Thanks to Zeke Wolf for this report:
NXT Albany: place is pretty well full, think it seats around 3500. No AC in here it’s hotter than hell.
First out Enzo and Big Cass are ridiculously over really loud fun crowd. They’re against Blake and Murphy announced for the title! Champions win via roll up fun match, Enzo and Cass clean up afterwards to get their heat back, fun match.
Out next Sol Crowe vs Bull Dempsey, Dempsey got a nice reaction, Crowe didn’t get much I think it may have been partly due to the sound system sucking and his dopey tech music not translating. Crowe gets the win via tap out. The crowd promptly turns on Bull after he tapped very strange.
Tye Dillinger out next against Jason Jordan was a decent match. Tye Dillinger was way over by the end of the match, he’s going to be entertaining.
Charlotte and Sasha are next, again announced for the title, both got great reactions. Flair bump!! Girls are killing it, crowd is way into this chants all over the place. Sasha wins via Cripp…. errrrre crossface. Did the roll up thing from last NXT special 4x no pin though Charlotte taps clean in the center.
After intermission we get Baron Corbin vs…………..Tommy Dreamer. Huge pop for Tommy huge ECW chants. Corbin wins, Tommy got a good amount in though, both held up well in this sauna.
Becky Lynch and Dana Brooke vs Alexa Bliss and Bayley. Bayley is super over, Bayley and Bliss win when Bayley pins Dana Brooke with the Bailey to Belly. Overriding theme throughout this show is fun, everything has been fun.
Main event time, triple threat Tyler Breeze, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. Breeze got a great pop this crowd is still going strong. Sound system took a powder during Breezes entrance he played to the crowd while they tried to fix it. Finn finally came out with no music was entertaining he did his posing spots without music. And then as if on cue Balor’s music hits as he posed on the ring post.
A 5 knuckle shuffle from Owens! Owens retains with powerbomb! Afterward Balor hits the top rope stomp. And announces he hopes Owens wins so he can face him for the title.
Top to bottom great time, as good a wrestling show as I’ve been to ever. I really hope they come back.
Overall great show, best wrestling show I’ve been to in many years.
Thanks to Zach Levine for this report:
Real hot crowd tonight in Albany. Literally, there was no AC at the Armory, the crowd chanted for AC a good amount. Anyhow, show began at 7:30 with Greg Hamilton and Jo Jo coming out to psyche up the crowd. Regal then came out to a massive ovation and said we were in for a great night.
*NXT Tag Team champions Blake and Murphy beat Enzo and Cass via roll up shenanigans. Monster pop for Enzo and Cass pre match, crowd played karaoke with their prematch routine. Solid match, Blake and Murphy are doing great as heels. Looking forward to this match on Wed at Takeover.
*Solomon Crowe beat Bull Dempsey with the stretch muffler. Solid hard hitting match. Some CZW and Death Machine chants for Crowe, and the crowd had fun yelling some interesting stuff at Dempsey.
*Tye Dillinger beat Jason Jordan with a knee to the back of the head. Dillinger’s Perfect 10 gimmick is crazy over, can’t wait to see it on TV. He came out with a giant “10” placard, then one from under his shirt, then one from his boot. Great performance by both.
*WWE NXT Women’s champion Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte. Fantastic match, these two don’t get enough praise. Standing Ovation after.
*Baron Corbin defeated Tommy Dreamer. Great to see Dreamer in action. Match was a bit of a lull at times but still pretty good to see Dreamer working with the younger wrestlers.
*Bayley and Alexa Bliss defeated Dana Brooke and Becky Lynch. Another good women’s match, Bayley was super over. Should be huge on the main roster.
*NXT champion Kevin Owens defeated Tyler Breeze and Finn Balor in a triple threat. Bit awkward as Balor’s music never hit so he walked out and the crowd did his theme for him. Owens had the crowd in his palm the entire time and hit a You Can’t See Me on Balor. Owens and Breeze worked real well together. Post match Owens tried to powerbomb Balor on the apron but he reversed it and hit the Coup De Grace on Kev.
All in all, a tremendous show. A great fan base and enjoyable atmosphere. Hope they continue to tour so other cities can experience NXT Live.
Thanks to Larry Csonka of 411wrestling.com for this report:
The building apparently holds about 4,000 people and I’d say there were probably about 3,000 in attendance (ballpark estimate). The line for merch before and during the show was very long and consistent. There were chants of “how you doin’?!” and “NXT” before showtime. The sound system was completely terrible. Greg Hamilton and Jojo opened the show and welcomed everyone before the national anthem plaid over said terrible sound system. William Regal came out to a rousing ovation and welcomed everyone as well.
