NXT TakeOver: Respect Results

WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Winners Revealed, Complete Brackets

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor and Samoa Joe won the WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tonight by defeating Rhyno and Baron Corbin in the finals. Below are the full brackets:

Bracket A - First Round Matches
Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady defeated Angelo Dawkins and Sawyer Fulton
Finn Balor and Samoa Joe defeated The Lucha Dragons

Bracket B - First Round Matches
The Vaudevillians defeated Wesley Blake and Buddy Murphy
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder defeated Tucker Knight and Elias Samson

Bracket C - First Round Matches
Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder defeated Noah Kekoa and Alexander Wolfe
Jason Jordan and Chad Gable defeated Neville and Solomon Crowe

Bracket D - First Round Matches
Rhyno and Baron Corbin defeated The Ascension
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa defeated Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey

Bracket A - Second Round Matches
Balor and Joe defeated Enzo and Cass

Bracket B - Second Round Matches
The Mechanics defeated The Vaudevillains

Bracket C - Second Round Matches
Gable and Jordan defeated The Hype Bros

Bracket D - Second Round Matches
Rhyno and Corbin defeated Gargano and Ciampa

Semi-Finals
Balor and Joe defeated The Mechanics

Semi-Finals
Rhyno and Corbin defeated Gable and Jordan

Finals
Samoa Joe and Finn Balor defeated Rhyno and Baron Corbin

Notes From Triple H's 'NXT TakeOver: Respect' Media Call: Finn Balor - TNA, Working With NJPW, Vince

Triple H conducted his usual NXT TakeOver media call this afternoon. You can check out several highlights below.

* Triple H was a little tardy getting to the call. He says that he was late due to wishing Bruno Sammartino a Happy Birthday.

* HHH says that the "Respect" theme for this week's TakeOver has a double meaning. It's for the women, as well as a tribute for a all of the respect the NXT roster has for the late Dusty Rhodes.

* Triple H expects this week's Sasha Bank vs. Bayley match to be better than the one in Brooklyn.

* He compares the demographic of NXT to punk rock and hip hop, and the WWE to pop music in that WWE gets a much wider demographic.

* He says he's more than open to speaking to New Japan Pro Wrestling and other promotions about bringing in talent like they did with Jushin Thunder Liger.

* HHH says that all of the Divas made the Divas revolution possible, not just one.

* Finn Balor sent Triple H the picture of him doing the "suck it" crotch chop outside TNA offices in Nashville and asked if he could post it on social media. Triple H approved because he thought it was funny and anyone who had an issue with it takes this all too seriously.

* Vince McMahon has no say about anything that goes on in NXT. He could overrule Triple H if he wanted but he never does. He claimed Vince told him he's looking forward to the Bayley vs. Banks match. Vince McMahon watched NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and liked it.

* They debated calling the Bayley vs. Sasha Banks Iron Man match an "Iron Woman" match and Lita told them she thought it would be demeaning to do so.

* He likes the idea of Evolve as a feeder system.

Shots Fired

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor did a "crotch chop" outside of TNA headquarters this morning and posted the photo to Twitter. NXT is running a live event in Nashville tonight. TNA's Bob Ryder responded on Twitter, trying to insinuate that Balor came in and met TNA employees. Below are their tweets:

#NXTNashville pic.twitter.com/nP9MU4uQCO

— Finn Bálor (@wwebalor) October 2, 2015

@wwebalor Thanks for visiting the office. We were all happy to meet you. Please give @TripleH and @StephMcMahon our best regards.

— Bob Ryder (@brydertna) October 2, 2015

Finn Balor Says NXT Is Getting A WrestleMania Weekend Show, Says He Might Not Want To Be On Mania

Finn Balor has had a pretty quick ascension to the top of NXT. Despite his huge success around the world and in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Balor was back wrestling in front of a few dozen people just a year ago.

The growth of NXT is something he says he holds close to his heart, as he's witnessed it all first hand. Balor talked to Title Match Wrestling last week about how the show has exploded in just the past year or two.

"For a lot of the boys at NXT, we feel like we've captured lightning in a bottle. A year ago we were wrestling in front of 30-40 people in Florida. Now we're in Texas and we're blowing the roof off," Balor said.

