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My Thoughts on NXT (3/23/16): The Drifter Lost, So I'm Happy

  • Elias Sampson vs Johnny Gargano-I'm going to be completely honest, I skipped the majority of this match because:
A. F*ck the Drifter

B. I don't want to see the Drifter beat Johnny Gargano...
BUT HE DIDN'T!  GARGANO REVERSED A HIGH KNEE INTO A ROLL UP FOR THE WIN! YES! YES! YES! F*CK THE DRIFTER! THIS IS JUST LIKE WRESTLEMANIA 30 WITH DANIEL BRYAN WINNING THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP! Sorry, got a little carried away there, back to what happened. Drifter beats down Gargano afterwards, hits a swinging neckbreaker, and tosses him to the outside. He hits his big high knee, and calls for his swinging neckbreaker again on the entrance ramp, but Apollo Crews makes the save. By the way, f*ck the Drifter.
  • Rich Swann vs Finn Balor-Match kicks off with Balor taking advantage with a headlock takedown. Swann breaks the hold, but quickly gets an wrist lock. Balor continues with holds, even holding onto a wristlock out of a monkey flip, and switches to a headlock. Swann escapes by locking in headscissors, and hitting a hurricanrana, but Balor goes back to the holds. Swann escapes from a headlock with a snapmare takedown and runs wild, hitting a dropkick after flipping to avoid Balor, followed by a superkick that sends Balor into the corner. Balor goes to the top rope, but Swann jumps from the ground for a frankensteiner and dropkicks Balor out of the ring. Balor clobbers Swann with a running forearm and sends Swann out of the ring, hitting a kick from the apron while out there. Balor gets Swann back in the ring, hits his missile dropkick into the corner, and finishes Swann after a Coup de Grace, followed by Bloody Sunday for the win. Painfully boring match to start. but picked up a lot at the end. Swann is great and very exciting, hope to see more of him in the future.
  • Backstage, Emma and Dana Brooke get interviewed about Emma's match with Asuka tonight. Emma says a lot is different from Takeover: London, and Dana says she has been giving Emma fitness advice. Dana reveals she's been injured since her match with Asuka at Takeover: Respect, and calls her self the "Total Package" If she want's to be the lady version of Lex Luger, I'm all for it. She said if she could, she would squash Asuka, but because she can't, Emma will. Emma says she deserves Asuka's title match at Takeover: Dallas, and says "She may be the Empress of Tomorrow, but she's not gonna last past today" Beautiful. Emma is the best. Dana then fakes out Alex Reyes with the head pat, then does it anyway because Dana Brooke is also the best. This team is the best. I hope they never split up.
  • Alexa Bliss vs Sarah Dobson-Match starts with lock up, followed by Dobson dropkicking Bliss, but Bliss quickly takes control. Bliss is such a great heel, straight up just standing on Dobson and using her hair for a snapmare takedown. Bliss works over Dobson until Dobson does a Ric Flair-style flip over the top rope, and hits a big knee to the gut. Dobson hits a top rope crossbody where Dobson smacks Bliss right in the face with her knees for a two. Dobson goes a for something (I have no idea what she was going for), but Murphy pulls Bliss out of the way and Dobson gets her foot caught on the rope. Bliss hits a standing moonsault landing on her knees, and follows up with the Sparkle Splash for the win. Sloppy match, not very good.
  • Backstage, Samoa Joe gets interviewed. Alex Reyes brings up Finn Balor's winning streak as of late, which makes Samoa Joe get in his face and leave.
  • Bull Dempsey vs-Nevermind, Samoa Joe blindsides Bull and locks in the Coquita Clutch. Joe gets in the ring, asks for a mic, but instead beats up Danny Burch and locks in a Coquita Clutch. The crowd chants "Thank You Joe".
  • We get a FANTASTIC promo package about American Alpha. Jordan & Gable both bring up their amateur wrestling backgrounds, and how they both failed to win the big one (the national college championship for Jordan, the olympic gold medal in London in 2012 for Gable), but they will not fail this time.
  • We get a vignette for...something. Some guy named Jose, I guess. Seems like Latino Adam Rose, if you ask me.
  • Emma vs Asuka-Match kicks off with a lock up, and after getting forced into a corner, Asuka dodges a strike, but Emma dodges a spin kick. Emma takes control with a headlock takedown, followed by taking Asuka down with a shoulder tackle after Asuka gets out. Asuka locks in her own headlock, and locks in a jumping armbar after a series of reversals. Emma goes on the apron after escaping and gets taken out with a hip attack and sent to the ground as we go to commercial. Back to the match, Asuka takes control with a hammer lock, followed by an ankle lock. Emma is able to roll out of the hold, tossing Asuka from the ring in the process, and pulls Asuka back first into the apron when she tries to get back into the ring. Emma works over Asuka, stomping away and eventually locking in a headlock. Asuka fights back with kicks, but Emma dodges one and pulls Asuka down by her hair to halt the comeback. Emma goes back to work with knees to the back before eventually locking her in the Tree of Woe, pulling her farther to the outside by her hair. Emma follows that up with an Emma-mite Sandwich for only a one count, followed by Asuka kicking out before one on a second cover. Asuka fights back with a hip attack and does the Daniel Bryan kicks, but Emma catches one and after trading strikes and dodging another spin kick, floors Asuka with a forearm. Emma hits a dropkick that sends Asuka right into the ropes and follows it up with a hip attack for a two count. Emma forces Asuka into the corner and rolls her up, but gets caught with her feet on the ropes. Emma dodges a third spin kick, but gets caught in an ankle lock turned into a German suplex by Asuka followed by a running knee. Asuka locks in the Asuka Lock for the win. Good match, not as good as their match in London, but still good.
And that's about it. The Drifter lost so this is officially the best episode of NXT in history. OK, in all seriousness, the show was fine. Nothing too bad. Emma-Asuka and the American Alpha video were the highlights, and the low point was definitely the Bliss-Dobson match.
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