Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, and Rich Brennan are on commentary for this match, The prematch video package looks back at their history on the indies and winning the Dusty Rhodes Classic as a team. Samoa Joe ends it by saying the Demon is a part of Finn Balor but he's a complete monster. Samoa Joe makes his way out first, Finn Balor arrrives after the light go out, The Demon is dressed like Jack the Ripper for tonight's event. We get a “this is awesome" chant before the in-ring introductions even start.
FINN BALOR © VS. SAMOA JOE (NXT Championship)
NXT TAKEOVER LONDON - 16th December 2015
The bell rings and they face off, Samoa Joe trips Balor early, they lock up, Joe backs Balor into the ropes and throws him to the mat. Finn Balor attempts some leg kicks but Joe checks them, Balor kicks Joe back and punches with right hands, Joe shoves him away and charges but Balor sidesteps and hits Joe with a dropkick when he comes back. Finn Balor dropkicks Joe through the ropes and hits a running kick from the apron. He throws Samoa Joe back in the ring, but Joe rolls all the way out again and takes a walk at ringside. Finn Balor hits Joe from behind and sends him into the ring steps with a running dropkick. Balor lays Joe across the base of the ring steps but misses the double stomp. He runs into an STO, Samoa Joe sends his head into the apron and brings it back into the ring. Samoa Joe sends Balor into the corner with an elbow to the top of the head and jabs at him, backing away before the count of 5.
Finn Balor fights out of the corner with a forearm, he chops at Joe then goes back to forearms, but Joe drops him with a right hand. Samoa Joe chops Balor and sends him into the corner. Joe hits a running back elbow and the jumping turn around kick. They exchange forearms in the middle of the ring, Balor gets the better of it and hits the ropes but Joe runs through him with a back elbow. Samoa Joe puts Finn Balor in a neck crank, Balor makes it to his feet but Joe slams him down to the mat before he can do anything, at this time the camera decides on a wide shot to show the support for Balor. Samoa Joe covers and gets 2. Samoa Joe hits the snapmare into the chop, kick, knee drop combination for another nearfall. Finn Balor gets to his feet in the corner, with some help from Samoa Joe, Joe jabs at Balor, who slumps down, facewash by Samoa Joe connects before he brings Balor back to the middle of the ring, hitting an overhand chop.
Samoa Joe hits Balor with a forearm, but Finn Balor has a reply. Joe changes to a European uppercut, but Balor stuns him with a pair of forearms. Balor runs into an inverted atomic drop, Joe hits the running boot but Finn Balor rolls out of the way of the senton. Finn Balor vaults to the apron to avoid a charge in the corner and blocks a clothesline, enziguri to Joe over the ropes, Samoa Joe chops Finn Balor out of midair and sends himself through the ropes with a tope suicida forearm! Samoa Joe tosses Balor back into the ring and covers but Finn Balor still kicks out at 2 ½. Samoa Joe hits knee lifts on Finn Balor and powerbombs him, 1, 2, Joe turns Balor over into a modified boston crab as Brennan shouts that we have a new champion. Joe moves into a crossface on Balor, who tries to crawl to the ropes, Balor rolls Joe through for a cover but only gets 1 before Joe rolls back. Finn Balor keeps crawling, Joe grabs the arm as Balor gets close and brings it back into an armbar, so Balor has to reach the rope with his foot.
Finn Balor is able to duck a short-arm clothesline and hits a DDT on Samoa Joe. Joe runs into Balor's boots in the corner, Balor hits a forearm and a chop that Joe sells like a shotgun, Balor hits the ropes and knocks Joe down with a jumping forearm. He hits Joe with a running chop in the corner and sends him across the ring for another, Samoa Joe reverses an irish whip but Balor floats over, Joe knocks him down with a back elbow and gets to the middle rope, Finn Balor knocks him to the floor with an enziguri, but as Graves mentions, he's still on his feet. Finn Balor picks up speed before hitting a swan dive over the top rope, he throws Joe into the ring and hits a double stomp to Samoa Joe's back, he covers but only gets a nearfall as Joe's face here is brilliant. Samoa Joe is in a chinlock, Balor transitions to a dragon sleeper and brings Joe to his feet, but Joe beats his way out of it, Finn Balor with chops to the chest and an enziguri stunning Samoa Joe, he hits the Slingblade. Samoa Joe puts Balor on the top turnbuckle, Balor rolls through the Muscle Buster and gets a nearfall on Joe.
Finn Balor's Pele kick misses but we get a crappy camera angle to hide it. The referee starts counting them both down, they stretch it out too long and he has to call it 9.9 immeasurable to cover. Balor hits Joe with a forearm, Joe hits him with a right, a chop from Balor sets up a series of forearms sending Joe back into the corner, he ducks a shot and backs Balor back up with lefts and rights. He sends Balor back into the corner with a forearm, Balor runs at him with a shot of his own, Joe hits a discus forearm, Balor misses the Pele kick again, Joe recovers, grabbing the ankle and rolling Balor through into the Coquina clutch, Balor sends Joe into the corner to get out of the move. Finn Balor goes out to the apron, Joe blocks the enziguri and hits Balor with a right hand, Samoa Joe puts the Coquina Clutch on Balor over the top rope and brings him back into the ring. Finn Balor tries to make it to the ropes as he starts fading, Joe falls back with Balor but Finn Balor rolls through and hits a double stomp.
The fans find the referee counting them down awesome, Balor springs up at 9, he hits Samoa Joe with a Slingblade, running dropkick sends Joe into the corner. Finn Balor hits the second but Joe's staying on his feet, Finn Balor ducks a clothesline and hits a running dropkick to Samoa Joe, sending him into the turnbuckle, which knocks him down. Finn Balor goes to the top rope, he has to fight off another Muscle Buster, Joe climbs to the middle rope but Finn Balor fights off a superplex attempt and sends Joe to the mat with a chop. Finn Balor hits the Coup de Grace and retains the Championship!
WINNER: FINN BALOR (STILL NXT Champion)
This was a really good match, but it was two in a row with a smaller challenger fighting off a bigger challenger, just with a more Japanese edge to it. They seemed too lean towards the strong style and Finn Balor was able to wake up just as I thought Joe was going to take 95% of the match, the Pele kicks have to be mentioned, it's something I'm going to look out for more in Balor's matches, it could have been an off night..– As a match it's *** ½, but personally, I'd rate it 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment