Canucks stole the show at NXT Live’s stopover in Toronto. At the Mattamy Athletic Centre in downtown Toronto, hometown stars Eric Young, Aliyah, Bobby Roode and Tye Dillinger were given a grand hometown reception.
For Bobby Roode, it was bittersweet homecoming. With his father and mother at ringside, Roode wrestled his final NXT match.
Following the main event, NXT Champion Drew McIntyre called Bobby Roode out to say a fond farewell to NXT.
“I want to thank you, all the fans. Twenty years ago I started in this business right here in Toronto. Throughout my career it was good to come back home but tonight is my last night in NXT,” Roode said with the crowd chanting… Thank you, Bobby!.. in unison.
“During my time as champ I said this was MY NXT but it is not. It is YOUR NXT,” said Roode complimenting and thanking all of the NXT talent he has worked with in the past.
“As I move onto Smackdown, please continue to support this brand as NXT is the future,” said Roode in closing before heading down to the entrance way where the rest of the talent stood congratulating him.
In his final match, Roode defeated a determined and vastly improved Velveteen Dream (Patrick Clark). Chants of…Welcome home!…cheering him on, Roode took it to Dream who did give him a run for his money. As the fight went to the floor, Dream’s forearm uppercuts had Roode wobbling until he fought back with chops and slammed Dream’s head into the time keeper’s table.
Dream cleverly infuriated the crowd by stealing moves made famous by Bret Hart throughout the match such as the diving pointed elbow drop and a Russian leg sweep, all the while imitating Hart’s signature taunt.
It was Dream though who was a victim of the Sharpshooter when Roode slapped it on and the Toronto crowd went as mental as you might expect.
Dream managed to make it to the ropes but missed his Purple RainMaker flying elbow drop. Roode quickly and expertly realigned his vertebrae with a spinebuster and a Glorious DDT winning the bout.
Although technically from St. Catharines (an hour or so from Toronto), Tye Dillinger made a surprise appearance in the opener taking on a cagey Kona Reeves. The crowd was on Reeves’ case right away rhetorically and cheekily asking him…Who are you? Reeves answered back by doing a victory lap after arm dragging Dillinger to the mat. Dillinger responded in kind and did his reciprocal lap further angering Reeves.
With shouts of…You’re a zero!… Reeves lost the momentum later on. After stomping a mud hole in him, Dillinger took his knee pad down and ended Reeves’ night with the Tye Breaker.
Toronto’s Aliyah teamed up with Amber Moon to take on the true winner of Tough Enough 2015, Mandy Rose and Vanessa Borne. Rose displayed her dastardly ways before the bell even rang by accepting a fan’s sign that read “Mandy Marry Me” — and then proceeding to rip it into shreds breaking his heart.
Mandy Rose is so polished now some of the fans in attendance were cheering her over Aliyah. Why isn’t she on the main NXT roster? Aliyah absorbed most of the punishment but she and Ember Moon worked well as a team. When Ember was hot-tagged in, she splashed both Rose and Borne off the ropes and Aliyah scored the pin.
As part of the NXT Tag Team Champions, Eric Young teamed with Alexander Wolfe to fend off the challenge of Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss. Who Sabbatelli and Moss defeated to earn a shot at the belts in the first place remains a mystery.
Before the bell even rang both teams brawled up the entrance way and into the crowd, where they threw each other into security railings and Wolfe clobbered Moss with a garbage can and dove off the stage into everyone.
Back in the ring, Sabbatelli and Moss worked Wolfe over as Young paced back and forth just dying to tag in. A comedy bit had Moss pulling off Fulton’s Sanity shirt but being unable to rip it in half Hulk Hogan style.
Once Young tagged in, the crazy Canadian took over. A diving elbow drop, a double neckbreaker with Fulton and Sanity retained their titles.
NXT Live Toronto Results: September 9th, 2017
Tye Dillinger Vs Kona Reeves
Winner: Tye Dillinger.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
Mandy Rose and Vanessa Borne Vs Aliyah and Ember Moon
Winners: Aliyah and Ember Moon.
Match Rating: 7 / 10
Johnny Gargano Vs Killian Dain
Duelling chants of Johnny Wrestling! and Shave your back! start the match off. The theme here is Gargano trying to use his technical skill and agility to combat Dain’s massive size and strength. Dain halts an attempt at a hurricanrana, stands on Gargano, splashes him and then hits a corner slingshot splash but the crowds shouts back at him…You’re not (Big Van) Vader! Dain fails an attempt at an electric chair drop and gets super kicked into oblivion.
Winner: Johnny Gargano.
Match Rating: 7.5 / 10
Hideo Itami Vs Aleister Black
It is truly painful watching these two just batter each other strong style. Itami takes some shortcuts such as poking Black in the eye, shoving Black into the official and attempting to use a Kendo stick. When the official pulls the stick away, Black hits Black Mass.
Winner: Aleister Black.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
The Velveteen Dream Vs Bobby Roode
Winner: Bobby Roode.
Match Rating: 8 / 10
NXT Tag Team Championship Match – Sanity Vs Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss
Winners: … and still NXT Tag Team Champions Sanity.
Match Rating: 6 / 10
Lacey Evans Vs Nikki Cross
Waving her American flag on Canadian soil signals that Evans is the heel tonight and she is treated as such by the crowd. Cross is outmuscled most of the match and seems more reserved than usual. Cross gains her wits again and the momentum beating Evans. After the match, Cross shoves Evans out of the ring, chases after her up the entrance way and pummels her to the backstage area and out of sight.
Winner: Nikki Cross.
Match Rating: 5 / 10
NXT Championship Match – Drew McIntyre Vs Andrade “Cien” Almas
When Almas is introduced as the challenger an audible sigh echoes throughout the deflated crowd who obviously expected a different opponent. Almas attacks McIntyre during the introductions and doesn’t let up on McIntyre. In fact, Almas rules most of the bout. Almas borrows from Alberto Del Rio playback, even using his diving double foot stomp.
At one point in the match, a turnbuckle becomes loose and Almas rips it off and tosses it into the third row where a little girl and a man assumed to be her father catch it. Before handing it back over to WWE personnel, dad takes a picture of his daughter holding the buckle. Almas and McIntyre brain each other with head butts before McIntyre gives Almas a Claymore and retains the title.
Winner: …and still NXT Champion… Drew McIntyre.
Match Rating: 7.5 / 10
Overall Rating: 8 / 10
