On Friday, April 1, 2016, WWE will present WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas , live at 10/7 p.m. ET/PT at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. For those who are unable to attend it live, it will be available for viewing exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.
However, the Inquisitr understands not everyone in the WWE Universe (or wrestling community in general) will be able to spend up to three hours to watch WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas . Therefore, results will be presented live as they become available.
Similar to past WWE pay-per-views, the WWE is providing a kick-off, courtesy to those who do not have a paid subscription to the WWE Network. Thirty minutes before the special event, WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas Pre-Show will take place, which will include a panel of WWE personalities and commentators consisting of Renee Young, Mauro Ranallo, and WWE Hall of Famer Lita discussing the matches in WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas . It can be viewed not only on the WWE Network, but also on WWE’s official website, WWE App, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, and Pinterest.
Prior to this, the Inquisitr reported on the latest news leading up to WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas , which may or may not assist in fan predictions on what will take place.
- The main event will be Finn Bálor versus Samoa Joe in a singles match for the NXT Championship.
- Shinsuke Nakamura will make his debut at the event when he faces off against Sami Zayn in a singles match.
- Austin Aries will also make his debut at the event when he faces off against Baron Corbin in a singles match.
- It is possible WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas will be Bayley’s last match in NXT if she loses to Asuka. However, it can be a huge setup for a debut at WrestleMania 32 .
Nevertheless, the following match card shown below is what is provided at this moment, and can change for any reason. The Inquisitr will update this article with the latest results as they become available live but as for a synopsis, it will be fully-updated after the event is done.
Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin — This will be Aries’ official welcome to NXT. From what was shown, this match is booked because Corbin attacked Aries when he was first introduced to the NXT fans. This will be Aries’ opportunity to exact his revenge for Corbin spoiling it.
RESULT : Austin Aries defeats Baron Corbin via pinfall after countering the End of Days into a Roll-Up.
SYNOPSIS : Austin Aries wanted to teach Baron Corbin a lesson, but given the fact this is his first match, it is possible he took it easier just to get a feel of how NXT works. Still, he came in strong against Corbin, attacking the legs, crossing it up with a high-risk double ax handle smash. However, Aries got too excited and walked into a stun gun.
Baron Corbin is now in control of the match which means the pace has slowed down. With a shoulder claw in place, Corbin hopes to ground Austin Aries. Eventually, Corbin’s nonchalant lack of seriousness cost him as Aries was able to pick up the pace again with hard elbows and stunners, topped with a missile drop kick off the top turnbuckle. Corbin rolls out to catch his breath but Aries follows him. Aries tries to connect with a move but is caught by Corbin who follows up with a Deep Six onto the ramp.
Apparently, a pinfall victory is not on Baron Corbins plan as he rolls back into the ring and tells the referee to count out Austin Aries who is laid out from the Deep Six. Aries fortunately gets back into the ring before the ten count and beckons Corbin that he wants more. Truly frustrated, Corbin sets up Aries for the End of Days but Aries reverses it through a flip and rolls up Corbin for the pin just long enough to earn a victory.
The Revival vs. American Alpha (NXT Tag Team Championships) — Both of these teams are on fire in the NXT. The Revival, consisting of Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, brought back the old school style of tag team wrestling. On the other hand, American Alpha, consisting of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, brings an eccentric quality to the division similar to The World’s Greatest Tag Team. Though The Revival are really doing well as champs, it is best if American Alpha wins because they are truly up-and-coming in the division today.
RESULT : American Alpha defeat The Revival when Chad Gable pins Scott Dawson after the Grand Amplitude to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
SYNOPSIS : Apparently, the match between American Alpha and The Revival is about their pride and place in NXT which is detailed by the disrespectful slapping both Chad Gable and Scott Dawson did to each other in the midst of their counters and reversals, pure-style wrestling opener followed by a team versus team stare down.
Eventually, the match would surely show that American Alpha were the legit team following the rules by the book while The Revival utilized every dirty trick in the book they could to keep their titles. It started when Scott Dawson tried to tag in Dash Wilder from outside of the ring. The referee had his hands full sorting things out with Wilder which gave Dawson the chance to rake Chad Gable’s eyes. That is when the momentum shifted to the champions.
The Revival have full control of Chad Gable, keeping him isolated from Jason Jordan through any means necessary which usually means cheating. One time, Gable was close enough to tag in Jordan, but Scott Dawson crawls under the ring, so the referee couldn’t see him, to American Alpha’s corner and trips Jordan before the tag is made.
