Recapping the March 1 edition of WWE NXT
In a night that featured two championship matches, this felt more like a Takeover light than just your average episode of NXT. Peyton Royce earned her shot at Asuka’s women’s championship last week, when she beat Liv Morgan and Ember Moon in a Triple Threat Match, while #DIY took advantage of their contractually obligated rematch for the tag team titles they lost at Takeover: San Antonio to The Authors of Pain.
Appetizer before entrées
Not every match on this card had gold on the line. Sean Maluta, who made his WWE debut in the Cruiserweight Classic a few months ago, faced Patrick Clark in a match that was a small taste of the future of NXT. Neither of these guys have monumental gimmicks, but there is some athletic ability there. Clark picked up the pinfall over Maluta on his first television appearance since September, where he lost to Rich Swann — who is having a nice run in 205 Live. The floor for both of these guys is lower than the ceiling is high, but for a card as stacked as this one, you need a filler match to get the crowd going, and these guys did their jobs.
Who can stop Asuka?
If I were to guess which NXT woman would be a serious threat to dethrone Asuka, Peyton Royce wouldn’t be in my top three. This match was a wrestling clinic by both these women; Royce showed off her technical wrestling talent with a collection of holds, while Asuka’s strikes were so powerful, if Peyton Royce wasn’t so agile, she may have had a few limbs completely kicked off.
Royce had her best friend, Billie Kay, at ringside, who was surprising with her non-impact during this match; Kay was part of the reason Royce won her triple threat match last week. Of course, once Royce finally tapped out to the Asuka Lock, Kay took that as her cue to put a hurting on the champ. It’s not surprising Royce didn’t take the loss in stride, as she joined in on the beatdown.
You wouldn’t think Asuka would have any allies in the locker room, as she has decimated almost the entire women’s division for the past 333 days since becoming champion at Takeover: Dallas, but apparently she had a guardian angel in the form of Ember Moon. Moon, now that’s someone who I’d put money on to beat Asuka. She’s extremely athletic, has a great gimmick, and possibly the best finishing move of any woman, not just in NXT, but the entire WWE. Moon came out like the Tasmanian Devil, helping to even the odds.
Asuka didn’t feel she needed to thank Ember Moon, and instead held her championship belt high above Moon’s head once Royce and Kay weren’t factors anymore. With a month left until Takeover: Orlando, will Ember Moon earn a shot at Asuka’s title? Will Liv Morgan step up and make it her time? Where does the loose-cannon Nikki Cross fit into this, after showing being vocal about wanting Asuka in a match? While Asuka has a big target on her back, it has to be a relief to cross Royce’s name off her list.
Ohno gets a shot at Roode
William Regal announced backstage that in two weeks, Bobby Roode will defend his NXT Championship against Kassius Ohno, who made his return to television from the indie circuit last week. The last time Ohno was in NXT, he was involved in a feud with the Wyatt Family, so the talent is a lot different now than it was then.
I’m surprised Regal didn’t make Ohno earn his title shot in a match against, say, Elias Samson (a man I am an unabashed fan of). On the other hand, someone has to keep Bobby Roode engaged until Shinsuke Nakamura returns from injury, so it might as well be an old fan favorite from four years ago. Nothing sells like shallow nostalgia.
Tag team match
Authors of Pain are a tough wrestling sell. Sure, they’re both massive specimens — maybe the most physically dominant team in WWE — and Paul Ellering brings a history that can legitimize any piece of a roster, but it’s unlikely you will ever get more than a three-star match out of them. Maybe I’m spoiled from all the instant classics #DIY put on with The Revival over the past few months that anything less seems like a letdown.
Nevertheless, AoP are still your NXT Tag Team Champions, mostly thanks to interference by The Revival, who stomped out #DIY as they had both members of AoP in their finishing submission moves, seemingly seconds away from making them tap out. The Revival’s sights weren’t solely set on #DIY, as they took out Akam and Rezar until they were the last men standing, looking down at the four competitors of that match.
It is obvious The Revival are being persistent pests because they want a chance at tag team gold again. For fantasy booking purposes, a triple threat tag team championship match at Takeover would be best for business, and to take it a step further, either The Revival or #DIY should get called up to RAW, who is lacking in the dominant tag team department. Now that I think about it, so is SmackDown Live. Authors of Pain aren’t quite at that level yet, but who knows, they could surprise us all.