ORLANDO, Fla. — 2015 started off with a bang, as the Superstars and Divas of the future gathered for a special New Year’s Day edition of WWE NXT. Tensions still lingering from TakeOver: R Evolution were brought to the forefront, as the NXT Tag Team Champions were assaulted by their former challengers. Also, in a heated main event, Finn Bálor & Hideo Itami brawled with The Ascension in a rematch from last month’s spectacular.
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NXT Tag Team Champions The Lucha Dragons def. Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger (Non-Title Match)
Willing to take on any team, The Lucha Dragons were ready for action on Jan. 1, battling Jason Jordan & Tye Dillinger. While Jordan & Dillinger tried to use their size to their advantage, there was no stopping the speedy NXT Tag Team Champions. Kalisto darted across the ring after escaping his opponents’ clutches, tagging Sin Cara into the fray.
The masked marvel launched into battle, dizzying his foes with an array of high-flying moves. Sin Cara picked up the win with a devastating Sunset Bomb off the top rope. The Lucha Dragons’ celebration didn’t last long, as The Vaudevillains attacked them from behind. Aiden English & Simon Gotch clobbered Kalisto with the Whirling Dervish before declaring that the NXT Tag Team Titles will soon be theirs.
Blue Pants def. Carmella
Carmella has been growing increasingly frustrated with the NXT Universe’s adulation of Blue Pants, the local competitor she’s handily defeated twice since her debut. The Princess of Staten Island looked to have things under control in this match, until Enzo Amore jumped on the ring apron to bark advice at the bombshell. The distraction gave Blue Pants the opening to roll up Carmella and pick up the upset victory! After the bout, a furious Carmella attacked Enzo before storming from the ring!
Baron Corbin def. CJ Parker
After accepting Bull Dempsey’s donation to his cause, CJ Parker stepped into the squared circle to square off with Baron Corbin once again. Things didn’t go much better this time for the eco-warrior, as he fell victim to the End of Days in 34 seconds! Following the bell, The Lone Wolf challenged Dempsey to a fight before pulling The New York Nightmare over the ringside guardrail. That set off a brawl that required every WWE official to pull apart!
Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch confronted Charlotte
After Charlotte’s successful title defense against Sasha Banks last week, Devin Taylor asked the NXT Women’s Champion what’s left for her. While Charlotte complimented The Boss, she didn’t get much of a chance to say anything else, as Sasha and Becky Lynch confronted the champion in the squared circle. However, before anything could happen, Natalya rushed to the ring to even the odds, sending Sasha and Becky retreating!
Renee Young asks Kevin Owens about his relationship with NXT Champion Sami Zayn
Hideo Itami & Finn Bálor def. The Ascension
These rivals wasted no time in battering each other, not even waiting for the bell to begin brawling. Bálor & Itami got an early advantage, sending Konnor & Viktor retreating to ringside to regroup. The Ascension looked to be in trouble, until they trapped Bálor in their corner and Viktor caught him with an uppercut that sent him crashing to the arena floor.
Konnor continued the punishment, slamming Bálor onto the floor. The Ascension cut the ring in half, preventing Itami from entering the bout. Though his foes were dominating him, Bálor remained resilient, fighting out of the monstrous team’s clutches, stunning Konnor with a Pelé-esque kick and tagging in Itami. The Japanese Superstar leapt into action, clobbering Viktor with lightning-fast kicks. Bálor neutralized Konnor with a diving double stomp on the floor, while Itami decked Viktor with a devastating spinning kick to the head to start 2015 with a huge victory.