The culmination of an intense rivalry between Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe, which featured four memorable NXT championship matches in four different countries during the course of four months, now opens the door for a number of other exciting possibilities.
But before we closed the book on this historic chapter of NXT history, there was a cage match to be settled -- a final bout between the newly re-crowned champion in Nakamura and Samoa Joe in Melbourne, Australia, last week. It followed the same formula used one week prior in Osaka, Japan, when Nakamura regained his championship, with a match filmed just a few days prior to its airing on the weekly NXT broadcast.
With most major NXT showdowns, especially in the case of their titles, conflicts have been resolved live at TakeOver specials, for the most part. While the overall presentation loses a little bit by using a pretaped format, with results blasted out on social media immediately following the close of the match, the showdown itself and the overall match quality remained outstanding.
The thrilling end to this blood feud saw Nakamura deliver a slew of his kinshasa knee strikes that led him to victory over Samoa Joe for the second time in two weeks, and left him the definitive winner of this rivalry. For Joe, it will stand alongside his battles with Finn Balor and his first title reign as his most memorable stretch in NXT, and a move up to either Raw or SmackDown in the near-future now seems more likely than ever.
With Joe now out of the picture, Wednesday also marked the start of a tournament to determine a new No. 1 contender for the NXT championship. Four first-round matches boiled the field down from eight to four, with a Fatal 4-Way to follow next week to round out the action; the winner of that match will be the next to challenge Nakamura.
Tye Dillinger was the first competitor announced by William Regal, and his match with Eric Young wasn't so much a match, as it was a development in the story of Damo and his developing relationship with SAnitY. Before the match could amount to anything substantial, Nikki Cross interfered, attacking Dillinger and giving him the DQ win. It was followed by an onslaught by Damo on Dillinger, and the entire conflict successfully served multiple purposes. It advanced Dillinger into next week's match without Young appearing weak, and added to the chaos surrounding SAnitY.
While Dillinger feuding with Nakamura in the long term seems unlikely at this point, something worthwhile almost has to be on the horizon for the talented "Perfect 10," who has connected with fans with the strong hook of his "10" chants, which live crowds have embraced. Nothing seems certain at the moment, but Dillinger did happen to call out the Intercontinental champion on Twitter last week (and Miz laid in a brutal retort of his own).
Andrade "Cien" Almas earned the second entry into next week's match with a win against No Way Jose. Almas has a much brighter future in his current heel role than he was initially dealt as the babyface character he debuted in June. While No Way Jose has caught on more than anyone could have imagined, putting Almas in next week's match made the most sense style-wise in a Fatal 4-Way.
The third ticket to the fatal four-way was punched by Roderick Strong, who was victorious against "The Drifter" Elias Samson. The nicely worked match showcased Strong's athleticism and Samson's ability to generate heat.
Perhaps the most obvious inclusion in the match to determine Nakamura's next opponent was Bobby Roode, who defeated Oney Lorcan to qualify. The Glorious One has to be the favorite to win next week, as that would kick-start an exceptionally appealing program full of promise between arguably the two most popular stars NXT has to offer.
Next week's fatal four-way match to determine a new number one contender for the NXT Championship features four of the best workers in NXT -- and to say we should be in store for a great one would be an understatement.
Hits and misses
As great as the Nakamura-Samoa Joe feud was, the conclusion felt a bit rushed at its end with the final two matches taking place at live events in back-to-back weeks. Don't get me wrong, the matches were well done and the crowds were energetic, but the grand finale feels like it deserved a live environment with the avoidance of spoilers -- and, more importantly, commercial breaks. It could be an issue of timing, but could you imagine the final blow-off the night before the Royal Rumble, followed by Joe's debut in that titular match the following day? Perhaps they just want us to forget Joe for a couple of weeks to make a debut feel more surprising.
If this is the end for Samoa Joe in NXT, what an awesome run it has been. He has accomplished quite a bit in about a year and a half -- the two NXT Championship reigns, a win in the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and countless top-notch matches -- and his career on either Raw or SmackDown Live should be bright.
Is there a more underrated heel character in NXT right now than Elias Samson? The carefree, drifter playing subdued, depressing melodies on his guitar is the perfect recipe for boos -- and he's been getting them in higher and higher volume, of late.
SAnitY, with its twists and turns including changes to the make-up of their stable, becomes more fascinating with each passing week. As magnetic as they continue to be and as quality a leader as Young is, it's the unique Cross that truly characterizes SAnitY. Her distinctively unpredictable nature encompasses what the group is about, and I'm excited to see her career blossom and the group as a whole move up the ladder in NXT.
"Showtime" Percy Watson is fitting in wonderfully on commentary. His back-and-forth with Corey Graves was entertaining as he referred to him as "Gravy" throughout the broadcast -- much to Graves' dismay.