10/25/17 WWE NXT Recap: Sabbatelli/Moss vs. Lorcan/Burch; Women’s Battle Royal; Almas vs. Strong Main Event

Oct 25, 2017 - by Michael Riba

NXT opens with William Regal in his action. He says that due to the circumstances surrounding her qualifying match, he is adding Nikki Cross to tonight’s Battle Royal. He then says The Authors of Pain will get their rematch against SAnitY on next week’s show. We see the NXT opening video and then go into the arena where Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson welcome us to the show.

Match #1: Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch vs. Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss
Lorcan and Moss start the match. Lorcan chops Moss and then delivers a few uppercuts. Moss comes back and shoves Lorcan into the corner and drives a shoulder into his midsection. Moss runs the ropes, but Lorcan drops him with a dropkick and tags in Burch. Burch beats down Moss, but Moss comes back and slams him into the corner and tags in Sabbatelli. Sabbatelli and Moss double-team Burch with clubbing shots to the back, but Burch comes back with a slap across Sabbatelli’s chest. Burch kicks Sabbatelli away and then delivers a dropkick from the ropes. Burch goes for the cover, but Sabbatelli quickly kicks out. Burch delivers a few more uppercuts, but Sabbatelli fires back with a lariat and tags in Moss. Moss delivers right hands to Burch in the corner and then chokes him with his boot. Sabbatelli tags back in and he and Moss double-team Burch in the corner. Sabbatelli delivers a dropkick and goes for the cover, but Burch kicks out.
Sabbatelli applies a rear chin-lock down on the mat, but Burch fights to his feet. Sabbatelli delivers a knee shot and tags in Moss. Burch gets free and tags in Lorcan, who delivers a series of chops to Sabbatelli and Moss. Lorcan delivers an uppercut to Moss and a Blockbuster to Sabbatelli. Moss comes back and slams Lorcan into the corner and then tags in Sabbatelli. Moss and Sabbatelli double-team Lorcan and Sabbatelli plants Lorcan with a face-buster and gets the pin fall.
Winners: Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss.

We take a look back to two weeks ago when Peyton Royce qualified for the Fatal Four-Way at NXT TakeOver: Houston by beating Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot due to Taynara Conti’s interference.

Match #2: Battle Royal Qualifying Match to Earn Entry into the Fatal Four-Way Match for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: Houston: Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae, Taynara Conti, Lacey Evans, Sarah Logan, Dakota Kai, Bianca Blair, Billie Kay (w/Peyton Royce), Sage Beckett, Zeda, Mercedes, Martinez, Abbey Laith, Vanessa Borne, Santana Garrett, Aliyah, Reina Gonzalez, and Nikki Cross
The women brawl all over the ring and Cross goes right after Conti. Cross eliminates Conti almost immediately, but Conti pulls Cross out under the ropes. Conti slams Cross into the barricade before the referees can make her leave. Peyton Royce slams Cross into the steel steps for good measure. Aliyah tries to eliminate Garrett as Kay tries to eliminate LeRae. Ripley is eliminated by Belair, and Belair eliminates Zeda as well as we head to a break.
We’re back and Kay is working over Garrett, but then Beckett eliminates Kai. Beckett also eliminates Aliyah. Cross gets back into the ring and takes out the majority of the women with a cross-body. Cross delivers forearms to all the women and then eliminates Beckett and Laith, among others. Kay cuts Cross off and kicks her in the face.
We are down to seven: Belair, Martinez, Logan, Cross, Kay, Evans, and LeRae. Logan is eliminated by Martinez. Belair works over Martinez in the corner as Kay does the same to Cross. LeRae eliminates Evans to make it to the final five. Belair spears LeRae in the corner as Cross does the same to Martinez. Belair picks LeRae up and tosses her from the ring for the elimination. The final four are Belair, Martinez, Cross, and Kay. Kay and Belair battle in the corner and then Belair puts Kay on the apron. Kay pulls on Belair’s hair to save herself from hitting the floor, but Belair comes back and whips Kay with her hair. Martinez goes after Belair and Cross and Kay battle and tumble through the ropes. Belair and Martinez continue to battle in the ring and Martinez delivers a big boot that sends Belair to the apron. Martinez goes for a spear, but Belair counters and pulls Martinez to the apron. Cross runs into the ring and knocks both to the floor for the eliminations. Kay attacks Cross, but Cross comes back and tosses Kay over the top rope.
Winner: Nikki Cross.
After the match, Royce and Cross go at in in the ring as William Regal brings the NXT Women’s Championship belt into the ring. Ember Moon’s music hits and she joins them in the ring. Kairi Sane’s music hits and she does the same.

