mystique away from him. In the last two weeks he has become downgraded to “just another wrestler” from being a silent killer. ]
Package on Fabian Aichner. He is presented an an Apollo Crews type, that combines power with athleticism.
(4) KASSIUS OHNO vs. FABIAN AICHNER
Lockup with a transition to chain wrestling. Snapmare from Ohno but Aichner escapes into an armbar on Ohno. Big uppercut from Aichner drops Ohno. Ohno with a kick to send Aichner outside. Aichner dodges a dive on the apron so Ohno holds onto the ropes, catches Aichner with a big boot, Aichner with a monster back breaker. Springboard splash from inside the ring to Ohno on the outside. Aichner with a running elbow then a delayed vertical suplex for two. Aichner taunts Ohno, then sets up a powerbomb, Ohno slips out, inside cradle for two. Aichner catches Ohno’s attempt a Thesz Press and slams Ohno. The crowd is backing Aichner big. Double springboard moonsault but Ohno rolls under it. Ohno comes back out of the corner. Suplex and Ohno preps the cyclone kick and hits it for the win.
WINNER: Kassius Ohno in 4:53. Ohno got his first win since he retired Elias Samson nearly six months ago, in a match where he got virtually no offense. Ohno got the win, but Aichner is the one who truly impressed. Within a few minutes he had the pro-Phno crowd more than halfway on his side. Aichner won’t be able to remain a heel with that moveset.
Backstage with Drew McIntyre. McIntyre makes it clear that he is happy to give anyone a title shot. He was proud to see Strong step up. Strong could be the champion but McIntyre is in his way.
[ J.J.’s Reax: Really good promo from McIntyre. He put over his opponent and came off as a fighting champion and a good guy, but confident in his ability to win. ]
Video package on Kairi Sane.
Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly make their entrance. Cole asks how NXT survived without him. He asks us to feel the moment. We feel change, a shock to the system, them. He says they are untouchable, unstoppable, and undisputed, and this is their era.
[ J.J.’s Reax: So what’s the name of this group? ]
(5) ERIC YOUNG (w/Sanity) vs. ADAM COLE (w/Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish)
This is set for a full brawl and a DQ ending. Cole asks Young to fight him, then charges, but Young takes him down and beat on him. Cole takes advantage of a ref break, but chooses to taunt Young who takes the action to him. Young gets distracted by Fish and O’Reilly so Dain and Wolfe cut them off. Cole with an ambush on the distracted Young. Young gets knocked off the apron, and the ref has to maintain order between the two teams. Young is bleeding from the forehead. A pair of covers on Young, then a chinlock. Young fights to his feet then out of the chinlock, but Cole catches him with a sleeper. Young suplexes his way out. Back elbow catches Cole in the corner, then Young gets boots up. Young heads up top,Cole meets him there but Young shoves him off. Young starts to head up top but Fish and O’Reilly distract him. Sanity intervenes. Young decides to splash everyone but Cole ringside, enters the ring and runs right into a leaping twisting knee to the face which wins it.
WINNER: Adam Cole in 5:36. Not a fan of this match at all. Young basically threw away a win, which I suppose is inline for his character. Cole did not come off as particularly clever or devious, this was a standard “two teams cause chaos at ringside” affair. Given the experience levels of Young and Cole, the in-ring acne tion did not stand out at all. Maybe my expectations were unfairly high, given the time that this match was given.
FINAL REAX: Not much happened here. I am not a fan at all of giving Aleister Black mic time, especially in the Performance Center environment where he loses his entire aura and becomes “just a man.” This was an awful decision by someone who does not understand what makes Black a fan favorite. Where is Hideo Itami, anyways? Or The Authors of Pain? Always fun to see Heavy Machinery in the ring. The women’s division has a big reset occurring. I suspect that the four-way will be Ember Moon (who also seems to have disappeared?), Ruby Riot, Nikki Cross, and Kairi Sane. Lars Sullivan’s build has been very enjoyable.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 9/20 NXT TV REPORT: Fish & O’Reilly (w/Cole) vs. Bate & Seven, Aleister Black speaks and Velveteen moves in for a kiss
Ohno beat Itami a couple of weeks ago…