When asked about parlaying that success into a spot on WrestleMania 32, Balor said he wasn't that interested, and instead that NXT will have their own WrestleMania weekend show in Texas.

"A lot of us believe we're completely separate from what they're doing on the main roster, and some of us don't necessarily want to be on WrestleMania. We're going to have our own card, hopefully the night before. We'll sell out a building, and saying to the boys 'follow that.'," Balor said.

Jushin 'Thunder' Liger On How His WWE NXT Takeover Appearance Was Signed, Tyler Breeze, More

Enuhito.com has a translation of a recent interview wrestling legend Jushin "Thunder" Liger did with the New Japan Pro Wrestling website to promote this Saturday's match against Tyler Breeze at WWE NXT "Takeover: Brooklyn."

Liger revealed that he was at a ROH show last March in Philadelphia, where NXT was running that same week and wanted to go to NXT to see Finn Balor wrestle. He had a NJPW agent contact NXT head coach Matt Bloom, the former Tensai who also wrestled in New Japan. Bloom was able to secure a seat for Liger at the NXT event in Philadelphia and he attended. It was noted that nobody recognized Liger being there because he attended without his mask on.

Liger noted that Balor worked a great match against Neville that night and thanked him for coming afterwards. A few weeks later, William Regal, Bloom and Balor called the NJPW offices and asked for Liger's e-mail address. Liger does not use a computer so NJPW put them in touch with a representative and that's how the Takeover match was made.

Liger confirmed that he's not working under a "double contract" and that his Takeover appearance is a one-time deal. Liger said he does not know much about Tyler Breeze but will be researching him. He seemed impressed when the interviewer mentioned that Breeze was trained by Lance Storm.

Finn Balor Recalls Meeting Vince McMahon for the First Time, Talks Winning the NXT Title, Dusty Rhodes’ Tutelage, HHH’s Leadership, More

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor recently spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso to hype next week’s NXT Takeover Brooklyn special, and below are some interview highlights:

On meeting Vince McMahon for the first time:

“The first official meeting I had with Vince McMahon was in San Jose two days before WrestleMania,” said Bálor. “I was wrestling against Neville in the main forNXT San Jose. Neville had just got to the ring, and I was standing behind the curtain ready to make my entrance. I could hear Neville’s music tapering off, and I heard a call, ‘Finn! Finn!’ I turned around and it was Hunter. He said, ‘Have you met Vince?’

“So I went over and Vince’s head popped out from behind the curtain and said, ‘How are you doing, son?’ I said, ‘Hello, sir,’ and shook his hand. As I shook his hand, the heartbeat of my music started and I started, ‘That’s my cue, gotta go.’”

On Triple H’s leadership:

“With regards to what you see on TV, you’re really only seeing the tip of the iceberg with Paul Levesque,” said Bálor about the man better known to wrestling fans as Triple H. “He has been an incredible leader here for the people at NXT, and not just for me, but he has time for everyone. He motivates people and inspires. He’s someone that is very approachable, very down to earth, and full of new and alternative ideas. He’s helped me adapt to my situation, which has been very different with learning the working style of WWE and life here in America.”

On Dusty Rhodes’ tutelage:

“Dusty would say, ‘Finn, your work in the ring is up here, but you’re talking is down here – you’ve got to balance them out,’” said Bálor. “He was always very straight to the point, and we had a great relationship together. I remember him saying one time, ‘Prince, you know I heard them talking about you before you came in here, and goddamn, I thought Lou Thesz was gonna walk in that door the way they talk about your work.’ I’ll never forget that, and I was very lucky to work with Dusty. He helped me incredibly with my communication, as he called it, and I learned a lot of lessons with him. ‘The Dream’ was someone who filled me with confidence the first time I walked in the door.”

On winning the NXT Title in Japan:

“That whole night was memorable for much more than winning the NXT championship.” Said Bálor. “Japan was a place that became my second home. That venue [Sumo Hall] is where I watched my first New Japan show and wrestled my last New Japan match. It was a year after I said goodbye to so many friends, and the fans were almost like family there, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see them again.

“To come back with WWE a year later to wrestle in the NXT championship match in a sold-out Sumo Hall against Kevin Owens, who came into NXT at almost the same time as me–and we became very close, experienced a lot of the same struggles–live on the WWE Network, the story couldn’t have been written any better.