We see that Roderick Strong and Andrade “Cien” Almas will go one-on-one in tonight’s main event. We then see that Aleister Black will be in action up next as we head to a break.

Back from the break, we see footage from outside the WWE Performance Center involving the NXT Champion Drew McIntyre earlier this week. He is interrupted by Zelina Vega. She says she and Andrade “Cien” Almas still haven’t gotten the contract for an NXT Championship Match and wonders why. McIntyre says all Almas has to do is ask him face to face and walks away.

We see that “Play” by Marmozets will be one of the official theme songs for NXT TakeOver: Houston.

Aleister Black makes his entrance for his match, but he is attacked by The Velveteen Dream. Dream slams Black into the steps and then ties him up in the ropes in the ring. Black tells Dream to say his name and then slaps him across the face. He slaps him a second time and Black still doesn’t say his name. Dream runs the ropes, but Black kicks him away and gets free of the ropes. Blakc goes for Black Mass, but Dream dodges it and leaves the ring as Black stares him down.

We see Roderick Strong walking backstage. The main event is up next.

Back from the break, we see that “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” by Power Trip will be one of the official theme songs for NXT TakeOver: Houston. We are reminded that SAnitY will defend the NXT Tag Team Championship against The Authors of Pain on next week’s show.

Match #3: Andrade “Cien” Almas (w/Zelina Vega) vs. Roderick Strong
Strong and Almas tie up an Almas applies a side-headlock. Strong comes back with a front head-lock, but Almas backs him into the corner. Strong and Almas both go for his tosses, but then Strong delivers the pendulum back-breaker and gets a one count. Strong chops Almas into the corner, but Almas comes back with a right hand. Almas tries to suplex Strong back into the ring, but Strong brings Almas to the apron instead. Almas delivers some elbows to Strong’s neck and then slams him down onto the apron as we head to a break.
Back from the break, Strong is back in the ring and he tosses Almas into the ropes, but Almas holds on. Almas locks in an arm-bar over the ropes and then works over Strong’s shoulder and arm in the ring. Strong fights back and tosses Almas to the outside. Almas gets back in, but Strong delivers an enzuiguri. Strong delivers a few chops and then drops Almas with a lariat. Strong backs Almas into the corner and deliver another chop. Strong delivers a gut-buster and then applies a modified tarantula submission in the ropes. Strong delivers an enzuiguri to Almas on the apron and then Strong drops Almas back-first onto the apron. Strong rolls Almas back into the ring and goes for the cover, but Almas kicks out at two. Almas comes back and delivers a tornado DDT out of nowhere from the corner and goes for the cover, but Strong kicks out at two.
Strong goes for a Tiger Driver, but Almas counters with a head scissors take down. Almas sends Strong to the corner and delivers double knees and goes for the cover, but Strong kicks out at two. Almas goes for the hammer-lock DDT, but Strong counters and they exchange forearm shots. Almas comes back with a couple back elbows and goes for double knees, but Strong counters with a kick to the face and then an Olympic Slam. Storng delivers a knee shot and clotheslines Almas to the floor. Strong delivers a dropkick, but Vega gets involved and slams Strong into the stairs with an enzuiguri. Almas tosses Strong back into the ring and plants him with the hammer-lock DDT and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Andrade “Cien” Almas.
After the match, Vega and Almas walk up the ramp and then Vega grabs Maruo’s headset. She tells Drew McIntyre that Almas is officially calling him out face-to-face. Strong is left in the ring and then The Undisputed ERA’s music hits and Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly walk to the ring. Cole tells Strong that he is not a loser and says he needs to be a part of the Undisputed ERA. Cole takes off his armband and extends it to Strong. Strong accepts it and Cole says the world will be theirs. Cole, Fish, and O’Reilly leave the ring as Strong looks on as NXT comes to a close.

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