Category Archives: NXT Recaps

Brendo’s NXT Recap – 2/3/16

Leave a reply

This should be an exciting episode of NXT as Finn Balor will face Apollo Crews in a non-title match.  We start things off with the return of The Vaudevillains.  We haven’t seen these guys in a bit so let’s see what they have to bring to Full Sail.

The Vaudevillains vs. The Hype Bros

I am not sure what Mojo has to do at this point to get over but I personally think this is a good step for him.  He seems to have improved in the ring since teaming up with Ryder.  English starts off against Mojo and Mojo quickly gains control with a splash.  He gets the crowd hyped and tags in Ryder.  Ryder counters a backdrop attempt by English and hits a dropkick.  He goes for a scoop slam and Gotch interferes, distracting Ryder long enough for English to take control.  He hits a kick in the corner and then a splash.  The Vaudevillains are definitely showing a more aggressive side as English tags in Gotch and they hit a series of double team strikes on Ryder.  Gotch goes for a pin but Ryder’s foot is in the ropes.  He nails Ryder with a strike and goes for another pin attempt, barely getting a two count.

We get some quick tags between Gotch and English as they maintain control.  They go for a double backdrop and Ryder is able to counter taking down English with an enziguri and kicking Gotch in the gut.  This creates some space and Ryder is able to make the hot tag to Mojo, who quickly takes down Gotch with a face slam.  He then hits a splash in the corner.  Mojo goes for another one but he misses.  Ryder is able to tag in. English attempts to interfere but Ryder nails him with a forearm.  He then hits a dropkick on Gotch and goes for a Broski Boot but English pulls Gotch out of the way.  Gotch tags in English and hits an uppercut on Ryder followed by English hitting the Whirling Dervish and getting the pinfall.  The Vaudevillains definitely looked strong here, showing a more aggressive heelish side that we haven’t seen from them in quite some time.  We’ll see where this goes.

We are shown some highlights from the Women’s #1 Contender Battle Royale 3 weeks ago featuring Asuka being eliminated by Eva Marie and Carmella eliminating Eva to win the match and becoming the #1 contender.  Tom Phillips interviews Carmella about her win.  She talks about how wrestling is in her blood. Her dad was a wrestler in the 90’s.  He was even a jobber in the WWE.  Tom asks if her friendship with Bayley is going to be affected by the championship match and Carmella says nothing will change that friendship.  They both understand what is important and why they are here.  Tonight Carmella will take on Emma.  She says tonight she will prove why she deserves to be the #1 contender and why she will be the next NXT Women’s champion.  This was a good spotlight on Carmella.

When we come back from break, Dash and Dawson are interviewed backstage.  They talk about how they beat Enzo and Cass in London.  Enzo and Cass can talk all they want but they’ll never beat them.  They’ve beat every tag team in NXT, including the Ascension, and are on their way to becoming the greatest NXT tag team of all time.  They’re happy to give Enzo and Cass another shot at the title but it will have the same result as always.  Pretty good stuff here from the champs.

Carmella vs. Emma

Emma is accompanied to the ring by Dana Brooke.  Emma talks some trash before the bell.  They go back and forth a bit after locking up but Emma gets a little cocky and Carmella slams her face first into the mat when Emma has her back turned.  Emma is able to counter a corner attack by Carmella and takes control.  She gets Carmella in a stretch hold and Dana cheers her on.  She turns the stretch into a pin attempt and gets a two count.  Carmella counters an Emma choke attempt with a monkey flip and then slams Emma into the turnbuckle.  She hits a headscissors off the second rope and then connects with the Bronco Buster in the corner.  Carmella goes for her submission but Emma is able to counter by grabbing Carmella’s hair and slamming her to the mat.  She then hits a series of shoulder tackles on Carmella into the corner.  Emma tries to follow up with a double underhook suplex but Carmella counters with a backslide and gets the three count.  This was a pretty good match and helps build Carmella’s momentum going into her big championship match with Bayley next week.

We are shown clips of the controversial #1 contender’s triple threat match from last week where Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe both had Baron Corbin in a submission hold when Baron tapped.  Regal is supposed to make a decision regarding who will be #1 contender tonight.  Both Joe and Sami are asked about the finish.  Sami believes he is the winner but it is up to Regal.  Joe threatens the cameraman and walks off.

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy vs. ???