WWE Unveils the Ultimate SummerSlam Experience at Barclays Center

WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Barclays Center announced today the addition of several fan events to take place at Barclays Center as part of the Ultimate SummerSlam Experience in Brooklyn. Tickets will be available this Saturday, August 1, at noon EST through Ticketmaster.

On Friday, August 21 and Saturday, August 22, WWE will host “WWE Superstar Meet and Greets” at 40/40 CLUB & Restaurant at Barclays Center. These exclusive sessions will give WWE fans an opportunity to get autographs and photos with their choice of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins™, Randy Orton®, Roman Reigns®, Dean Ambrose®, Bray Wyatt™, WWE Divas Charlotte™, Paige™ and Becky Lynch™, WWE Legend Sting™ and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels®.

On Saturday, August 22, a special “SummerSlam Panel” will take place at Barclays Center, giving fans a chance to ask questions directly to WWE Superstars. The topic of the panel will be NXT®, where WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative Paul “Triple H®” Levesque, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins™, NXT Champion Finn Bàlor™, NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks™, WWE Superstar Kevin Owens™, WWE commentator Corey Graves™ and host Byron Saxton™ will discuss the evolution of one of the hottest entertainment brands in the world seen every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. on WWE Network.

The “SummerSlam Panel” will feature a 90 minute discussion and Q&A with fans in attendance. General admission and a limited number of VIP tickets will be available. The VIP ticket includes priority floor seating, a professional photo with select panel Superstars and an exclusive, autographed limited edition poster.

Tickets for “WWE Superstar Meet and Greets” and the “SummerSlam Panel” will be available this Saturday, August 1, at noon EST and can be purchased online by visiting http://www.barclayscenter.com, http://www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center on Monday, August 3 at noon. For more information on SummerSlam Week activities, please visit www.SummerSlam.com.

In addition, WWE NXT will make its historic debut in New York City on Saturday night, August 22, as NXT Takeover: Brooklyn will emanate live from Barclays Center. NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is NXT’s biggest event to date, and will be broadcast live on WWE Network. The main event will feature Finn Bàlor™ defending his newly crowned NXT Championship against former Champion Kevin Owens™. The event will also include appearances by NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks™, Samoa Joe™, Rhyno™, Enzo Amore™, Big Cass™, as well as a special appearance by international superstar Jushin “Thunder” Liger. Tickets for NXT Takeover: Brooklyn are currently available through Ticketmaster.

NXT Champion Finn Bálor vs. Kevin Owens at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

A huge main event has been confirmed for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, as newly crowned NXT Champion Finn Bálor will defend his title against former champion Kevin Owens at the Barclays Center on Saturday, Aug. 22 as part of a special that will be broadcast live on the award-winning WWE Network.

The rematch was announced by NXT General Manager William Regal at San Diego Comic-Con International.

Big Title Change At Beast in The East Event In Tokyo

Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens to become the new WWE NXT Champion at today's "The Beast In The East" live WWE Network special from Tokyo, Japan. This is Finn's first title reign in WWE.

A prince returned home and became a champion. Congratulations to @wwebalor on winning the @WWENXT title. #WWETokyo pic.twitter.com/HgwJkpwm3j

— Triple H (@TripleH) July 4, 2015

WWE Beast in the East Live from Tokyo Results

WWE Network To Air Special On Finn Balor

WWE Network will air a 30-minute special on Finn Balor titled "Finn Balor: The Demon Revealed" on Thursday, July 2nd at 10:30pm EST.

This could be the three-part series on Balor that wraps up on NXT TV this coming week but that's not confirmed. The special will also replay as a lead-in to the July 4th WWE Network "The Beast In The East" special from Tokyo, where Balor will challenge NXT Champion Kevin Owens.

The description for the special that premieres on Thursday reads like this:

"An in depth look inside the life, career and future of NXT Superstar Finn Balor."

WWE Event In Japan Will Air In Its Entirety

Joey Styles confirmed on Twitter that the event from Tokyo, Japan on July 4th will be broadcast live in its entirety, and will be available on demand immediately afterward.

The event is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm in Japan, which is 5:00 am ET.

