WWE NXT -February 25, 2015
by Samoa Rowe
-From Winter Park, FL. Our hosts are Corey Graves, Tom Phillips, and Alex Riley.
Hideo Itami vs. Bull Dempsey
Dempsey uses his size advantage early on, even catching a quick Hideo with a clothesline. Hideo runs into a shoulder tackle, good for Dempsey 2 count. Cue the chinlock at 1:11! Hideo escapes and kicks his way into a comeback. A flying drop-kick finishes Dempsey off at 2:46. Kind of a nothing match, but it helps Hideo to beat a bigger guy in Bull.Winner: Hideo Itami
-Hideo celebrates on the stage, leaving himself vulnerable to a sneak attack by Tyler Breeze and his fuzzy selfie stick. Breeze takes a selfie only to discover the Hideo is back on his feet. Itami chases Breeze out of the studio.
-Video package putting over the crazy antics of THE BRIAN KENDRICK! I love these random comebacks.
Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) vs. Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan
Solomon Crowe hacks the system during Dillinger and Jordan’s entrance to cut a promo from an undisclosed location. He puts the NXT roster on notice. Bell rings and Jordan manages a takedown on Sin Cara, but Kalisto gets a quick tag. Kalisto nails an arm drag, but Jordan counters with some power slams. Dillinger mocks Sin Cara, but it backfires as Kalisto makes a tag to set up the Wheelbarrow Throw. Kalisto nails a cross body off Sin Cara’s chest for a 2 count on Dillinger. Lucha Dragons prevent a tag and Sin Cara nails a slingshot senton. Dillinger absorbs some punishment and is finally able to make a tag, but Jordan abandons him. Sin Cara’s senton finishes Dillinger at 3:32. Whoo hoo, a team that never got over is breaking up. Much better showing from Lucha Dragons here than at Rival, *.Winners: Lucha Dragons
-Greg Somebody interviews Finn Balor backstage. Finn has to ready himself for Brian Kendrick, because he’s a former Tag Team Champion, donchaknow?
-Tye Dillinger is refusing to leave the ring until he gets an explanation from Jason Jordan. Instead, he’s joined by Baron Corbin, and apparently it’s for an actual match.
Tye Dillinger vs. Baron Corbin
Corbin shakes Dillinger off and finishes with the End of Days at about 0:19. This is damage control after a poor showing from Corbin at Rival.Winner: Baron Corbin
-Devin Taylor interviews Charlotte backstage about her upcoming rematch with Sasha Banks. Charlotte points out that Sasha has never beaten her in a one-on-one setting and is confident the title is going back to where it belongs. Good enough.
-Tyler Breeze cuts a selfie promo backstage. Tyler spins their encounter from earlier as Hideo falling into his trap.
-Sami Zayn is returning next week, but first we take a look at highlights of Sami touring the Middle East with the main roster.
Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
They take turns scoring knock-downs until Bayley delivers a flying arm drag. Becky bounces back with a pump handle suplex to gain control. Becky finds time to head bang in between dishing out offense and applying a modified chinlock. Remember, modified chinlocks are far less boring than normal chinlocks. Bayley escapes and knocks Becky off the apron to set up a botched drop-kick through the ropes. The fans like Bayley and give her a pass on that one. Bayley continues to show off her aggressive side, which she signals by tightening her head band. Flying forearm by Bayley gets a 2 count, but she’s selling a shoulder injury. Lynch counters with a nasty armbar for the win at 4:26. This was a really hot sprint of a match, minus the one botched spot, *¾.Winner: Becky Lynch
-Devin Taylor wants to know why Rhyno is in NXT. Rhyno says he was hearing about NXT everywhere he went, so he tuned in and saw a roster full of men and women with the same intensity he has. He’s here to make a statement and climb to the top by ripping people in half with the GORE! I know I’m biased, but this was awesome.
-During the break, Jason Jordan refused to explain why he betrayed Tye Dillinger.
-NXT Champion Kevin Owens joins commentary to scout his next challenger.
The Brian Kendrick vs. Finn Balor
Even without the body paint, Balor’s entrance is all kinds of bad-ass. The announcers do their best to paint Kendrick as a big deal (one half of the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history) rather than the JTTS he was for most of his WWE career. The match begins with a nice display of chain wrestling. Balor scores a drop-kick to the face. Kendrick leaps over Balor and seems to have injured his knee in the process. I don’t think it was a Playing Possum spot, as Kendrick goes right for a chinlock. On commentary, Owens starts picking on Riley for never being a champion. Meanwhile, Kendrick scores a drop-kick and surfboards the arms. Owens leaves commentary before he does something he’d regret to Riley. Kendrick reapplies a chinlock to send us to commercial. The match continues with Balor building some momentum. Kendrick counters with a Tornado DDT for 2. Missile drop-kick by Kendrick and a double underhook suplex for a close near fall! Balor blocks Sliced Bread #2 and nails the Sling Blade. Balor drop-kicks Kendrick into the turnbuckle to set up the Flying Double Stomp for the win at 8:01 (shown). Disappointing showing from Kendrick, but Balor continues to impress, **½.Winner: Finn Balor
-Kevin Owens returns to attack Alex Riley by tossing him over the table. Finn Balor challenges Owens to come fight in the ring, but the offer is rejected.
Final Thoughts: This episode was a bit more rough around the edges than recent airings. It’s almost comical to expect us to care about the split between Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan, since they had accomplished diddly squat as a team, but I like both guys and welcome seeing them used in bigger roles. Otherwise, the right people got put over, Brian Kendrick’s return was a fun surprise, even if the match was a bit of a letdown, and I really want to see Owens vs. Balor. Thumbs in the Middle.
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