Before the match Enzo and Cass give a good promo to hype up the crowd.  They never said the names of the guys Enzo and Cass destroyed.  This was your pretty standard squash match.  Cass tossed Enzo onto one of the jobbers to get the win.  These guys are definitely at their best when they are chasing the titles but it seems like it might be time for them to either finally win the belts or move on to bigger things on the Main Roster.

Apollo Crews gives a promo backstage saying tonight is his night to prove himself.  It is his night to prove that he has what it takes to become NXT Champion.  We are then told we will hear from William Regal and his decision regarding last week’s triple threat match next.  When we come back Regal says there will be a rematch.  Corbin interrupts and says there better be a rematch.  Regal says the one thing that was 100% certain is that Corbin lost, so he won’t be in the rematch.  Corbin says Regal is a joke and leaves in a huff.  Regal tells us there will be a rematch between Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn to determine the #1 contender.  I’m down with that.

Asuka vs. Santana Garrett

Nice to see Santana in an NXT ring.  She is a veteran on the indies and also has appeared in TNA and Global Force Wrestling.  Santana hits Asuka with a series of forearms out of the lockup but Asuka just seems to enjoy them.  She hits Santana with a hip attack followed by a series of kicks.  Santana dodges a big roundhouse from Asuka but Asuka follows up with a huge overhand punch.  Asuka then goes for a running kick to the head on a prone Santana but Santana counters with a rollup and gets a two count.  Santana takes control and hits a big side Russian legsweep, getting another near fall.  She then gets Asuka in an arm lock submission.  Asuka counters by going for a leglock but Santana manages to get out of it.  Santana hits the ropes and Asuka catches her in an armbar.  Santana attempts to power out but Asuka turns it into the Asuka Lock and gets the submission victory.  This was a really great showing by both Garrett and Asuka.  Garrett got quite a bit of offense in but Asuka was just too much for her and continues to look unstoppable.

Finn Balor is interviewed backstage.  He discusses last week’s triple threat match.  He says Regal made the right decision by letting Joe and Sami have a rematch and settle things in the ring.  He says that what should have happened in his previous match with Crews will happen tonight because he is the best.  Good interview here by Balor and he does a good job showing the confidence of a champion.

Apollo Crews vs. Finn Balor (Non-Title Match)

I am a huge fan of both of these guys so I am definitely hyped for this.    The two shake hands to start things off.  We get some good chain wrestling as Balor maintains control with a series of takedowns.  Balor keeps Apollo on the ground with a headlock.  Apollo manages to turn it over into a pin multiple times but the best he can get is a two count.  Apollo finally gets Balor into the corner and Balor has to break the hold.  Apollo gets Balor in a headlock of his own but Balor reverses it and gets Apollo back on the mat.  Apollo powers out and whips Balor into the ropes.  Apollo follows this up with big dropkick, sending Balor out of the ring.  Balor is on the ramp as we go to break.

When we come back Apollo has Balor in a headlock in the ring, firmly in control.  Balor powers out and irish whips Apollo.  Apollo counters with a sunset flip but Balor counters with a dropkick and goes for the cover.  He gets a one count and quickly follows up with an armbar on Crews.  Crews powers Balor into the corner and gets a break.  Balor hits some quick strikes and a big kick. He goes for a pin and gets a two count.  He stays right on Crews, hitting some chops in the corner.  He then hits a snapmare and goes for another pin, getting another two count.  Balor again stays right on Crews, getting him back in armbar.Crews finally powers out and whips Balor into the corner.  Balor hits a kick on a charging Crews but Crews responds with a series of clotheslines.  He then hits a big splash in the corner.  Finn recovers and goes for an attack on the apron but Crews counters with a big clothesline and Finn goes to the outside.  Crews goes for flip attack off the apron but Balor gets out of the way.  Crews anticipates this and lands on his feet on the ramp.  Finn is already back in the ring and hits a big dive over the top rope on Crews.  That was pretty awesome.

Finn tosses Crews back in the ring and goes up to the top rope for the Coup De Grace.  He connects right on the back of the head of Crews and goes for the pin but Crews kicks out at the last second.  Finn goes for a DDT but Crews counters by tackling Finn to the mat.  He then hits a Samoan Drop and gets a two count on the pin attempt.  Crews goes for an Enziguri but Balor sniffs it out and hits a Sling Blade on Crews.  Apollo recovers in the corner, showing some fire, and hits Crews with a big boot.  He then hits a huge Gorilla Press slam followed by a standing moonsault for a near fall.  Crews goes for his toss powerbomb finisher but Balor counters with an enziguri and follows it up with another Sling Blade.  He then hits the dropkick into the corner and the Coup De Grace.  Instead of going for the cover Balor hits a big brain buster and then gets the three count.