Below is the current card:

WWE NXT Title Match
Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens

WWE Divas Title Match
Paige vs. Naomi vs. Nikki Bella

Brock Lesnar vs. Kofi Kingston

Chris Jericho vs. Neville

John Cena and Dolph Ziggler vs. Kane and King Barrett

The Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores

Finn Balor Talks Undertaker And Triple H Helping With His Entrance

"It wasn't until later in my career that I really focused on the importance on making an entrance. I got to give credit to everyone that helped me with the entrance because it wasn't just my ideas. We had a huge team in coming up with the entrance.

"I had a lot of help from Road Dogg and a lot of help from Triple H. I spoke with the legendary Undertaker as well. If you're going to learn about entrances from anyone, you might learn from the Undertaker.

"It's a whole team effort, and not just me coming up with it by myself."

Samoa Joe on his storied independent career, coming to NXT and his plans for the future

Samoa Joe recently spoke to WWE's website about his arrival at NXT, getting into wrestling, Ring of Honor, Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and more. Below are a few highlights:

WWE.COM: You’ve been in some independent locker rooms lately. What’s the reputation NXT has outside of WWE?

JOE: The reputation NXT has is hard to describe. It’s this newness, there’s a tremendous hype to it. People are seeing the leaps and bounds that are being made with the types of talent filtering through NXT. Like the women, I watched one of the best matches I’ve seen all year with Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks [at NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable]. There’s a lot of hype and I know a lot of guys now on the indies would like to see themselves in NXT. They don’t view it as a B-level, AAA ball club. They see it as an exciting place that people are talking about and love the matches coming out of NXT.

WWE.COM: Is there anyone else [besides Kevin Owens] in NXT you have your eye on?

JOE: Absolutely. Finn Bálor is someone I’ve had experience with. I helped start the New Japan Dojo in Los Angeles. I remember seeing him and what he was able to do. And now, he’s No. 1 contender, so if it’s not going to be Kevin, it’s going to be [Bálor]. Tyler Breeze is a tremendous athlete, but he’s far too pretty. It bugs me. Eventually, when he comes back, Hideo Itami, too. We’ve locked up over the years and had our fair share of wars. I’m more than happy to have another with him. There are a lot of unresolved personal issues there. Hopefully, we can get into the ring and sort them out.

WWE.COM: Beyond the NXT Title, do you have any other goals in WWE?

JOE: At some time, I would love to make a trip up to the main roster and wreak my brand of havoc. So many people I’ve come up with have succeeded in WWE. Though I thought the opportunity would never present itself, I’m here now. I’m in the best shape of my career and I’m more than happy to fulfill the destiny that has eluded me for far too long, and that’s to be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Full interview

WWE NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Results

Finn Balor on WWE NXT Stars to Look Out For, Where He Sees Himself In Ten Years, More

AfterBuzz hosts Cathy Kelley, Mark Donica and Boxcar Superstar The Hobo recently spoke with WWE NXT Superstar Finn Balor on their "NXT Aftershow" that airs live every Thursday. The full interview can be heard at this link. The following highlights were sent in:

AfterBuzz TV: Which NXT talent do you think is underrated and people should look out for?

Finn Balor: There’s a lot of guys you know, obviously for different reasons. One guy you know I think doesn’t get the credit he deserves is Scott Dawson. He’s a tremendous, tremendous competitor and I would love to get in there one-on-one with him. I’m also a big fan of Enzo and Cass. I don’t know how that would work with teaming up with them in a six man tag team, but I’m a big fan of their work too.

ABTV: We recently had CJP (CJ Parker) on the show, he’s planning to work the indies and wrestle in Japan. Did you give him any advice?

Finn Balor: We spoke about it….CJ was someone I was fortunate enough to get to work with when he was still here. He’s a tremendous competitor…The indie circuit is a tough circuit, but you know there’s a lot of good people out there. There is a lot of places you can learn. There’s a lot of people you can learn from and I’m sure that he’ll spend a year or two there growing himself not only personally, but as a performer and I’m sure he’ll be back in the future even better.

ABTV: Is there anyone on the indie scene you think WWE should have their eye on?

Finn Balor: I’m a little bit biased because this fella, he started in the same gym as me in England…and hopefully he’ll be able to make the transition some day into WWE, Zack Sabre Jr. He’s doing tremendous in the independents, not only in Europe but in America you know, but he’s holding his own in Japan.

