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Heyoo, welcome to this week’s NXT! After being decimated by Nia Jax last week, have we seen the last of Bayley in the title picture for the immediate future?
And after gaining traction and picking up consecutive wins, do Carmella and Alexa Bliss see gold on the horizon or will they see the back of their eyelids after getting knocked out by Asuka or squashed by Nia? Which one will step up and face Asuka at the next TakeOver, we find out tonight as all three of them collide in our main event!
At the start of the show NXT’s general manager William Regal announces that the medical staff has deemed Bayley unfit to compete at the next TakeOver against Asuka. To determine our next number one contender for the championship, he sets up a triple threat match between Nia, Alexa, and Carmella.
https://youtu.be/XpUnL_kq9RQ
We then see Cathy Kelley backstage getting ready to interview Bayley about his announcement.
https://youtu.be/XpUnL_kq9RQ?t=32s
Bayley says she’s very disappointed she won’t be able to take on Asuka but before she can continue, Nia enters the picture and tells Bayley that after beating her senseless last week, Bayley will never be the same again. Carmella comes in to defend Bayley and tells Nia to step off and leave her alone. Then Alexa butts in and tells Carmella that it’s going to be her night. But Carmella isn’t having any of it, she tells Alexa that it won’t be her night because she is going to make her tap and become the next number one contender for the women’s championship.
Later on before the main event, Cathy Kelley stands by with Asuka to get her take on tonight’s matchup.
https://youtu.be/XpUnL_kq9RQ?t=2m
Asuka says it doesn’t matter who wins tonight, she will beat them.
Now we take you to our main event of the evening, a triple threat match! Let’s watch the bout
https://youtu.be/w2HuYRmgxQU
Carmella is joined backstage by Bayley and the two chat before Carmella makes her entrance. No signature promo from the Princess of Staten Island tonight as Carmella looks determined to take on her opponents. Up next Alexa makes her entrance with commentary noting that her split with Blake and Murphy is permanent. Alexa believes she is a star and she’s moving on without her boys, Corey Graves says. Nia then makes her entrance and her stare penetrates both of her competitors.
Before the match even begins Alexa ducks out of the ring, leaving Carmella to tie up against Nia. Nia pulls Carmella up and plants her on the top turnbuckle. Carmella tries to fight back, attempting a sunset flip reversal but Nia powers out. Carmella backs away to create space and attempts to lock up with Nia. But she pushes Carmella down and slaps her. Meanwhile off to the side Alexa has made her way to the top turnbuckle to try an evasive maneuver but she immediately gets scared off and flees back down to the floor.
We go to a commercial break and when we come back Carmella is down on the mat, still taking punishment from Nia. Nia tries to pick her up and she gets caught on top of her, she tries to take her down with a headscissor but Nia plants her back down on the mat. Alexa then flies into the ring and tries to pin Carmella. Nia gets hit tossed to the outside while Alexa sees an opportunity to take down Carmella, who is already weakened by Nia.
Alexa slams Carmella’s face down to the mat, stomps the back of her head and kicks Nia who is trying to get back into the ring to subdue her. She then taunts Carmella, slams her, takes to the top rope and comes down on her with a splash. Alexa pins her but Carmella continues to fight to her feet. Alexa grabs her by the throat and slams Carmella down. She comes down hard on Carmella with double knees and tries to pin her again. However, Nia elbow drops the pin to break it up.
While Nia tries to get to her feet, Alexa takes Nia down with double knees. She then quickly scurries to the top rope where she pulls off a Sparkle Splash into a pin. Carmella breaks up the pin. Alexa and Carmella attempt to double team Nia but Nia has other plans as she puts them into a double suplex. Alexa throws Nia out of the ring when both ladies recover. Carmella attempts a diving crossbody to the outside but Nia catches her. Alexa makes her way to the apron and kicks Nia back down and goes after her. Carmella tries a diving crossbody again and this time is successful, taking both Alexa and Nia down.
Alexa gets back into the ring fights Carmella off, attempting a wheelbarrow maneuver in the ring but Carmella takes her down and sets her up for a bronco buster. She then catches Alexa with the inverted triangle submission but Nia pulls Alexa out of it and out of the ring. Nia headbutts Carmella but Carmella recovers and tries to choke her from behind.
She then lands on the top rope and tries a jumping Thesz Press to take down Nia and set her up for a bronco buster but Nia catches her and plants her down. Nia legdrops Carmella and puts her away.
After Nia wins the match Asuka comes out and holds the title up high while smiling that deceptive menacingly smile. She then makes her way into the ring where they have a stare down.
The NXT TakeOver match is set. On June 8 Nia Jax will take on Asuka for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Thoughts: I really enjoyed this match and was hoping NXT would follow up on all three’s winning streaks. I liked Alexa’s bait and wait strategy, her vicious streak attacking Carmella after she had taken serious punishment from Nia, and Alexa and Carmella’s attempt at teaming up to try and take down Nia.
Alexa really, really showed improvement here and the potential to tell a great story between her and Carmella is something I hope they explore again. I know they’ve had beef before, but now they are both without their tag teams and have definitely stepped up their in ring game. A feud could lead to an interesting dynamic where Alexa begins to pick on Carmella for being left behind. I’d really like to see them follow up on that.
Carmella played her role as the plucky babyface well. She fought both challengers valiantly and refused to give up. Ultimately, she lost her battle though to a bigger player. Nia did well here too. She did fall back on some of her tried and true moves, but the double take down was awesome. I can’t wait to see more strategies like that while facing other opponents. I also think that over time her opponents will try different things to take her down, which in turn will lead to exciting back and forth bouts. Those squash matches should be over from here on out. Now that the spotlight is on Nia and she’ll be facing Asuka, she can only get better from here.
I’m intrigued as to how the match at TakeOver will play out. Asuka will have to try a different strategy against Nia instead of quick take down submissions and Nia will have to try and out muscle Asuka’s striking ability.
I’m also hoping that after this event, more players will enter the game and side feuds will be built. There are several ladies waiting in the wings and with Bayley down for now, who will rise and surprise the division?
Did you enjoy the triple threat? Are you excited for Nia to take on Asuka at TakeOver? Sound off in the comments below.
