WWE NXT ArRIVAL

Cesaro def. Sami Zayn

The high-flying Sami Zayn looks to make a name for himself against WWE Superstar and arch-rival Cesaro.

Watch the full replay on WWE Network

ORLANDO, Fla. – How’s this for an ArRIVAL? The first NXT pay-per-view kicked off live on WWE Network in epic style, with the latest installment of a rivalry so epic it helped bring NXT to the forefront of the WWE Universe in 2013. Alas, the fourth time was not the charm for Sami Zayn, whose saw his long-stewing rivalry with Cesaro end in heartbreak six months after their previous contest – a 2-out-of-3-Falls slugfest – shot straight into the history books. Zayn had demanded another crack at the Real American, though Cesaro, forced to accept by WWE COO Triple H, treated the match early on as little more than a formality by tossing Zayn to the ground and slapping him derisively across the back.

Photos:  The next generation shines on NXT ArRIVAL

Zayn battled for respect and was met with brute-force resistance; Cesaro seamlessly spun the airborne Superstar into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and manhandled him with impunity across the NXT Arena, eventually targeting the knee of his stupefied opponent. Cesaro picked his foe apart for minutes on end, though Zayn finally found daylight with an exploder suplex into the corner, a spinning powerbomb and Koji Clutch. The effort all but took the life out of Zayn, though the NXT Superstar wouldn’t stay down despite Cesaro’s demands that he give up. Zayn powered his way to a final rally, but the unstoppable force met the immovable object when Cesaro unleashed a jaw-jacking discus European uppercut, and a final Neutralizer for the victory.

Post-match interview:  Cesaro said what?

Despite the loss, Zayn could hardly be viewed as a loser, and seemed to get what he had wanted all along: After the match, Cesaro hauled his fallen foe to his feet and embraced him in a show of hard, hard-earned respect.

Mojo Rawley def. CJ Parker

When facing Mojo Rawley, one must – as he likes to say – get hyped. CJ Parker, unfortunately, was not hyped enough. The athleticism and instincts of “The Moonchild” amounted to little more than an annoyance to the freight-train power of Rawley, who pulverized NXT’s resident environmentalist into a pile of mulch on NXT ArRIVAL. The big man Rawley pummeled Parker to and fro, but the dreadlocked NXT Superstar countered his sizable opponent by maneuvering him into the corner and targeting his ribs with kicks to the chest. Despite Parker’s intelligent strategy, Rawley was simply too hyped to stay down, and he rallied to bash Parker into the dirt before flattening him with his signature Hyperdrive.

NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension def. Too Cool

If there is one thing newcomers need to know about NXT Tag Team Champions The Ascension, it’s that they’re not particularly fond of dancing. Which didn’t bode well at all for their surprise challengers to the NXT Tag Titles, Attitude Era veterans and dancers extraordinaire Too Cool. The gothic goliaths Konnor & Viktor opened their defense in dominant fashion, trading offense – the lithe Viktor on the mat, the towering Konnor with his fists – on Grandmaster Sexay.

Watch Too Cool react and other NXT ArRIVAL exclusives

Things turned slightly for the former World Tag Team Champions when Sexay tagged in a fresh Scotty 2 Hotty, who used his quickness to overpower Viktor into position for The Worm. Viktor tripped Scotty face-first into the ropes, though, and the bout went south in a matter of moments from there. Viktor plowed Scotty into the mat with a clothesline, disposed of Sexay and summoned Konnor from the apron to execute the team’s tandem signature maneuver, the Fall of Man, to put Too Cool to sleep.

NXT Women’s Champion Paige def. Emma

Paige defends her NXT Women's Title against her longtime rival Emma.

The #EMMAlution will not be televised. At least not on NXT ArRIVAL , thanks to a successful NXT Women’s Championship defense by Paige against Emma.

The “Diva of Tomorrow” Paige has been on the periphery of the WWE Universe throughout her time on NXT, and she more than lived up to her lofty reputation on the biggest night of her career. She was met by a stiff challenge in Emma, though, who gave the “Anti-Diva” a run for her money at nearly every turn. Emma rolled to an early advantage by unleashing her diverse move-set, stringing Paige up in the Dil-Emma tarantula hold before plowing her into the corner with the Emma Sandwich splash.

Watch:  #EMMAzing title match highlights

With Paige on the ropes, Emma went big with a sunset flip sit-out powerbomb from the top rope that very nearly put the champion away. Paige fired back with a superkick to the gut and her Paige-Turner neckbreaker which no NXT or WWE Diva had never kicked out of … until tonight! Emma managed to get her shoulder up before the count of three, which left Paige’s usually fair complexion red with shock, self-doubt and anger. The NXT Women’s Champion then channeled her rage by applying a torturous looking Scorpion Cross Lock submission hold that earned her the title retention by tap out. 

Alexander Rusev attacked Xavier Woods and Tyler Breeze

Hold the selfies and calls to your momma: Xavier Woods’ battle with the self-portrait-obsessed Tyler Breeze didn’t even get out of the blocks, thanks to a ruthless intrusion from Alexander Rusev that left both competitors flattened under the Florida moonlight. The NXT Universe showered “Prince Pretty” with chants of “BREEZE-IS-GORG-EOUS,” though he wasn’t for long when The Bulgarian Brute thundered to the ring and pancaked both men with splashes and cross bodies into the corner. As a final showcase of his dominance, Rusev wrenched Woods into his “Accolade” submission hold while his ambassador, Lana, extolled his virtues as a “super-athlete.” Given his display, who’s going to argue?

Adrian Neville def. Bo Dallas to become the new NXT Champion

Bo Dallas defends his NXT Championship Match against Neville in the first ever Ladder Match in NXT history.

Bo-lief was not enough to save Bo Dallas, the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time at NXT ArRIVAL. With the NXT Title at stake, “The Man that Gravity Forgot” Adrian Neville prevailed in the first Ladder Match to unfold under the NXT banner, despite Bo’s promise to leave with the championship in hand. Dallas often insists that everyone in the NXT Universe knows and loves him, but the crowd had little love for the cocky titleholder, especially when he immediately reached for a ladder rather than mix it up with the dynamic Neville.

Watch:  Un-Bo-lievable highlights of ArRIVAL's main event

Dallas had mentioned on the NXT Pre-Show he was scared of spiders and lightning, but not Neville. Imagine his surprise, then, when the soaring No. 1 contender attacked with a style that seemed like a combination of both. Faced with a man who could take flight at will, Dallas didn’t try to beat Neville so much as try to trap him repeatedly, first in the ropes, then the ring apron, and finally, under a ladder in an attempt to create an opportunity to make the climb uncontested.

Each time Neville escaped ensnarement, Bo resorted to using pure force, attempting to knock his challenger out and free himself up to scale the ladder. However, any WWE Superstar can tell you that all it takes is one instant to turn the tide. And “The Man That Gravity Forgot” did not disappoint when he finally found his footing, slamming Bo on a ladder and executing his Red Arrow corkscrew Shooting Star Press to the prone titleholder. With Dallas helpless outside the ring, Neville ascended the ladder and seized the NXT Championship to become face of WWE’s next generation.