NXT Jacksonville, FL, live results: Finn Balor teams up with American Alpha
Submitted by Ross Blair, live from the Maxwell Snyder Armory Thursday
– Mojo Rawley def. Alex Riley
Crowd favorite Rawley got the fans “hyped” in a decent opener against Riley. Both men had equal offense, and Mojo got the pin after he spun around and clocked Riley with a big right hand.
– Liv Morgan defeated Daria the Jersey Devil
Daria had MMA attire and the slugfest match came off more like an MMA match than a pro wrestling contest. It worked here. This was Morgan’s third consecutive appearance at this venue and, judging from the ovation she got, I’m probably not alone in saying she’s my favorite newbie in the NXT women’s division. Morgan pinned Daria after a standing moonsault…a deviation from her last two appearances, which ended with moonsaults of the top rope.
– Tucker Knight pinned Angelo Dawkins
Knight won with a Thesz press. Knight has new attire, a singlet, which greatly improves his look as it hides his gut.
– Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy (with Carmella) defeated Blake & Murphy (without Alexa Bliss)
Enzo got double teamed for the majority of the match, followed by a hot tag to Big Cass and a pinfall victory after the popular duo’s rocket launcher finisher.
– Levis Valenzuela Jr. pinned Riddick Moss after a wind-up knockout punch
Moss was greeted with chants of “You’re OK” and “Welcome Back” as he made his entrance. The final image of the previous Jacksonville show was Moss receiving medical attention after the 6-man main event he was in ended prematurely when he had his bell rung after a suplex-gone-wrong. Moss did some mic work to turn around the sympathy he got from the fans & regain his role as a heel: “The last few weeks haven’t been easy, but all your support has been the only thing…that has completely annoyed me! I don’t need any of you!”
– Six-foot-seven former collegiate football player Dan Matha debuted in an interview segment. He touted to announcer Tom Phillips that he is an “A+ player” and an apparent heel: “If you’re not a girl or a dumbbell, I don’t have time for you!”
– Nia Jax def. Aliyah
Jax got a big pop as she entered the ring to face the ridiculously smaller Aliyah in actually a very entertaining David & Goliath matchup. The crowd moaned in unison after Jax menacingly said “say hi to Aliyah”, followed by grabbing her by the hair & spinning her halfway across the ring. Aliyah did a good job appearing nervous during her brief moments of offense. Jax playfully said “bye bye” before finishing her with a Samoan drop.
– NXT Champion Finn Balor & American Alpha (Jason Jordan/Chad Gable) def. NXT Tag Champions The Revival (Dash & Dawson) & Baron Corbin
Balor got a huge pop in his long awaited return to Jacksonville. Excellent match. Gable got triple teamed for much of the contest. The finish came when Gable & Jordan had both Dawson & Wilder in ankle locks as Balor came off the top rope with his foot stomp to pin Corbin.
Notes:
– A return date to Jacksonville of April 23rd was announced.
– Manny “La Sombra” Andrade (joined by Mandy Rose & Steve Cutler) made his meet & greet debut. He is apparently conquering the English language as he fit right in during the NXT pre-show ritual of autographs and pictures with fans. Unfortunately, he was not on the actual card.