This was a great match and both of these guys looked pretty amazing.  Balor and Apollo shake hands and hug after the match, showing some great sportsmanship.  In two weeks we’ll find out who is the number one contender as Samoa Joe will face off with Sami Zayn.  So much great stuff going on in NXT!  This was another great episode!

 

Brendo’s NXT Recap – 1/27/16

Leave a reply

This should be a very exciting episode of NXT as the Main Event is a triple threat match featuring Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, and Samoa Joe to determine the new #1 contender for the NXT Championship.  

American Alpha vs. Blake & Murphy

Jordan and Gable are sporting a new name and new gear.  These guys are awesome.  Murphy and Jordan start things off.  Murphy tries to sweep the leg and Jordan counters with a big German suplex.  He works Murphy’s arm and tags in Gable, who continues working the arm.  The crowd is chanting “Gable” to the tune of Kurt Angle’s theme song.  It’s pretty great.  Murphy creates some space and tags in Blake but Gable is able to take both of them down and works the arm of Blake.  Blake reverses but Gable counters with a snapmare.  The two go back and forth running the ropes and Gable hits him with some gorgeous armdrags followed by a headscissors.  Gable is a machine!

Blake manages to tag out to Murphy and Gable armdrags him as well followed by a schoolboy for a two count.  Murphy leapfrogs over Gable and comes down hard on his knee.  He feigns injury and Blake takes out Gable while the ref is distracted. Murphy capitalizes and takes out the knee of Gable.  Blake and Murphy are firmly in control off of that distraction.Murphy continues working over Gable’s knee.  Gable manages to power out and launches Murphy over the rope.  He goes for the tag but Murphy tags Blake in and Blake stops him.  This only turns out to be temporary as Gable gets the hot tag to Jordan.  Jordan nails Blake and Murphy with dropkicks and hits a huge German suplex on Blake who lands on Murphy.  He follows this up with a big shoulder tackle into the corner on Blake.  Jordan and Gable hit their assisted slam finisher and Gable gets the three count for the win.  This was a great match and American Alpha continue their rise to the top of the NXT tag team ranks.

Emma and Dana Brooke are interviewed backstage.  Emma will be facing Carmella next week.  Dana says Carmella hasn’t done a thing in NXT and Emma says Carmella doesn’t have the skills to beat Bayley, let alone Emma.  Emma says Carmella has gotten lucky and next week her luck will run out.  Good promo work by Emma and Dana.

We get a video showing Asuka’s success in NXT and her feud with Dana Brooke and Emma.  Asuka is amazing and definitely the future of the NXT Women’s division.

Nia Jax vs. Liv Morgan

Nia is accompanied to the ring by Eva Marie.  Liv Morgan looked pretty good in the Battle Royale but I’m not sure we’ll be seeing much of her tonight.  Jax gets Morgan in an airplane spin.  Morgan tries to counter with a sunset flip and Jax slams her to the mat.  She then gets Morgan in a sleeper hold.  Morgan manages to counter with a jawbreaker and hits a couple dropkicks but Nia stays on her feet and tosses Morgan to the mat.  Nia hits a sidewalk slam followed by a big leg drop and the pin for the win.  Nia looked pretty good here.

Carmella, Enzo, and Cass give a promo backstage.  Carmella says she’ll beat Emma next week all by herself and that the Emmalution is a joke.  Enzo and Cass say they heard what Dash and Dawson said last week about them.  Enzo does his usual thing.  Pretty great as always.

Bull Dempsey vs. Alex Riley

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Bull Dempsey and it’s been even longer since we’ve seen Alex Riley.  Riley has been out with an injury and he looks pretty good.  Riley starts off with some big kicks to Dempsey.  Riley then backs him into the corner and nails him with a series of punches.  He then hits a neckbreaker and gets a two count on the pin attempt.  Riley doesn’t let off and gets Bull in a headlock.  Bull reverses and hits a series of lefts to the head of Riley but Riley surprises Bull with a huge spinebuster. Very impressive.  Riley then hits Bull with a big running knee and gets the three count.  This is definitely a different side of Alex Riley and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

After the break we get an interview in the locker room with Alex Riley.  He says he’s had a lot time on his hands and has contacted the office multiple times about his return but no one cares.  He complains that Sami Zayn had a much hyped up return but everyone is surprised to see him here.  Pretty good stuff.

