July 8, 2015 – Winter Park, Florida
Sasha Banks & Charlotte def. Emma & Dana Brooke
Banks couldn’t find a partner to fight the mean girls, but Charlotte hates Evil Emma and Dana Brooke too, so she jumped in here. It’s a testament to nostalgia that something I disliked so much, the BFF gimmick, is fun to see thrown back to here. Brooke’s timing still sucks, but this match was a hell of a lot of fun thanks to Banks and Charlotte. After the match Charlotte says she wants another title shot. Banks says she can have it next week. ***
Emma injured Bayley, so Bayley sitting out for now. When she comes back, she’s going for the title. But first, she’s coming for Emma.
Finn Balor def. Kevin Owens {NXT Championship Match}
This is from July 4th in Tokyo. A huge chunk of the match is clipped out of the middle, and you can tell because when the show comes back from break, Finn’s face paint is half gone. The full match is availale on Beast in the East on the Network. But this was dramatic as all get out. When I watched it the first time (for context) as I was going through the Takeover shows, I felt it was the best match under the NXT banner to date. I still feel that way, though this match wouldn’t have that claim for long. Tatsumi Fujinami celebrates with Balor after the match, but Owens won’t shake Balor’s hand. ****¼
Solomon Crowe def. Marcus Louis
This crazy Louis gimmick is inexcusably bad. I never thought someone could make Crowe look so good by comparison. Get this guy off of my screen forever. *
Aiden English & Simon Gotch def. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady {Number One Contenders Match}
This match was pretty dull, but the finish was dope. Here’s hoping we get more like the final couple minutes from the Vaudevillains as they go for the titles. **½