ABTV: You recently traveled with WWE overseas. How was it wrestling with your home crowd?

Finn Balor: It was quite surreal. It was only less than a year ago that I said goodbye to everyone back home in Ireland and within 10 months to be returning with the WWE main roster. Going to the 3Arena in Dublin which was an arena I used to go and watch WWE when I was a kid. To walk up through the curtain and hear the roar of the hometown crowd, that was incredible.

ABTV: There have been many rumors that you will soon accept John Cena’s open challenge for the US Title. Do you see that happening in the near future?

Finn Balor: Well, Believe it or not, in London when John was in the ring making the open challenge, I was actually putting my gear on trying to get into the ring…but I just got beat to the punch.

ABTV: Where do you see yourself in 10 years and do you have a plan after wrestling?

Finn Balor: I live by the motto “Take one step at a time.” Obviously, there are a lot of short-term goals that I want to achieve, both at NXT and WWE. In 10 years time, maybe I’ll be Triple H’s right hand man, pulling the strings up in the office and helping coordinate this incredible company.

NXT sells out in California debut during WrestleMania 31 Week

The next generation of WWE has been making a huge impact since NXT’s arrival on WWE Network in February 2014. The past year of live specials, large name signings and epic battles inside the squared circle all seemed to be building toward something even bigger.

That “something even bigger” finally came, as NXT truly marked its territory in the sports-entertainment world Friday night, when a sold-out crowd of 5,000-plus fans crammed into the San Jose State University to see the future of WWE in action.

“I had to take a moment and see everybody out there,” San Jose native Bayley told WWE.com about entering the arena for her first match in her hometown since relocating to Florida two and a half years ago to join WWE’s developmental system. “As I got closer to the ring, I started seeing my mom, my nephew and my sisters. Then I looked up and saw all my friend and people with signs. This is my hometown and they were extra supportive. It’s a cool feeling.”

Rhyno, who has experienced some raucous crowds in his day, summed up the NXT Universe in one word: “Insane,” he said following his match in San Jose.

That feeling of excitement wasn’t just in the jam-packed arena. While Finn Bálor entered in full war paint, Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady brought the crowd to its feet with their trademark trash talk. NXT’s Divas showed why the spotlight is on them, and the backstage area was bustling with current Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers jostling for a good view of the show on the arena floor or around monitors behind the curtain. They were as fired up as any fan to see the next generation ply their craft and offer a few pointers when they could.

“We want to be around people that are like we were, just hungry,” Sean Waltman said. “Being around people like that is pretty sweet.”

Waltman was joined backstage by WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon, while fellow Hall member Jim Ross took the show in from ringside. Even WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon stopped by San Jose State to see the future of WWE for himself.

For Superstars that have been a part WWE’s developmental system at different points in its evolution, the sight of thousands of fans packing in to watch the future is staggering.

“It’s super-impressive to see how huge it’s become,” said Seth Rollins, the first-ever NXT Champion. “I never could have imagined this when I signed a developmental contract and walked into a warehouse in Tampa.My first show was in front of 12 people. “

There was no one more moved by the outpouring of support for NXT than Triple H, who took on the developmental system and molded it into what it has become. The WWE COO made a surprise appearance at the event to thank the fans for making NXT’s California debut a huge success, and assure them that this is only the beginning of NXT’s rise.

Rhyno thinks that the reason for NXT’s astronomical success during WrestleMania Week and beyond is simple.

“At NXT, everybody works so hard, from the bottom to the top. The competition is great and the fans see that,” he said. “It’s special.”

Recap of WWE NXT at San Jose State University

WWE NXT held their biggest event yet on Friday night at San Jose State University with between 4,500 and 5,000 fans in attendance. Thanks to Ryan Aziz and Corey Montgomery for the following results:

* JoJo sang the National Anthem and even before that there was a crazy buzz in the air. The crowd was fired up and ready to go. Corey Graves came in the ring to kick off the show but was met with "you f--ked up" chants because his mic didn't work. Graves talked about how far NXT has come and got a chant going.

* Hideo Itami defeated Tyler Breeze in the opener after GTS. This was an awesome match, maybe it was just the setting but this was a lot better than their recent TV matches. The crowd was chanting for GTS early on and Itami went for it during the match, finally nailing it after a big corner dropkick. Itami got the win and was really fired up feeding off the crowd.

