July 13, 2016
Episode 344
(taped June 24, 2016)
#WWENXT
City: Winter Park, FL
Venue: Full Sail University
Commentary: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves
Ring Announcer: Greg Hamilton
Video
Buildup clips for Balor versus Nakamura.
Intro Video
“Roar of the Crowd” by CFO$
Ring Area
Samoa Joe heads to the ring. He’s here for a few reasons. One: Balor vs Nakamura. He feels disrespected by the assumption that the winner of that match will automatically be the number one contender for his title. He reminds everyone that he has already slew the demon, and that he is the emperor of strong style. Rhyno then decides to interrupt. Rhyno gets in Joe’s face, but Joe just smiles and walks away. He’ll do things on his time.
Video
More clips leading up to Balor versus Nakamura, including comments from Triple H, Tye Dillinger, Jason Jordan, Neville, and Chad Gable.
Match 1
Finn Balor vs Shinsuke Nakamura
(referee: Drake Wuertz)
Result: Shinsuke Nakamura wins via pinfall after Kinshasa
Time: 18:23 (2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
Really great match. One of NXT’s classics. It was interesting to see Balor go after Nakamura’s knee with some borderline dirty moves. It showed how much he wanted to win. I also really liked the post-match actions. It made for a good passing of the torch.
Show Impressions
This is one of those one-match episodes that makes NXT so memorable when everything comes together. If this is Balor’s last match in NXT, which seems likely, it’s a good one to go out on.
Match of the Night
Balor vs Nakamura
Obviously.