The long-awaited TNA–NXT crossover delivered mixed results
Showdown was supposed to showcase the best of both TNA and NXT but instead the botchfest was an awkward and embarrassing watch until the final two matches of the night put the show back on track. If you were keeping score, the night ended in a 2-2 tie.
We get a great look back at the evolution of TNA and NXT to their present day collaboration and battle for “brand supremacy”.
The male TNA team arrives with Mike Santana leading the way through the NXT parking lot.
We also see the NXT women’s team chatting away in the locker room while the TNA superstars make their way through the parking lot and man-o-man, Jakara Jackson looks killer.
NXT Tag Team Champions Dark State (c) (Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin) vs. TNA Tag Team Champions Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy (c) – Champions Versus Champions, Title for Title Match
The Dudley Boys are at ringside and TNA President Carlos Silva. All of Dark State charges the ring to attack The Hardys. The Hardys successfully fight off everyone knocking them out of the ring to the floor. The fans chant: TNA! TNA!
The official sends Saquon Shugars and Cutler James to the back. The Hardys almost immediately the pin with a Spin Cycle. Dion Lennox and Osiris Griffin double-team Jeff but Osiris goes for a leg drop and completely, utterly misses it. Botch-A-Mania here we come!
In the back we see Jordynne Grace laying down the law with the NXT women’s team.
Osiris slams Jeff but misses the leg drop…on purpose this time. Jeff tags in Matt who is overwhelmed by Osiris. Matt gets clotheslined out his boots as he attempts a Twist of Fate on Osiris.
Jeff is trapped in Dark State’s corner as the fans cheer for him to fight his way out. A Twist of Fate by Jeff on both members of Dark State has him seeing some daylight. He makes the hot tag to Matt. A Side Effect and a DDT takes down both members of Dark State. Matt introduces Dion to each of the three turnbuckles.
Osiris scoops up Matt into an Electric Chair. I am not sure if Osiris stumbled or Matt was supposed to wriggle his way out but the Electric Chair collapses. Twist of Fate to Osiris. Twist of Fate to Dion. Jeff hits the Swanton Bomb and pins Dion.
Winners: …and new TNA and NXT Tag Team Champions, The Hardy Boys.
The Dudley Boys are on their feet giving The Hardys their props.
Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca and Lola Vice) versus Team TNA (Kelani Jordan, Cassie Lee, Jessica McKay and Mara Sade) – Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match (Special referee Jordynne Grace)
We see Santino Marella and Silva backstage watching the action nervously.
It doesn’t take long for things break down with some finger pointing and fists flying. Everyone leaps on top of everyone on the floor. The NXT crowd starts doing “the wave’. I am not sure if that’s a good thing or not. It is very distracting to say the least.
Jayne wipes out Team TNA all on her own. Parker double-stacks The Inspiration in a corner for her big hip drop. Sade goes for a big moonsault and completely misses Parker. The match breaks down.
Sade rolls up Parker at 9 minutes and 11 seconds.
Ruca stuns Sade with a Soul Catcher and pins her at 9 minutes and 21 seconds.
Lola tags in nailing everyone with kicks, kicks and more kicks.
Lola pins Cassie Lee with a back fist at 11 minutes and 18 seconds.
Lola forces Jessica McKay to tap out at 11 minutes and 44 seconds. Kelani Jordan doesn’t make the save in time. It is now Jordan against everyone left on Team NXT.
The Inspiration is trading barbs with Lola. This distracts Grace. Jordan hits her splash on Jayne but Grave is late to count the pin. Jordan chews her out.
Jordan shoves Lola into Jayne. She pins Lola with an Angle Slam at 13 minutes and 33 seconds.
The official then begins to announce…”Here are your winners Team…” but switches to…”Lola Vice has been eliminated.”
The crowd boos and boos.
Jayne tags herself in after Ruca stuns her with a Sol Snatcher. Jayne steals the pinfall.
Sole Survivors – Jayce Jayne and Sol Ruca.
Winners: Team NXT (Jacy Jayne, Jaida Parker, Sol Ruca and Lola Vice)
Ruca comforts Jordan and shoves Jayne away.
