411’s WWE NXT Report 1.27.16

Welcome everyone to another NXT Report! Once this is done, I’ll be switching to the El Rey Network and watching Lucha Underground. Expect a review of that coming tomorrow.

Instant hype for the Number One Contender’s main event.

American Alpha vs. Blake and Murphy w/ Alexa Bliss

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan continue to be insanely over. “American Alpha” chants. Murphy starts with Jordan and catches his kick. He tries to sweep the leg but Jordan just hops over it, despite being on one foot. Impressive. He hits a suplex for two and goes to work on the arm. Tag to Gable who takes over the arm work to the delight of the fans. Blake comes in but also gets worked over. Gable knocks Murphy off the apron. Blake has a strange man bun going. He shoulder blocks Gable down,  Gable leap frogs over and Blake flips over him, celebrating. Gable is right back up with a sweet arm drag. He also hits a nice head scissors and the tag comes to Murphy. Gable just spins around him and takes him over. Man, he’s impressive. Murphy does a drop down and seems to have injured his knee. Things come to a halt as the official checks on him. Blake sneaks in but gets leveled by Gable. Murphy magically heals and charges at Gable, taking out the knee. The former champions make like Dash and Dawson and split the ring in half, focusing on the knee. On one leg, Gable is able to send Murphy away and nearly tag Jordan. Blake stops him but he still leaps and makes the tag. Jordan does his hot tag thing. Dropkicks and suplexes for everyone. The highlight is a belly to belly that sends Blake onto Murphy. Running shoulder thrust in the corner and they nail the assisted back suplex finisher.

Winners: American Alpha in 7:22

Fun tag team match here. Gable and Jordan are just so much fun. I say it every time but it remains true. Those guys have stumbled upon something special. **3/4

Emma and Dana Brooke are interviewed about losing to BayMella last week. They put over how Bayley did it all and say that Carmella doesn’t have the skill to beat Bayley or Emma. Dana mentions that she beat Bayley before while Carmella has lost to Blue Pants. “BADA BING, UNLUCKIEST CHICK IN THE RING”. Dana pats the interviewer on the head and can’t even remember his name.

Corey Graves recaps Sami Zayn showing up in the Royal Rumble.

A special look at Asuka comes now. It’s just highlights of her NXT run so far.

Nia Jax w/ Eva Marie vs. Liv Morgan

Remember when we took Nia seriously? Then she tapped out. Then, weeks later, she wasn’t allowed to compete because she was still hurt. Nia literally just tosses Liv around. She then applies a cobra clutch like move, wrenching it on Liv. Liv breaks it with a jawbreaker. Two dropkicks set Nia stumbling and Liv tries the choke that Bayley used to beat Nia. Nia just throws her off. She catches her again with a side slam. A leg drop ends it.

Winner: Nia Jax in 2:11

Technically fine, but she needs a relevant win to seem important again.

Carmella talks backstage and says that she heard what Emma and Dana said. She promises to beat Emma next week. Enzo and Cass are behind her, in serious mode still. Cass is pissed that they made jokes and ran their mouths to Carmella last week. Enzo says that he didn’t have a merry Christmas because he doesn’t have the belts. He says they’re stars and Dash and Dawson are average.

A Baron Corbin vignette airs.

After a commercial, another Vaudevillains vignette airs. They’re heels again.

Alex Riley v.s Bull Dempsey

Bull has new music. Oh god, I am no Alex Riley fan. Riley instantly goes to work in the corner. Commentary puts over how this is a different side of Riley. Even more rage? Riley hits a neckbreaker for two and works a chin lock. Bull rallies with the Bull punches but charges into a spinebuster. Running knee form Riley wins it.

Winner: Alex Riley in 2:03

He’s back and as bland as ever. That finisher was weak too.

Alex Riley cuts a promo backstage. I apologize but things got loud in my house and I missed the gist of it. I would rewind but with LU next and me not having a DVR, I’m pressed for time.

Elias Sampson vs. John Skyler

Corey Graves shits all over Sampson before the bell. He dropkicks Skylar and then stomps away on him in the corner. He follows with some aggressive uppercuts. Sampson hits a falling punch, which looked odd, before sitting in the corner. Commentary just keeps saying that he doesn’t have anything that NXT needs. That’s an odd call. He hits a jumping knee that looks miles better than the one Riley hit. A neckbreaker earns him a win.

Winner: Elias Sampson in 1:56

Ho hum. I’ve still yet to be impressed with his in-ring work.

The Hype Bros cut a promo backstage, playing up their same old dynamic. Mojo goes clubbing and gets chicks, Ryder is the more serious one. Mojo is wearing some ridiculous pants. Mojo ends up saying that he watches Zack sleep. Because he has his back. They face the Vaudevillains next week.

A recap is shown of Balor/Crews from two months ago. They meet in a rematch next week.

Number One Contender’s Match: Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe

The crowd pretty much sings along to the beat of Sami Zayn’s theme. It’s great. The three men size each other up, not looking to make the first move. Sami gets backed in a corner but Corbin levels Joe isntead. He sends Sami into Joe before clobbering him with shots in the corner. Zayn uses Corbin’s momentum against him and he falls over the top. Sami goes to dive but Joe trips him up. He pulls him outside to light him up with a chop. Joe runs around and hits a big boot on Corbin. He sends Sami inside and they trade blows. Sami looks to get the upper hand, but gets taken out by Corbin. Corbin continues to pound away on him. He sens Sami into the corner hard before a commercial. Coming back, nothing has changed. Sami gets an elbow and foot up on a charging Corbin. Then Joe takes him out before laying into Sami with big shots. Sami powers up with a clothesline, sending Joe to recover outside. Sami ducks a clothesline from Corbin and sends him out before front flipping out onto both of them. Inside, Sami runs into a spinning slam from Corbin for two. Joe is in, with an atomic drop and kick to Corbin. He drop toe holds Sami onto Baron before sentoning onto both. Joe snaps off a powerslam on Sami for two. Joe sends Sami into the corner and Sami sells it better than anyone I’ve ever seen. It really seems like Joe is killing him. Joe looks for the Muscle Buster but Sami fights him off only to eat an enziguri. Corbin breaks up the Muscle Buster. Sami comes off the top and leaps over Corbin before hitting an impressive Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. With Sami resting on the bottom rope, Joe locks him in the Coquina Clutch. He pulls him outside and chokes him out. Running knee from Joe but he runs into the End of Days! Impressive! Sami is alive and breaks up the pin. A pissed Corbin just lays into Sami with multiple corner clotheslines. He screams a lot. Sami catches him charging with the corner exploder. Sami hits the Helluva kick but Joe pulls him off. Joe chops Sami on the outside but goes shoulder first into the steps. Inside, Smai goes after Corbin who kicks away. Sami locks him in a sharpshooter! Joe slides back in and puts Corbin in a crossface! Baron taps.

Winners: Not Baron Corbin in 12:34

A confusing finish but a really fun match. The action never stopped, it was smartly worked and there were multiple near falls that really had me on the edge of my seat. The best match on NXT so far this year. William Regal shows up and says that he will have to review the tape.