Elias Samson vs. John Skyler

Poor Skyler didn’t even get a title card.  Samson hits some kicks and stomps to start things off.  No one seems to know what the deal is with Samson but I’m not sure why we’re supposed to care.  He plays the guitar and is a drifter.  Skyler attempts a comeback but Samson nails a knee to the side of the head and then hits his spinning neckbreaker finisher to get the pinfall.  I want to like Samson but so far he hasn’t shown us much of anything.  He’s not scary, that’s for sure.  The announcers are trying to say he’s scary and that’s not really working.

The Hype Bros are backstage and they talk about the Vaudevillains new videos which are dark and feature them just staring into the camera.  Mojo is wearing some amazing Zubaz.  They hype up their match with The Vaudevillains next week.  This wasn’t too bad and that’s saying a lot for these guys.  I think I might actually be warming up to them.  Maybe.

We are shown a recap of the great match between Apollo Crews and Finn Balor a couple months ago that was stopped by Baron Corbin.  Balor will take on Crews next week in a non-title rematch.  That should be great.

Baron Corbin vs. Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn (NXT Championship #1 Contender Match)

I am really surprised we haven’t seen Samoa Joe on the main roster yet but I guess they are biding their time.  Makes sense.  It looks like Joe and Corbin are going to double team Zayn but Corbin surprises Joe with a punch to the head.  Corbin tosses Zayn into Joe, knocking Joe out of the ring.  Corbin then works over Zayn but Zayn comes back with some forearms.  Corbin goes for a running attack but Zayn ducks and Corbin goes over the ropes and to the floor.  Zayn goes for a diving attack but is tripped up by Joe.  Joe and Zayn brawl on the outside.  Joe nails Corbin with a huge boot and then nails Zayn with a headbutt.  He tosses Zayn back into the ring and hits a series of fists in the corner.  Joe is looking great here, very fierce.  Joe and Zayn trade forearms.  Joe nails him with an uppercut and hits a snapmare followed by a chop to the back of the neck and a kick to the head.  Joe attempts a kneedrop to Zayn but Zayn rolls out of the way and hits a dropkick to the head.  Joe rolls out of the ring and Corbin surprises Zayn from behind.  He hits some stomps and punches on a grounded Zayn.  He follows this up with a toss into the turnbuckle as we go to a break.

When we come back from break Corbin has Zayn in the corner and lands a big punch.  Zayn comes back and then Joe takes down Corbin with a punch.  Joe and Zayn go at it and Sami takes him down with a big clothesline.  He then sends Corbin to the outside with another huge clothesline.  He then dives over the top rope and nails both Joe and Corbin.  Sami tosses Corbin back in the ring and goes for a spinning DDT but Corbin slams him to the mat.  Joe takes control, hitting Corbin with a boot to the face and then a senton on both Corbin and Zayn.  He nails a powerslam on Zayn and gets a near fall.

Joe drags Zayn to the corner and smashes his face into the turnbuckle.  He hits a series of strikes and then goes for the Muscle Buster.  Sami breaks free but Joe nails an enziguri.  Joe goes for the Muscle Buster again but Corbin breaks it up and then goes for a superplex on Zayn.  Zayn fights out of it and pushes Corbin off. He leapfrogs over Corbin and then nails him with the Blue Thunder Bomb.  Corbin manages to kick out and Zayn is winded against the ropes.  Joe comes from behind and drags Sami to the floor.  He gets Zayn in the Kokina Clutch on the ramp and Zayn is out.  Joe gets back in the ring and nails Corbin with a knee to the head in the corner.  Corbin goes for a running attack and Corbin counters with the End of Days.  Zayn dives back into the ring and breaks the pin.

