WWE NXT House Show Results 4.18.15 – Jacksonville, Florida

Credit: Ross Blair and Prowrestling.net

Living a couple hours from the Florida line (Savannah, Georgia), I took advantage of a unique experience known as “NXT Live” this past weekend. I’ve made the trip for Evolve last August and have been anxiously awaiting Evolve’s return to Jacksonville (which Gabe Sapolsky told me has been targeted but hasn’t come to fruition yet). Thus I have (ironically enough) turned to the ‘ol WWE for my indy wrestling fix upon searching the web and seeing folks like Kevin Steen/Owens, KENTA/Hideo Itami, and El Generico/Sami Zayn scheduled to appear.

The setting was the Maxwell Snyder Armory in Jacksonville on Saturday. Not surprisingly, this was a really fun show. About 150 boisterous fans (a likely sellout as I failed to see one empty seat) packed the small venue, where apparently NXT cards have been a regular event for a couple years now. This was clearly an audience of hardcore fans, with clues such as dozens of t-shirts from various indy promotions and the fact that I got about at least a dozen compliments on my NJPW shirt. In comparison, I got merely one compliment from the thousands in attendance while wearing the same shirt at the last WWE house show at the Savannah Civic Center.

Another clue was the fact that popular indy wrestler-turned-NXT referee Drake Younger/Wuertz was as over as the active roster. Loud chants of “thank you Drake” occurred at the conclusion of each match he officiated. Incidentally, I had a chance meeting with Drake this evening and asked if he would don the tights again. “I don’t want to, buddy,” was his response, apparently content with no longer having to put his body on the line to make a living. Makes sense for a guy known for his death match style. His last match was one year ago (4/12/14), winning the prestigious Best of the Best XIII tourney for the infamously brutal CZW promotion.

The NXT live events are a bit different in that the WWE advertises a few top names that will be appearing, but the actual card is unknown until the participants appear across the ring from each other. This actually enhanced the show as it created anticipation and a pop for every single performer when their music hit, proving this crowd was a fan of all NXT talent.

1. Solomon Crowe defeated Chad Gable in the opener. Not a bad match. A treat for me, being a “Sami Callahan” fan.

2. Jason Jordan defeated Bull Dempsey in a decent match.

3. Bayley & Carmella defeated Becky Lynch & Dana Brooke. Bayley was clearly the most over in this match.

4. Sami Zayn pinned Baron Corbin in a **1/2 match after the helluva kick. Zayn reached his hand out to Corbin after the finish, who left him hanging to draw some heel heat. Kevin Owens, with his NXT belt over his shoulder, then appeared from the back to mock Zayn for attempting to shake hands with Corbin after a heated battle. “If you think you are ever going to take this (holds up belt) away from me by acting this way, think again because THAT is pathetic. Sami, YOU are pathetic.” Owens also addressed “the pathetic people of Jacksonville” that hollered for him to “go back to Canada” before bragging about the “injury” that kept Zayn off TV for a bit. Zayn responded by challenging Owens to a match. Owens simply responded “no” and walked to the back.

5. NXT Women’s Champ Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte via submission in a *** non-title match. Lot of whoos here, from both Charlotte and the crowd. Tied with the main event for best match of the night.

6. NXT Tag Champs Blake & Murphy defeated The Vaudevillains via screw job when Blake held Gotch’s leg as Murphy got the pinfall. The Vaudevillains and their comedy act were over huge as the babyfaces here. The champs came out wearing lighted-up masks (house lights were dimmed to enhance this) which looked pretty cool.

7. Tye Dillinger defeated Mojo Rawley. Big pops for both entrances, again proving this crowd was behind every NXT superstar. About a dozen people in the crowd held up signs with the number zero on it to taunt Tye “The Perfect 10” Dillinger, who holds up a sign with the number ten on it as part of his gimmick.

8. Hideo Itami defeated Tyler Breeze via pinfall in a *** match. Excellent match and great to see both guys in this setting, as either could be called up at any time.

The souvenir stand surprisingly mirrored that of a main WWE live event in that NXT has a full line of merchandise out. Among the T-shirts for sale were for Sami Zayn, The Vaudevillains, Sasha Banks, Lucha Dragons, Baron Corbin, Adrian Neville, Enzo Amore, and Bayley. Other items included Zayn wristbands, a Tyler Breeze iPhone case, an Enzo/SAWFT necklace, and a replica NXT belt. The gimmick they’ve been running prior to this show where Kevin Owens threatens to leave if fans don’t buy his T-shirt must have been doing well as his shirts were sold out here. Also sold out were Finn Balor and Charlotte shirts. Hideo Itami shirts are coming soon, according to the vendor.

Tickets went on sale during intermission for NXT’s return to this venue on May 7. I definitely plan on attending future shows. Not only are tickets dirt cheap ($10-$20…which also includes a free meet and greet an hour before bell time for the first 100 people), but I’m excited at the thought of eventually seeing two of my favorites, Uhaa Nation and Samoa Joe, in the mix. Speaking of Uhaa, he was apparently backstage at this show as a photo appeared on Twitter of him riding with some of the crew to the Armory. By the way, his new Twitter handle is “One Man Nation”. That must be his WWE name going forward.

I’d also like to check out the Jacksonville-based indy group USWA/United States Wrestling Alliance, who also run regular shows at the Jacksonville Armory and have an event slated for May 9. Their roster includes Hall of Famer Larry Zbyszko’s 32-year-old son Tim Zbyszko, tag champs Los Ben Dejos, Kameron Kade, and Aaron Epic.

I’m also considering a trip about two hours further to Orlando, which has become a hotbed for pro wrestling these days. In addition to being the hometown of the WWE Performance Center, it’s a regular stop for Evolve, WWE, NXT, and other indy groups. The main draw for me is TNA, however. Not only is it currently the only place to see TNA live, but they have a very attractive package to do so. You could 1.) be admitted for free general admission or 2.) pay $75 for early admission (likely ringside) for all 4 upcoming shows plus meet and greets before each show. Not a bad deal!