After The Revival botch up some sort of double-team move, they botch up their position when the non-legal man, Scott Dawson, tries to pin Chad Gable. The referee sees the problem and calls them out for it, in which The Revival are mocked by the NXT fans. Eventually, Gable gets the tag and Jason Jordan starts suplexing The Revival. The Revival however did sneak in another attempt to cheat when Dawson pins Jordan with his feet on the ropes and Dash Wilder enforcing his feet by holding it down with a towel. Jordan still kicks out.
The end came when Scott Dawson and Chad Gable traded blows in which Jason Jordan tags himself in when Dawson shoulder blocks Gable in the corner. Without knowing Jordan is the legal man, Dawson get blindsided followed by the Grand Amplitude. Gable than pins Dawson to win the match for his team. American Alpha are the new NXT Tag Team Champions.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura — This is another welcoming match for another new member to the NXT roster. Unlike the match featuring Austin Aries, fans don’t know if Nakamura will be handed a victory per se. Zayn is extremely popular among the NXT fans and WWE Universe so he can eek out a win. This match will probably showcase the “Strong Style,” a combination of judo and MMA with a heavy focus on submission wrestling in men’s wrestling. So far, the only ones to truly use it are Asuka and Hideo Itami.
RESULT : Shinsuke Nakamura defeats Sami Zayn via pinfall after the Bomaye (Running Knee Strike).
SYNOPSIS : This was easily the best match of the night and one where it was so back-and-forth, nobody knew who would win. As mentioned earlier, Shinsuke Nakamura uses “Strong Style” and he is known as the King of Strong Style. He also knows how to use mind games through flamboyance as shown in the beginning, beckoning Sami Zayn over, dodging lockups just so he can strut away. Technically, Nakamura is playing mind games.
Eventually, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn do lockup but through a wristlock reversal and counter segment. Showcasing their wrestling abilities, Zayn got the upper hand in which he arm dragged Nakamura twice. After Zayn beckons Nakamura, he gets kicked multiple times but blocks one and catches the foot. Nakamura escapes with a unique enziguri kick. Afterwards it is a back-and-forth game in which Nakamura shows off his Strong Style of hard running knees, a diving knee to the back of the head of an apron-hung Zayn, and a running knee to a parallel-laid Zayn on the top turnbuckle.
Sami Zayn sends Shinsuke Nakamura flying to the outside by pulling the top rope down for a charging Nakamura to go over the ropes and out. Zayn than gets him back into the ring and connects with a top turnbuckle cross body splash. Nakamura gains some momentum but is stopped with a Michinoku Driver. Both wrestlers get up and trade elbows until Zayn connects with two clotheslines. Unfortunately for Zayn the second clothesline was countered into a couple of submission holds. Still Zayn countered it into a Koji Cluth though Nakamura got out of that too.
After a show of their best moves, like Sami Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb and Shinsuke Nakamura’s inverted exploder suplex, Nakamura got Zayn set up for his finisher, the Bomaye (Running Knee). He connects which is enough to put down Zayn for the count of three. Nakamura is victorious in his NXT debut.
Bayley vs. Asuka (NXT Women’s Championship) — This is to most fans the true main event of the night. First and foremost, Bayley is going in not only as the champion, but the clear-cut underdog. As of now, Asuka is undefeated in NXT ever since her debut at WWE NXT TakeOver: Respect , a night when she decimated Dana Brooke. Continuing from that moment, Asuka has destroyed Emma, Santana Garrett, Peyton Royce, and many others. She even instills fear into the entire women’s locker room which even includes Nia Jax. In the end, Bayley may have the means to win, but it will most likely be one she won’t walk away from. It is also believed if Bayley loses, she is going to the WWE main roster.
RESULT : Asuka defeats Bayley via submission with the Asuka Lock to become the new NXT Women’s Champion.
SYNOPSIS : What is surprising about this match is that it wasn’t complete domination. The NXT fans were clearly split down the middle between the two female wrestlers, but one would need to be crowned. The of course start the match with a reversal/counter sequence which ended with Asuka connected with some strikes followed by a hip attack. As an added insult, Asuka connects with a Lo-ki kick to a downed Bayley too. Unfortunately for Asuka, her momentum stopped when she missed another hip attack and was clotheslined.