An angry Corbin unloads on Sami Zayn in the corner.  He goes for a clothesline and Zayn counters with an exploder suplex.  Zayn then hits the Helluva Kick and goes for the pin but Joe breaks it up from the outside.  Joe and Zayn brawl on the outside and Zayn ends up throwing Joe into the ring steps.  Zayn gets back in the ring and goes after the downed Corbin.  Corbin tries to kick him from the ground but Zayn locks him in a Sharpshooter.  Corbin is almost to the ropes but Zayn drags him back into the middle of the ring.  Joe then runs in and gets Corbin in the crossface while Zayn still has the Sharpshooter locked in.  Corbin taps.  Both Joe and Zayn think they are the  winner. Regal comes down to try and sort things out.  Both Zayn and Joe argue their case with Regal.  Regal says he is going to have to go and review the tape. Joe says there is nothing to review and he leaves the ring in disgust.  It looks like we’ll find out Regal’s decision next week.  Great match and a great cliffhanger ending to the show.  I really dug it.

Brendo’s NXT Recap – 1/20/16

Leave a reply

Tonight should be a great episode as Johnny Gargano takes on Samoa Joe in the Main Event.  It is great to see Gargano receiving a high profile singles match as his first NXT match of 2016.  We start off the show with a bang as Sami Zayn makes his in-ring return to Full Sail.

Sami Zayn vs. Adam Rose

I’m still bummed that WWE didn’t really do anything with Adam Rose after his amazing ESPN profile.  He does get a good response from the Full Sail crowd as he spent quite a lot of time here.  Zayn and Rose start off by exchanging wristlocks.  Rose resorts to a choke to get out of the hold but Zayn comes right back with an armdrag .  We get some chain wrestling and Zayn drops Rose with a dropkick to the head.  Rose goes back on offense, hitting Zayn with a barrage of punches and then taunts the crowd.  He hits a knee drop and a clothesline followed by a flying knee drop for a two count.  He continues working Zayn over.  Zayn shows some fire and tries to mount a comeback out of the corner but Rose shuts it down.  Rose hits a flying headbutt for another two count.  Rose is looking good and showing some aggression we don’t normally see from him on the main roster.  Zayn seems to be biding his time and reverses a Rose clothesline into the Koji Clutch.  Rose taps out and Zayn gets the win.  This was a decent match and we are reminded that next week we will see Zayn vs. Joe vs. Corbin for the #1 Contender spot.

Rich is backstage with Johnny Gargano and asks Johnny if he’s ready for tonight’s match.  Johnny gives a great promo saying Joe is a bully and the best way to deal with a bully is to walk up to him and punch him in the nose.  He uses the Johnny Wrestling moniker and shows a lot of confidence.  Nicely done, Johnny.

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan give a promo expressing their disappointment in not even being nominated for the Tag Team of the Year award.  They challenge Blake & Murphy, who were nominated, to a match next week.  These guys are great.  Jordan has finally found his niche in teaming with Gable.  They announce their new team name, The American Alpha.  I can dig it.

Tye Dillinger vs. Apollo Crews

It’s pretty amazing that the “Perfect 10” gimmick is super over even though Tye loses almost all his matches. Apollo is on a whole different level, though.  He continues to build momentum and his fanbase.  They lock up and neither wrestler gains control as Drake breaks them up in the corner.  Tye gains control with a wristlock and maintains control through some chain grapples.  He gets the crowd going with his 10 taunts on Crews.  Crews hits his huge suspended suplex.  Awesome move.  Dilling ends up on the outside and hits Crews on the apron.  Crews falls outside and Dillinger hits a nice looking dive.  He tosses Crews back in the ring and hits his knee smash finisher but Crews kicks out at two.  Apollo comes back out of the corner with a big spear and then hits an enziguri to the back of the neck.  He follows this up with his sit-out powerbomb finisher and gets the pin.  Both of these guys looked good here.

Apollo gets on the mic and says he wants to finish what he started with Finn Balor.  He knows he hasn’t earned a title match but he wants a one-on-one match with Finn.  Balor and Apollo had a great match a couple months ago that ended in a DQ due to interference from Baron Corbin.  What we got was great and this could be even better.

Blake, Murphy, and Alexa get interviewed.  Alexa says she is not happy after their performance in London.  I’m not a huge Blake and Murphy fan but I think they’ve shown an insane amount of improvement since their start at the bottom of the roster. Alexa says she’ll be teaming up with Emma against Bayley and Carmella tonight.

During the break there is a trailer for The Condemned 2 with Randy Orton and then a short teaser promo for The Vaudevillains indicating perhaps a more serious turn for the duo.  We then see photos from NXT’s live show in Milwaukee this past weekend where Kevin Owens showed up to face off with Sami Zayn.  That must have been pretty cool.

