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‘WWE NXT’ Spoiler-Free Preview: May 18 — Bayley, Nia Jax, Austin Aries

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 08:04 PST, May 17, 2016

The current “New Era” movement happening on Monday Night RAW and WWE SmackDown wouldn’t be possible without WWE NXT. The developmental brand was designed specifically to provide the WWE’s main roster with fresh talent on a regular basis. While dozens of WWE Superstars have made the transition from NXT to WWE RAW over the years, the latest influx has come fast and furious. But as NXT sends their talent to WWE, they must replenish their own roster of superstars. With the rapid turnover we’ve seen lately, NXT is experiencing a “new era” of its own, led by talent like Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Aries, Asuka, Nia Jax, and American Alpha.

The only match that WWE is promoting through their website for this week’s show is a women’s division match between Bayley and Nia Jax. Because they announced it on last week’s episode, the NXT Universe is also aware that Blake and Murphy are going to try to impress Alexa Bliss with a win over Austin Aries and a tag team partner of his choosing. With the show having been taped several weeks ago, the rest of the card is available even if it hasn’t officially been released by WWE.

It’s still unclear why WWE only promotes one match each week at their official NXT preview.

Confirmed matches

  • Bayley vs. Nia Jax — This isn’t the first time these two have been in the ring together, but it is the first time since Bayley dropped the title to Asuka. Dana Brooke made the jump from NXT to the main roster without ever winning the NXT Women’s Championship. How long will Bayley remain in NXT before making the jump herself? Will one of these two women challenge Asuka for the gold at the next NXT TakeOver?

  • Blake & Murphy (w/ Alexa Bliss) vs. Austin Aries and a mystery partner — After asking William Regal for another shot at the NXT Tag Team Championship, the General Manager responded by offering them the chance to prove themselves against Austin Aries and a partner of his choosing. Alexa Bliss has been growing as a competitor in her own right and seems to be losing patience with her tag team. Who will Aries choose and how will the former NXT champs do against the mystery opponent?

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Unconfirmed matches

Several weeks’ worth of matches were taped at Full Sail University on April 28, including the content for this week’s episode. Even though WWE hasn’t announced it, we know that the three following matches were taped and have not yet aired on WWE NXT.

WWE NXT: Carmella and Alexa Bliss
The NXT Women’s Division continues to grow [image via WWE].
  • Carmella vs. Peyton Royce
  • Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa vs. Rob Rizin & Danny Birch
  • American Alpha vs. The Revival — non-title match

Where To Watch

New episodes of WWE NXT air on the WWE Network on Wednesday evenings beginning at 8/7c and are immediately available to stream on-demand. Beginning Thursday, replays of WWE NXT are also available to stream on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription.

[Image via WWE]

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