WWE NXT #390 (5.3.17) Play-by-Play and Review

WWE NXT #390 (05.03.17) Play-by-Play and Review

You can scroll to the end for a TLDR recap of the show.

TakeOver Chicago is coming up on May 20. Headlining the show tonight: Hideo Itami versus Kona Reeves and the Women’s #1 Contender battle royal.

Match #1: Killian Dain v. Danny Burch

It’s only Killian Dain and Eric Young tonight for SAnitY. Burch goes right at Dain, but Dain is mostly unfazed. Dain finally cuts off a brief attempt at offense with a rolling fireman’s carry slam into a running senton. I think that may be called the Belfast Blitz. Dain hits four big elbow drops, but Burch catches him with a back elbow and a kick to the head.

Burch hits a drop kick off the second rope and nips up, but Dain never went down. Dain chases Burch down and hits a running drop kick into the corner. Dain scores with the One-Winged Angel and that’s good for the win.

Winner: Killian Dain via pinfall

Thoughts: I’m not sure how to interpret that match or where Alexander Wolfe is during the taping. I assume Nikki Cross is storyline preparing for the battle royal. Is Dain getting a singles push already? That said, I’d like to call his finisher the Ulster Plantation, but I think the guy that invented it gets to name it, so I’m sticking with the One-Winged Angel. Plus, I’m a big Final Fantasy VII mark and I much prefer that name.

Vignette: A promo for the ‘Velveteen Dream’ is shown. I’m 99% sure it’s the silhouette of one Patrick Clark. It felt like one of those 1-900 hotline commercials from the 90s where you could call in for some phone sex with a presumably attractive woman.

Match#2: Heavy Machinery v. Ricardo Watts & Hector Kunsman

Watts looks terrified and gets run over by Dozovic. Knight gets a tag and does the double team spots with Dozovic and then their little chest bump. Knight hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and an avalanche in the corner. Dozovic picks up both guys and Knight jumps on his back to crush both of the jobbers. That’s the end of the match.

Post-Match, Knight is on the microphone and speaks while Dozovic yells. Knight calls out the Authors of Pain. Good luck, guys.

Winners: Heavy Machinery via pinfall

Thoughts: Meh, I’m just not a Heavy Machinery fan. The Full Sail crowd seems to be warming up to them, though. It seems like they may be the challengers to the Authors in Chicago. Or maybe not because #DIY kind of disputed that in a promo right after this.

Backstage: Bobby Roode is talking to Kona Reeves before his match with Hideo Itami.

Backstage: #DIY is backstage to respond to Heavy Machinery challenging the Authors. They’re still owed a one-on-one rematch with the Authors. They say the line to the tag titles starts behind #DIY. I’ll bet we have a Heavy Machinery versus #DIY #1 contender’s match in a week or two.

Match #3: Kona Reeves v. Hideo Itami

Kona attacks Itami from behind before the bell. The referee forces Reeves back to the corner to let Hideo recover before ringing the bell. After the bell, Reeves charges in and eats the buckle. He and Itami trade shots until Reeves takes over with a back elbow. Reeves starts to taunt Itami until Itami stands straight up and gets in his face.

Itami slaps the taste out of Kona’s mouth and scores with some clotheslines and several kicks. Itami strikes Kona in the face again and lays into him with brutal kicks in the corner. Itami hits a hesitation drop kick in the corner and nails Reeves with the GTS for the win.

Winner: Hideo Itami via pinfall

Thoughts: Decent tune-up match for Hideo. The added wrinkle to the story was Roode getting in Kona’s ear and presumably encouraging the attack from behind before the match. It’s pretty clear where we are headed for TakeOver Chicago.

Promo Video: Recap of Drew McIntyre’s NXT signing with brief clips of his first WWE run when he was presented initially as the next big thing.

Promo Video: Who is Roderick Strong? Part 2. There’s a big focus on his fiancé, the birth of their child, and his time in IPW and, of course, ROH. Another really great video that is worth going back to watch.

Backstage: Bobby Roode is in William Regal’s office watching the Roderick Strong video. Roode is ignoring it and texting on his phone, though. Regal announces that Roode’s opponent at TakeOver Chicago will be… the winner of Roderick Strong versus Hideo Itami next week. Hmm, interesting. I’m not sure I would beat either of those guys right now.