Baron Corbin vs. Rich Swann

YES!  Rich Swann makes his TV debut!  Swann is one of my favorite wrestlers and I think he has a bright future ahead.  I don’t have high hopes for this match but I hope Swann at least gets some offense in.  Swann’s still got his sweet wing trunks!  Some big “All Night Long” chants for Swann.  Awesome.  Swann hits some kicks  but Corbin slams him to the mat.  Swann hits another kick out of the corner and then dodges Corbin with a sweet flip.  He takes a crazy bump off a backdrop.  Corbin whips Swann into the corner and he lands hard.  He then gets Swann in a headlock and Swann flips out of it.  Great headscissors by Swann and some nice looking dropkicks.  Swann hits a superkick and gets a two count.  Lots of great offense by Swann here and he is looking great.  He goes to the top rope but Corbin gets up.  Swann jumps over him but Corbin has it scouted and nails him with the End of Days and gets the pinfall. Great debut for Swann.

Rich interviews Carmella and Bayley.  Carmella says that she is excited for her upcoming championship match with Bayley but tonight the focus is on their match with Emma and Alexa Bliss.  They’re interrupted by Dash and Dawson who congratulate Carmella on her Battle Royale win but tell her that just like her boys Enzo and Cass, she can’t win when it counts.  Carmella goes after Dash and Dawson but Bayley holds her back, telling her to take it out on Emma and Alexa tonight.

Bayley and Carmella vs. Emma and Alexa Bliss

Emma is accompanied by Dana Brooke.  Alexa and Emma have some words before the match but it seems like they are going to cooperate.  Bayley is probably the most over wrestler on the roster.  Emma knocks Carmella out of the ring and Emma and Alexa double team Bayley before the bell even rings.  Carmella gets back in and breaks it up.  Bayley is selling her ribs but starts the match off.  Emma and Alexa gain control quickly with quick tags and double team moves.Bayley tries to mount a comeback against Alex but Alexa continues to work over the ribs.  Bayley creates some space and hits a diving attack off the top rope.  Alexa gets the hot tag to Emma who takes out Carmella before Bayley can make the tag.  Bayley surprises Emma with a flurry of offense but Dana Brooke distracts Bayley and Alexa nails Bayley from the apron.  Alexa tags in and hits her with a series of shoulderblocks into the corner.  She tags Emma in who hits a double underhook suplex for a near fall.  Bayley manages to fight out of the corner and gets a hot tag to Carmella.  A fired up Carmella hits a headscissors and then a Bronco Buster.  Emma tries to jump in but Carmella tosses her to the outside.  She then gets Alexa in her leglock submission for the tapout win.  Carmella looked great here.

Rich interviews Balor regarding the challenge from Apollo Crews.  Balor says he accepts Apollo’s challenge and they will find out who the better man is.  Johnny Gargano vs. Samoa Joe is next and the commentators are really doing a good job building up Gargano and treating this match seriously.

Johnny Gargano vs. Samoa Joe

Great reception for Gargano and he looks like he belongs here in the Main Event.  People love to crap on WWE but Hunter really is doing some amazing work in NXT.  Even a year ago I probably wouldn’t have believed you if you told me we would be seeing Gargano vs. Joe in a WWE ring.  The future is very bright even if only a small fraction of these guys make it big on the main roster.  Joe is slow to obey the count in the corner multiple times.  Johnny surprises him with some forearms but Joe tackles him to the mat.  Gargano dodges a charging attack and hits him with a kick.  Joe goes to the outside to take a breather.  Gargano goes for an apron attack but Joe sweeps his leg to take him out.  Joe  throws him back in the ring and hits a barrage of punches followed by a big dropkick in the corner.  Gargano tires to come back with some chops but Joe nails him with a combination of kicks and then hits a running kick to knock Gargano out of the ring.  Joe hangs back and Gargano narrowly avoids a countout.  Gargano hits a series of elbows and dodges a backfist from Joe to hit an enziguri.  Gargano gets tossed to the apron but then hits a jumping DDT on Joe and gets a two count.  Joe dodges a running attack into the corner by Gargano and nails him with a kick to the head followed by the Kokina Clutch to finish off Gargano.  Joe looked very strong here but Johnny looked great as well.

This was a great episode.  I enjoyed it more than last week’s as we saw matches building up to next week’s big triple threat match between Joe, Zayn, and Corbin.  Rich Swann had a strong debut and Carmella looked great in the build to her match with Bayley.