WWE NXT
Episode 402
#WWENXT
Original Air Date: July 19, 2017
Event Date: June 23, 2017
City: Winter Park, FL
Venue: Full Sail University
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness
Ring Announcer: Mike Rome
Intro Video
“Resistance” by Powerflo
Match 1
Ember Moon vs Ruby Riot
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: Ember Moon wins via pinfall after The Eclipse
Time: 8:17 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. Both women looked great in this one. I really enjoyed the start of this match where they had a nice chain of pin attempts before moving on to some more impactful moves. I think the first half of the match was better than the second half, but it was very good overall.
Backstage
Earlier today, Hideo Itami confronted Kassius Ohno about setting up a match between the two of them. Itami is not happy about it.
Video
The Street Profits dance on an NXT truck. Also, they’re coming soon.
Match 2
Oney Lorcan vs Danny Burch
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: Oney Lorcan wins via submission with a single leg Boston Crab
Time: 4:36
Match Thoughts
It wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty fun to watch. It started off alright, but after a certain point when Lorcan slapped Burch bloody the match got quite interesting. The moves both of these guys pulled off didn’t look particularly nice, but that helped to give the match a feeling that these guys just wanted to beat the crap out of each other. This was a fight more than a match, and I like that about it.
Ring Area
Lorcan offers his hand to Burch after the match. Burch shakes his hand, but he calls for one more match between the two of them. Lorcan likes the idea, so we’ll get to see this match-up at least one more time in the future.
Match 3
No Way Jose vs Cezar Bononi
(referee: Tom Castor)
Result: No Way Jose wins via pinfall after a Fastball Punch
Time: 2:09
Match Thoughts
This was okay. It was kind of a squash which was slightly surprising given Bononi’s win over Almas from a few weeks ago.
Ring Area
Andrade Almas enters the ring after the match and attacks Bononi. He’s seemingly being encouraged in his attack by Thea Trinidad (who still hasn’t been named on television yet). No Way Jose runs back down to the ring, but Almas and Trinidad leave through the crowd before Jose can get to them.
Match 4
NXT Title Number One Contender Match
Drew McIntyre vs Killian Dain
(referee: Darryl Sharma)
Result: Drew McIntyre wins via pinfall after a Future Shock DDT and two Claymore kicks and will go on to face Bobby Roode for the NXT Title at Takeover: Brooklyn III
Time: 10:35 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Good match. The pace was fairly methodical, and the moves were heavy and strong. This was a good battle of two big guys. I don’t think anyone was surprised that McIntyre looked good here, but Dain came off especially strong as well. It was a good match for Dain’s credibility, though I sometimes question the method of building a guy up by having him under-sell moves like he did towards the end of this match. Yeah, it works, but it feels a little cheap sometimes.
Show Impressions
I really liked this show. It was packed with matches, and with the exception of the extremely short Jose/Bononi match, they were all good and interesting in different ways. Good variety, and good action on this show.
Match of the Night
Ember Moon vs Ruby Riot
Like I mentioned, the matches on this show were good for different reasons, but I think I personally enjoyed this match the most.