WWE NXT: January 8, 2015

ORLANDO, Fla. — On the final Thursday night edition of NXT, Sami Zayn returned after suffering severe muscle strains at the hands of his longtime friend, Kevin Owens, at TakeOver: R Evolution. What did the NXT Champion have to say? And in the main event, NXT Tag Team Champions The Lucha Dragons put their titles on the line against the dastardly Vaudevillains in a rematch from the epic special event.

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Sami Zayn addresses the NXT Universe
After thanking the NXT Universe for their unwavering support, Zayn turned his focus toward Owens, telling his former friend that despite the vicious attack, he’s still standing and ready to fight. However, before Zayn could wrap things up, former champion Adrian Neville came to the ring to congratulate his friend. Ever the fighting champion, Zayn was quick to remind the high-flyer that he was entitled to a rematch. Almost as soon as those words left Zayn’s lips, NXT General Manager William Regal entered the arena and announced the rematch will take place next week, when NXT debuts on Wednesday night!

NXT moves to Wednesday nights starting next week

Hideo Itami def. Curtis Axel
Curtis Axel finally got his chance to make a mark in NXT, and wasted no time getting in Hideo Itami’s face. The former Intercontinental Champion tried to gain the upper hand by pounding away at Itami’s back, but the Japanese star quickly caught Axel off-guard with a series of rapid-fire kicks. Axel rebounded and stomped his foe into the canvas, but the resilient Itami refused to relent, fighting back to his feet and clobbering Axel with a devastating spinning kick to earn the victory.

Sasha Banks def. Alexa Bliss
The sparkly Alexa Bliss shimmered in the opening moments of the bout, catching The Boss off-guard with a forearm to the jaw and a sunset flip powerbomb. That only seemed to enrage Sasha, who slammed Bliss face-first into the mat. It wasn’t long before The Boss locked on the Bank Statement, forcing Alexa to tap out.

Tyler Breeze def. Chad Gable
Prince Pretty returned to action this week after taking a holiday vacation in Europe, taking on former Olympic wrestler Chad Gable. The NXT newcomer surprised Breeze with his mat prowess, taking Breeze to the mat and controlling the bout with ease. Though Gable showed some promise and wrenched away at Breeze’s arm with a devastating armbar, Prince Pretty picked up the win after connecting with the Beauty Shot. After the bout, cameras caught a mysterious figure emerging off in the distance behind Breeze. Who (or what) could be keeping an eye on NXT?

NXT Tag Team Champions The Lucha Dragons def. The Vaudevillains
After proving that the illegal member of their team had been pinned at TakeOver: R Evolution, The Vaudevillains were determined to take the NXT Tag Team Championship from the masked marvels. Kalisto & Sin Cara were not going to go down without a fight, as they used their speed to keep the challengers at bay.

The Vaudevillains used nefarious tactics to take control of the bout, cutting the ring in half and keeping Kalisto from tagging in his partner. However, the speedy luchador somehow managed to tag Sin Cara in while executing a headscissors takedown.  Sin Cara launched into action, setting up Aiden English for an innovative double-team maneuver that led to The Lucha Dragons retaining their titles!

Next week, NXT moves to Wednesday night with an absolutely stacked show, featuring three highly anticipated bouts:

-NXT Champion Sami Zayn vs. Adrian Neville
-Finn Bálor vs. Tyson Kidd
-Baron Corbin vs. Bull Dempsey

Don’t miss a second of the action when NXT debuts on its new night and time, Wednesday at 8 p.m.ET, only on WWE Network!