Bayley is now on the offense as she works on Asuka with diving elbows, especially one from the Tree of Woe. After a failed pin attempt from a hurricanrana, Bayley locks in the guillotine choke, the same move that put away Nia Jax at NXT TakeOver: London . Asuka reverses it into an ankle lock and does enough damage to cause Bayley to limp. Asuka smells blood and just does a flurry of offense against Bayley including diving drop kicks and hard kicks to the head.
The momentum shifts when Asuka tries to hit Bayley with another hip attack but is caught and suplexed instead. When both wrestlers get to their feet, Bayley attacks Asuka’s legs with a kneebar followed with an ankle lock. Asuka does escape by reaching the ropes but Bayley is on the attack as she kicks Asuka’s legs.
Bayley knows she has to pull out the big guns to defeat Asuka as she locks in the submission move she used to make Sasha Banks tap out at NXT TakeOver: Respect . Asuka however is not giving up so Bayley tries to turn it into a modified pin. Asuka kicks out and was about to be attacked again but counters with a suplex followed a succession of submission which results in Bayley being locked into the Asuka lock. Desperation sets in as Bayley does everything she can to reach the ropes. Even when Asuka drops Bayley to the canvas and cinches the submission even more, Bayley was able to get up and attempt to reach for the ropes. It is when Bayley is sent to the canvas a second time she sees her reign coming to an end as she passes out. Asuka is the new champion by submission, but Bayley never tapped out.
It should also be noted that Asuka became NXT Women’s Champion six months from her debut and she is still holds a perfect record in NXT, never being defeated even once.
Finn Bálor vs. Samoa Joe (NXT Championship) — This fight has been festering for awhile and it is Joe’s second chance to win the title. For those who do not remember, Bálor took on Joe back in WWE NXT TakeOver: London and he won that match. Joe is looking not just for redemption but also to become the champion. It is believed that Bálor will be going up to the main roster soon (along with his fellow Bullet Club members) to start some sort of storyline. Because of this, Bálor may lose tonight.
RESULT : Finn Bálor defeats Samoa Joe via pinfall reversing the Coquina Clutch to retain the NXT Championship.
SYNOPSIS : This match was hindered a lot simply because Samoa Joe suffered a cut in the beginning of the match which caused the medical staff concern. Ergo, they would attempt to clean Joe’s cut in between snippets of action. This caused the first parts of the match to be so-so and most unmemorable despite Joe throwing Finn Bálor over the barricade in one part and diving through the roes to hit Bálor, standing outside the ring, with a shoulder tackle.
Once Samoa Joe’s cut was under control somewhat, the match gets going with Joe dominating most of it. Uranage suplexes and falling enzugiris are delivered on Joe’s behalf in between quick cleanings of his cut by the referee. The one time Finn Bálor gains some momentum at times but is quickly shut down such as Joe countering a top rope assault into an inverted atomic drop. Eventually, Bálor counters Joe who is sitting on the top turnbuckle in which Joe falls to the outside. He tries to gain composure just to get a penalty kick to the face.
Back in the ring, Finn Bálor tries to hit the sling blade but Samoa Joe counters with a belly-to-belly suplex. Joe than tries to follow up but gets a sling blade instead. Unfortunately for Bálor, his momentum is short-lived as he misses a dropkick, lands on his back, than is squashed by Joe with a senton. Joe than does a double powerbomb pin of Bálor who kicks out at two. Joe than transitions the pin into a Boston Crab, than a Crippler Crossface. It seems like the end but Bálor actually escapes the submission and double stomps Joe. He than hits another sling blade followed by the dropkick that sets up for the Coup de Grâce. While on the top turnbuckle however, Joe is back on the attack and connects with the Muscle Buster but only gets a two count.
After another flurry of back-and-forth attacks, Finn Bálor finally has Samoa Joe where he wants him for the Coup de Grâce. He connects with it, gets Joe back up for the Bloody Sunday, but Joe reverses it into the Coquina Clutch. Bálor doesn’t escape the hold technically but turns it into his favor by climbing the turnbuckle and having both him and Joe fall back to the canvas. Joe refuses to relinquish the hold and his pinned much to the same way Stone Cold Steve Austin lost to Bret Hart when he would not relinquish the Million Dollar Dream. In the end, Finn Bálor is still champion, but this rubber match wasn’t that all satisfying.
[Image via WWE NXT TakeOver: Dallas Poster]