Matt Cordona and GM Ava meet backstage. Ava wants to know why Matt has been “blowing up” her phone all day long. He apologizes for getting involved last week when he shouldn’t have. Ava praises Cordona on his “Oscar-winning” apology. She doesn’t believe him at all as he is the master of self-promotion. Briggs bursts into the office. Cordona hides behind the door. He wants a match against Cordona. Ava tells him there shouldn’t be a problem. She will talk to Santino. When Briggs leaves, Cordona says: “I love how his this place works. See you next week.” He leaves her office.
Ethan Page (c) vs. Mustafa Ali – NXT North American Championship
WWE should never have let Ali go. What a talent he is in every way. Ali hits his kick from the apron and his rolling DDT. His standing moonsault gets Ali a two count.
We see Hendry and Team TNA in the back.
Both men battle on the floor. Ali bounces Page’s head off the apron. Page slides back into the ring, begs off and exits the ring. Ali follows him. He hits Ali with a back elbow and declares he is done. Ali slides through to the other side of the ring and stands in Page’s way. He DDTs Page on the floor.
Ali attempts to climb to the top rope. Page kicks his feet out from under him. Page spins Ali around by his legs. Ali hits his head on the steel post and falls to the floor. Ali lands a powerbomb off the ropes but as he climbs back up Page crotches him. Page lifts Ali up on his shoulders giving him a Snake Eyes on the top turnbuckle. Ali bridges out of the pin to his feet but collapses onto the mat.
Page drags Ali to his feet. They trade running hits in different corners. Page ducks Ali. Ali runs smack into the middle turnbuckle.
Ali dives through the ropes sending himself and Page over the announce table. As Ali rolls Page back into the ring he notices his foot is caught up in a microphone cord. He hesitates on the top rope trying to free himself. Page shoves Ali off and into the barricade. Twisted Grin for the 1,2,3.
Winner: …and still NXT North American Champion, Ethan Page.
Ek Hijo Del Dr. Wagner Jr. is interviewed backstage by Sarah Schreiber. He maintains again that he is coming for the NXT North American Championship. Lexis King arrives. He mocks Wagner for dressing up for Halloween too early. King knows it is Tavion Heights under the mask. Wagner is confused. King reaches for the mask. Wagner leaves and Tavion walks up behind King. King wonders how Tavion pulled off that trick. “What is going on around here?” asks King.
The NXT Women’s Team meets backstage. Jacey bugs out as soon as she can. Zaria congratulates Sol, even though she is celebrating with her “new friends”. Parker and Lola leave. Sol thought they had put their differences aside. They are going to win those Women’s Tag Team Championships. Blake Monroe cannot believe that Sol is so very greedy just like Jordynne Grace. She accuses Sol of using Zaria. Zaria says Monroe is like everyone else. All they want are Sol’s titles. “I only want one,” says Monroe pointing to the North American Championship and leaves.
Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose and Leon Slater) versus Team NXT (Ricky Saints, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans and Myles Borne) -Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match (Special referee Joe Hendry)
Things breaks down with everyone brawling. Joe Hendry just throws up his hands. Borne splashes everyone on the floor.
Kazarian catches Borne off the ropes with a stunner for a pin at 2 minutes and 15 seconds in.
Booker T calls Borne the “weak link” on the team. Hendry catches Kazarian trying to use the ropes for a pin on Evans. He smiles and kicks his feet off the ropes. Trick Williams doesn’t want any of Santana so he tags Evans in.
After taking out all of Team TNA on his own, Evans gets rolled up and pinned by Slater at 7 minutes and 16 seconds.
Trick Williams doesn’t like the fact that Saints tagged himself in so when Saints reaches to tag him in, Williams pulls a Macho Man and drops to the floor. Williams leaves the match at ten minutes in.
Kazarian locks in a chicken wing on Saints. Saints pulls a Bret Hart, uses his momentum in a corner to roll up Kazarian at 10 minutes and 57 seconds to pin him.
Slater leaps off the top rope onto Saints. Saints puts his knees up. He pins Slater at 12 minutes and 14 seconds.
It is now Mike Santana and Moose versus Ricky Saints.
Saints dodges a spear by Moose. Moose hits Santana instead. Santana just manages to kick out.
Moose powerbombs Saints. Santana hits Spin The Block Clothesline. Saints is pinned at 15 minutes and 57 seconds.
Sole Survivors: Moose and Mike Santana.
Winners: Team TNA (Mike Santana, Frankie Kazarian, Moose and Leon Slater)