Match #4: #1 Contender’s Battle Royal: Lacey Evans v. Billie Kay v. Peyton Royce v. Nikki Cross v. Liv Morgan v. Sonya Deville v. Ruby Riot v. Aliyah v. Ember Moon v. Victoria Gonzalez v. Bianca Blair v. Rachael Evers (Ellering) v. Kimberly Frankele v. Sarah Bridges v. Candice LaRae

If Lacey Evans looks familiar, it’s because not even two months ago, she was Macey Estrella and was beaten so badly by Nikki Cross that she apparently lost her identity. Also, yes, that is Candice LaRae in there. It is typical battle royal action and no eliminations yet as we head into the commercial.

During the break, Peyton and Billie managed to eliminate Victoria Gonzalez, so we are down to 14. The Iconic Duo next eliminated Bianca Blair. Aliyah eliminates Rachael Evers next. The crowd is not pleased with Aliyah doing anything. Liv Morgan than eliminates Sarah Bridges with a drop kick to knock her off the apron. Immediately after, Peyton and Billie each eliminate Sonya Deville and Lacey Evans at the same time. Now it’s down to 9 women.

Ruby Riot reverses a powerbomb attempt and sends Kimberly Frankele to the floor with a hurricanrana. A big boot from Billie Kay eliminates Candice and the crowd voices their displeasure. Next, Nikki Cross eliminates Aliyah and she’s the new babyface momentarily. There’s a Thank You Nikki chant. Nikki Cross then throws Liv Morgan over, but she holds on. Cross peels her fingers back and Morgan falls to the floor. Ember Moon manages to fight out of a double team and eliminate Billie Kay. Peyton Royce shares her fate a few seconds later and we are down to Ruby Riot, Ember Moon, and Nikki Cross.

Moon, Cross, and Riot beat the hell out of each other for a few minutes. Ember Moon comes off the top rope with an Eclipse on Nikki Cross. She’s dead weight, though, and Moon can’t get her out. Riot tries to take advantage, but Moon obliterates her. Moon goes up for an Eclipse, but Asuka hits the ring and hurls Moon off the top. Asuka throws Moon into the corner/post, but Moon misses the post and basically flies headfirst out of the ring and into the guard rail. Holy sh*t!

Asuka ducks a Ruby Riot clothesline and takes her head off with a spinning heel kick. Asuka then hits a running basement drop kick to the face of Cross. Asuka then sprints out of the ring and backstage while officials check on the 3 women. William Regal angrily comes out on stage and says Asuka will defend the title in Chicago against Ruby Riot, Nikki Cross, and Ember Moon in a Fatal Four-Way.

Order of Elimination:

1. Victoria Gonzalez by Billie Kay & Peyton Royce
2. Bianca Blair by Billie Kay & Peyton Royce
3. Rachael Evers by Aliyah
4. Sarah Bridges by Liv Morgan
5. Lacey Evans by Billie Kay
6. Sonya Deville by Peyton Royce
7. Kimberly Frankele by Ruby Riot
8. Candice LaRae by Billie Kay
9. Aliyah by Nikki Cross
10. Liv Morgan by Nikki Cross
11. Billie Kay by Ember Moon
12. Peyton Royce by Ember Moon
13. Ember Moon, Ruby Riot, & Nikki Cross by Asuka

Winner: No Contest – No one is ready for Asuka

Thoughts: I love Asuka, so I thought this was great. It didn’t seem to play well with the live crowd for some reason, but I suspect it was pretty well received by people watching on the Network. Is this finally how Asuka will lose? By the way, she eclipsed Goldberg’s record of 173-0 this past weekend. I cannot believe this isn’t well documented on NXT, where wins and losses actually seem to count for something.

TLDR

• Killian Dain beat Danny Burch
• Heavy Machinery beat Ricardo Watts & Hector Kunsman and then challenged the Authors of Pain
• Hideo Itami beat Kona Reeves
• Roderick Strong’s Part 2 video aired
• The Women’s Battle Royal ended in a no contest after which Regal announced a Fatal Fourway title match at TakeOver between Asuka, Ruby Riot, Nikki Cross, and Ember Moon.

Advertised for Next Week

• Aleister Black in action
• #1 Contender Match: Hideo Itami versus Roderick Strong