WWE NXT Results – 4/22/15: Owens vs. Riley II
– WWE NXT Results – 4/22/15 | Full Sail University | Winter Park, FL | Commentators: Rich Brennan, Corey Graves
– Finn Balor vs. Tye Dillinger
The crowd loves Balor and informs Dillinger of this with a warning chant of “Balor’s gonna kill you.” The bell rings and we get some chain wrestling and reversals until Balor nails Dillinger with a dropkick. Dillinger comes back with a forearm and follows it up with chops in the corner.
Balor reverses his fortunes with a running chop of hos own. Balor comes back with a Pele Kick, Slingblade and a Shogun Dropkick, sending Dillinger crashing into the turnbuckles. Balor gives the high sign, climbs to the top and delivers the Coup De Grace for the win.
After the match, Tyler Breeze cuts into the festivities on the big screen, calls Balor the flavor of the month and proclaims it’s time for him to bump into someone who has been dominating NXT in Prince Pretty.
Winner: Finn Balor
– Dana Brooke is interviewed backstage and called her debut last week the birth of the NXT Women’s division and that NXT is her playground. It seems like creative has confidence in Brooke and will probably be in the spotlight sooner than later.
– Kevin Owens is asked about his match tonight with Alex Riley. In typical Owens fashion, he is more concerned with the temperature in the building and getting a Coke since he beat Riley the first time. Owens hopes that Riley will find his table and headset after he beats him, again.
– Triple Threat #1 Contenders Match – Charlotte vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch:
Even though it’s the second match of the show, there is a big fight feel that augments the vibe going into the bout. The bell rings with all three ladies circling each other. Lynch gets double teamed for a couple of minutes with Charlotte and Bayley trading pins on her.
Lynch is out of the equation for now and Charlotte whips Bayley around the ring with the figure four headlock. Lynch gets back into the ring and hits Charlotte with a T-bone suplex and admires her handy work and decides to stomp out Bayley in the corner.
Lynch unloads with a few leg drops on Bayley while taunting the crowd. Lynch goes after Bayley’s injured left knee, which has been her Kryptonite as of late. Bayley trips up Lynch, but that only delays things. Lynch ties her up in a submission hold until Charlotte comes out of nowhere with Natural Selection.
Bayley breaks up the pin and in return, Charlotte hits her injured knee. Charlotte attempts a superplex, but breaks it up by sending Charlotte crashing to the canvas. Lynch goes for her own superplex attempt, but Charlotte saves Bayley by placing Lynch on her shoulders and the duo delivers a flying clothesline/powerbomb combo to the delight of the crowd.
Bayley hits Charlotte with a T-bone suplex and delivers a Bayley to Belly on Lynch for a close near fall. Charlotte locks up Bayley in the figure four leg lock. Bayley gets to the ropes, but there is no break and Corey Graves explains that there are no rope breaks in Triple Threat matches. (I didn’t know that was a rule?!?!)
Charlotte bridges to turn the move into the figure eight, but doesn’t see Lynch as she covers Bayley for the 1-2-3. This is an upset for sure, but her title bout with Sasha Banks should be a good one considering their history.
Winner and new #1 Contender: Becky Lynch
– Hideo Itami vs. CJ Parker:
With this being Parker’s last match in NXT, the commentators made no bones about mentioning his many losses in a row and predict that Itami will keep his losing streak going even before the bell rings.
Itami picks up the pace early with a knee to the gut and a running kick to the chest. Parker hangs him out to dry and delivers a vertical suplex. Parker gets cocky and pays for it with a leg lariat from Itami followed by a delayed dropkick in the corner and the Shotgun Kick for the pin.
Winner: Hideo Itami
– Sasha Banks bumps into Beck Lynch in the locker room, mockingly congratulates her on becoming the #1 contender, and tells her she doesn’t have a chance. Lynch points at the championship belt and says silver isn’t Sasha’s color and that it looks disgusting on the champ. Banks mocks her accent, claims she made Lynch, and says she will find out why they call her the BOSS.
– Rhyno vs. Jesus de Leon
Full Sail was primed for “The Man Beast” with a mixture of “Rhyno’s Gonna Kill You” and “ECW” chants. This match was nothing more than a quick reminder that Rhyno is still a force to be reckoned with in NXT. Clothesline, belly to belly suplex, and the Gore is all it took.
Winner: Rhyno
– Blake and Murphy sing to Carmella until the Jersey Boys run them off. They are none too happy with Carmella for wearing the jewelry that was given to her a couple of weeks ago by Blake and Murphy.
– NXT Champion Kevin Owens vs. Alex Riley (non-title):
They trade punches early until Riley gets the better of the exchange and delivers a standing dropkick that sends Owens out of the ring. Riley goes for a baseball slide dropkick, but Owens moves, kicks him low, grabs the hair, and whips the back of his head onto the entrance ramp.
Back in the ring, Owens puts the boots to Riley, and hits a senton for a two count. Riley comes back with a kick to the gut, clothesline, and a jumping back elbow into the corner. Riley is on a roll and connects with the Moonlight Drive for another two count.
Riley climbs to the top, but Owens shakes the ropes, causing him to crash to the canvas. Owens hits a running clothesline in the corner and follows it up with the cannonball. Owens is beside himself and sends Riley into the ropes for the Pop-Up Powerbomb for the three count.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Owens walks across Riley, celebrates his win, and throws him outside of the ring. Owens pretends he is going to leave, then jets back to Riley and is about to Powerbomb him on the apron until Sami Zayn runs out and make the save.
Owens and Zayn trade punches until a sea of referees try to break it up. That doesn’t work as multiple wrestlers come out and separate the two. Zayn gets in the ring, climbs to the top rope, and hits a somersault dive that takes out Owens and everyone else who tried to break up the brawl.
Zayn has the crowd in the palm of his hand while Owens retreats up the ramp, crawling on his knees while looking back at the ring with a look of shock on his face while Zayn stands tall to end the show.
Thoughts:
Carmella hasn’t gotten over one lick since she made her NXT debut. On paper, she compliments the Jersey Boys act of Big Cass and Enzo Amore but she hasn’t been able to make it work. It seems like a heel turn is coming, and hopefully that works out better for her.
I really enjoy how they are booking Alex Riley right now. He still has some ring rust to knock off, but does enough to hold his own against Kevin Owens. If Riley is destined for a main roster return, they need to do something different with him, and or have a good story planned since no one cared about him after his feud with The Miz ended.
Kevin Owens is a tremendous heel. He doesn’t look like the prototypical WWE wrestler, but that is what makes him stand out. I’m not sure if his act will translate well on the main roster, but it’s all in how he is presented.
CJ Parker, May The Forrest Be With You.