* Jason Jordan defeated Bull Dempsey after an Exploder suplex. Dempsey got decent heel heat for this entrance and controlled most of the match. Jordan looked alright in the ring but he didn't get much of a reaction at all.

* Alexa Bliss and Bayley defeated Dana Brooke and Becky Lynch in a great Divas bout. Bayley came out to a huge hometown reaction that carried on. Bayley hit her suplex on Becky for the win and had a pretty big celebration after the match. She was interviewed by Greg Hamilton I believe it was and called it the coolest night of her life. Becky Lynch was really impressive in this match and played the heel role well.

* Solomon Crowe defeated Kalisto by submission with a Stretch Muffler. They did a lot of back and forth wrestling and a lot of mat wrestling but it was done well. They eventually made their way to the ropes and the floor. Crowe blocked a splash and put Kalisto into the Muffler for the win. Crowe also got a good reaction.

* Baron Corbin defeated Rhyno with End of Days. Rhyno got a huge pop when he came out and ECW chants. They brawled like two big men should after Corbin got warmed up. Rhyno finally went for the Gore but Corbin countered and hit End of Days. Corbin turned around after the match to a Gore from Rhyno to another big pop. The crowd really loved Rhyno as he was not advertised before.

* Intermission

* Corey Graves comes out and introduces Triple H, who gets a massive reaction and "thank you" chants. Triple H is clearly having fun. Triple H called NXT the hottest thing in town and said everyone from Vince McMahon to Shawn Michaels to Sean Waltman, Stephanie McMahon and others are backstage watching. He also pointed out Jim Ross in the front row and JR's name got a massive pop, way bigger than Vince and the others. He praised NXT as the future and got another big NXT chant going.

* WWE NXT Tag Team Champions defeated Enzo Amore & Big Cass and The Vaudevillians in an Elimination Match. Carmella, Enzo and Cass got a reaction that rivaled that of Rhyno and Itami, their schtick is over like crazy. All three teams worked well and played their roles with the crowd really well. That's one of the best parts about NXT is just about everyone seems to connect in some way. Big Cass pinned one of The Vaudevillians and they were eliminated first. Carmella then tried to get involved but it backfired and Cass got hit with a cheap shot while he checked on her.

* WWE NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte by submission with the Bank Statement. The crowd has stayed hot all night but cranked it up a notch for these Divas. They chanted "this is wrestling" and "this is awesome" more than once. Lots of back and forth action several times but Charlotte's babyface comebacks were really cool. Sasha broke a pair of Figure Fours and they traded several pin attempts before Sasha dropped Charlotte into the Bank Statement and made her tap out. This was an amazing match, like Natalya vs. Charlotte. It's hard to do justice with words but hopefully this becomes available somewhere in the near future. Charlotte got a "thank you Charlotte" chant after the match.

* Sami Zayn came out to a big pop and a chant. He admitted he ha some health issues that aren't too serious but he's not cleared to compete. He talks about the NXT revolution until NXT Champion Kevin Owens interrupts on the stage. Owens cuts a promo on Sami and then the fans after they give him the "what?" treatment. Owens brags about taking Sami's title and they had more words. Sami took credit for Owens even being in NXT. They teased a fight but Owens backed off and mentioned his own recent surgery. Sami promised to get the NXT Title back once Owens is cleared. With both of them injured, they made the best of things and pulled off a really good promo segment.

* Finn Balor came out in full body paint for the main event against Adrian Neville and got a "holy s--t" chant from the crowd, who was still hot. There was a better than WrestleMania chant at one point and many other chants as they tore the house down. Balor ended up moving out of the way of Red Arrow and hitting the big stomp for the win.

NXT Tournament To Be Held At Axxess To Decide Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Entrant

WWE has officially announced a tournament to take place next Thursday at WrestleMania Axxess in Santa Clara, featuring NXT Superstars Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, Tyler Breeze and former NXT Champion Adrian Neville. The winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the second annual Andre the Giant memorial battle royal at WrestleMania 31, on March 29.

This will mark the first time in history an active member of the NXT roster participates in a match at WWE’s biggest annual pay-per-view.

The company did something similar in 2013, however, when Bo Dallas won a tournament at a WWE Fan Axxess event to earn a spot in that year’s Royal Rumble match.