February 24, 2016
Episode 322
(taped January 22, 2016)
#WWENXT
City: Orlando, FL
Venue: CFE Arena
Commentary: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton
Intro Video
“Roar of the Crowd” by CFO$
Match 1
American Alpha vs Blake & Murphy w/ Alexa Bliss
(referee: Danilo Anfibio)
Result: Gable pins Blake after Grand Amplitude
Time: 10:15 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
This was a really good match. Very solid from both teams, although American Alpha definitely looked like the stronger of the two. American Alpha completely dominated the first half of the match. Blake and Murphy managed to isolate Gable for a while later, but once Jordan got the tag it was pretty much all over.
Backstage
William Regal announces that Sami Zayn will face Samoa Joe in a two-out-of-three falls match in two weeks to determine the number one contender for the NXT title. He also teases that a new superstar will debut next week, but he doesn’t say who it is.
Video
A black and white promo for Elias Samson as he plays guitar, sings, and does stuff in the ring.
Match 2
Apollo Crews vs Christopher Girard
(referee: Shawn Bennet)
Result: Apollo Crews wins via pinfall after a spin-out powerbomb
Time: 5:11
Match Thoughts
A so-so match. It wasn’t very exciting. Girard, described as a combination of Gillberg and Gollum by Corey Graves, was very aggressive to start, but then put Crews in a rear chin lock or an extended period of time which allowed Crews to build momentum from his escape. That momentum led to the finish.
Backstage
Alex Reyes asks Bayley and Carmella about teaming up to facing Nia Jax and Eva Marie tonight. Carmella eventually wants another shot at the title, but tonight is about making Jax and Marie pay for getting involved after the previous title match. Bayley is also glad that Asuka helped out, but says that it’s obvious that she also wants a shot at the title.
Video
Exclusive WWE.com footage of Enzo Amore being attacked by Dash and Dawson as he arrived at the WWE Performance Center.
Match 3
Tommaso Ciampa vs Bull Dempsey
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Ciampa wins via pinfall with a bridging Fujiwara armbar
Time: 4:16
Match Thoughts
A pretty good match. Dempsey was fun in the beginning, struggling to get his shirt off and getting Ciampa to do jumping jacks. Then Ciampa took over and aggressively attacked Dempsey’s arm which led to the finish. A brief match, but not bad at all.
Backstage
Samoa Joe isn’t surprised by Regal’s announcement. He thinks it’s a shame for Sami Zayn since he’ll now have to suffer twice as much.
Backstage
Sami Zayn tells Alex Reyes that he’s ready for another match with Joe.
Match 4
Nia Jax & Eva Marie vs Carmella & Bayley (NXT Women’s Champ)
(referee: Drake Wuertz)
Result: Eva Marie pins Carmella after three leg drops from Nia Jax
Time: 8:20 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
An okay match. It did what it needed to do. This seemed to be more about building tension in relationships than anything else. Carmella seemed to be in the ring the most for her team, and Nia Jax pretty much did whatever she wanted to do. She was definitely the most dominant person here.
Backstage
William Regal informs Finn Balor that his title reign is approaching the all-time record. That being the case, he has set up a match next week for Balor with the current record holder, Neville. Balor looks forward to it.
Show Impressions
This was a pretty average show. Nothing terrible, but nothing really great either. The best match was the first one, but the others were okay. Next week sounds good with a debut and an exciting main event, and the week after that sounds good with Joe vs Zayn 2-out-of-3 falls, but this week was just alright.
Match of the Night
American Alpha vs Blake & Murphy
Pretty easily the best match. American Alpha is on a huge roll, but Blake and Murphy helped to make the match very entertaining. No surprises here, but some solid tag team wrestling for sure.