NXT TakeOver: The End is now officially in the past, as former NXT Champion Finn Bálor looks ahead to an encounter with Shinsuke Nakamura. It seems very likely that Bálor will join former Bullet Club brethren AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows on WWE’s main roster with the upcoming WWE Draft and the recent emphasis on the New Era talent. As Finn’s time winds down at NXT, Nakamura wants a chance to face the “icon” before he attempts to capture the NXT Championship.
Without a No. 1 contender, Samoa Joe feels like almost an afterthought, which is probably why he’s been given a match for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT . A match between Alexa Bliss and Carmella will likely raise questions about who will get the next shot at Asuka and the NXT Women’s Championship. A match featuring Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa against Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley will raise the same questions about The Revival and the NXT Tag Team Championship.
WWE continues to undersell their weekly WWE NXT offerings in their official NXT preview by only promoting one segment of the show from the hottest brand in professional wrestling. But as usual, every level of NXT competition is represented this week, including the women’s division and tag team division, along with singles competition for the men.
Note: While the following matches haven’t been listed at WWE’s website, they have been posted in a spoiler report at Ringside News . An unconfirmed NXT TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn card follows the preview for this week’s show.
The #FABULOUS @CarmellaWWE & the #SmallButFierce @AlexaBliss_WWE face off on tomorrow’s all-new #WWENXT ! @WWENetwork pic.twitter.com/ZrkT1MjdSa
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 28, 2016
Spoiler-free match list — June 29
The matches for this week’s episode of WWE NXT were taped at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, May 19.
- Carmella vs. Alexa Bliss — With Bayley likely to be called up to the WWE Main Roster for the upcoming WWE Draft, the Women’s Division in NXT has room for many wrestlers to shine. Members of the NXT Universe have to believe that the winner of this match would at least be a part of the NXT Women’s Championship conversation.
- Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Noah Kekoa — Now that Cien has competed, he has to prove that he was worth all the hype. In a match against someone who isn’t even on the NXT roster, it’s likely he will be given the chance to display his offensive arsenal.
- Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. Hype Bros (Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley) — The Revival were part of the WWE.com’s official NXT preview, so you have to believe that this match will bring up some important questions related to the NXT Tag Team Championship. It was announced last week that American Alpha would make their return to NXT programming on June 29.
- Samoa Joe vs. Oney Lorcan — Lorcan got an upset victory over the struggling Tye Dillinger last week. Is there any chance his luck can continue against NXT Champion Samoa Joe?
See the Next Generation of WWE! Watch #NXTTakeOver : The End… right now on @WWENetwork . https://t.co/BLZNstMGIN https://t.co/ik6iHQqSuT
— John Cena (@JohnCena) June 22, 2016
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- WWE News: WWE Set to Bring Up Far More NXT Stars to the Main Roster Than Originally Anticipated
Updated NXT TakeOver: Back To Brooklyn card
@stheticsbrah his entrance at NXT takeover brooklyn looked so SICK https://t.co/mnUyH5vpl8
— SamueL (@samueLkdy) June 28, 2016
- NXT Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
- NXT Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival (c) vs. TBD
- NXT Women’s Championship Match: Asuka (c) vs. TBD
No matches have yet been confirmed by WWE or NXT for TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn , but the current storylines (along with the upcoming WWE Draft) would suggest the matches listed above.
Where To Watch
New episodes of WWE NXT air on the WWE Network on Wednesday evenings beginning at 8/7c and are immediately available to stream on-demand. Beginning Thursdays, replays of WWE NXT are also available to stream on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription.
NXT TakeOver: Back to Brooklyn airs live on the WWE Network on Saturday, August 20 at 8/7c. It will also be available on-demand with a Hulu Plus subscription beginning August 21.
[Image via WWE]