Enzo, Cass, and Carmella opened the show to a monster reaction. He did his usual schtick and everyone in the crowd did it along with him. They cut a promo on beating Blake and Murphy to become the next NXT Tag Team Champions. They closed with the S-A-W-F-T line and the crowd chanted “how you doin’?!” These guys are over big with the NXT audience. The tag champs were out next. Blake is rocking pigtails for a little extra heat with some “you look stupid” chants.
NXT Tag Team Champions Blake and Murphy beat Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady (w/Carmella) to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship. Enzo took the pin while the guy used the ropes for leverage. This was pretty simple but a lot of fun. The match was a notch above what we’ve seen from these teams on TV with spots they’ve yet to break out elsewhere and the white-hot crowd amped it up too. Blake and Murphy tried to split quickly after the match, but Cass tossed them back in the ring. Carmella dropped one with a low blow and the other ate an Atomic Drop from Enzo and a boot from Cass to close the segment with the fan-favorites on top. Effective opener.
Solomon Crowe forced Bull Dempsey to submit. The crowd wasn’t enthralled with this one. Neither guy had a noticeable advantage in terms of crowd support and a lot of people took this match to hit the merch and concession stands. It never really left low gear, it was just kind-of there. Crowe won with the Stretch Muffler.
Tye Dillinger beat Jason Jordan. Before the match, Dillinger cut a short promo and told people to get out their cameras because they’re seeing a ‘perfect 10′. He said he is a 10 while Albany is a 0. Dillinger kept holding up signs with ’10’ on them, and when the ref would take it away, he’d pull another out if his gear and hold it up. Before long, ’10’ was super over as a babyface. This was another merch/concession match for many people, but by the end they won over a crowd that couldn’t have cared less when they came out. Dillinger won with an Eat Defeat-style facebreaker onto the knee.
NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte by submission to retain the NXT Women’s Championship. Monster reaction when Jojo announced that the next match was for the Women’s Championship. The crowd was on their feet for all of the entrances. The crowd was split maybe 60-40 for Sasha, but it varied at points. This match was excellent. Both ladies worked really hard, they told a quality in-ring story, and the crowd was into every second of it. Sasha forced the sub with the Bank Statement. Great stuff that earned both ladies standing ovations and a “that was awesome” chant from the crowd afterward.
Intermission. Once again, the line at the merch stand was remarkably long.
Baron Corbin over Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer got the big surprise pop and the crowd was completely into him during the small bursts of offense he got. This went way too long and was really boring, but a group of idiot smarks in the back bleachers made this a completely miserable experience for everyone. If you’re reading this and that was you, shame on you. Either stop going out in public or reevaluate your life. Seriously, you’re an embarrassment. Anyways, the crowd gave Dreamer a big applause and a “thank you, Tommy” chant afterwards.
Bayley and Alexa Bliss beat Becky Lynch and Dana Brooke. Bayley got one of the stronger reactions of the evening and had the crowd completely behind her the whole way. This one didn’t last long, but it was pretty fun as a whole.
Just when it seemed as though the sound system could get no worse, it died. Tyler Breeze was out with no issues, but Finn Bálor’s music wouldn’t play so he came out without. When he hit his pose on the turnbuckles, it finally blared on. He didn’t look thrilled. Kevin Owens’ music played without issue. All three guys got big-time reactions with Breeze getting cheered, Bálor getting cheered rabidly, and Owens getting a mixed but loud reaction.
Kevin Owens defeated Tyler Breeze and Finn Bálor to retain the NXT Championship. Perhaps the biggest reaction of the night was for Owens hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle; go figure. Owens and Breeze worked together against Bálor to the crowd’s surprising delight, as they cheered and chanted “teamwork.” They brawled onto the stage where Owens teased a powerbomb off the edge, but Bálor reversed and came off the stage with a double stomp. This one got very good before Breeze knocked Bálor off the top rope with a Supermodel Kick, only to get Pop-up Powerbombed for the Owens win.
Post-match, Bálor attacked Owens and hit the Coupe de Grace to send the crowd home happy. Afterwards, he cut a promo and said that he hopes Owens beats Zayn at Takeover because Bálor wants to take the title from him. Bálor thanked the crowd and put over the other members of the roster (and himself) before closing by declaring “we are NXT.”
Overall, this show was a lot of fun. The main event and womens’ title match were excellent and everything else met or exceeded expectations. For the very most part, the crowd was super hot and brought everything to another level. I’m coming off a really strong ROH/NJPW double-shot, so for me to have enjoyed this as much as I did and not feel burned out says something. Strong thumbs up here, and I’m looking forward to the expansion of the NXT tour in the future.
