The King of Strong Style defends the NXT Title against Samoa Joe inside an unforgiving Steel Cage in Melbourne, Australia. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.
WWE NXT results, Jan. 4, 2016: TM61 and #DIY tear it up during Tag Team Title showdown in Melbourne
In their return home to Australia, TM61 challenged #DIY for the NXT Tag Team Titles. Did Shane Thorne & Nick Miller walk out of Melbourne with the coveted championship?
WWE NXT Results : Quick Hits
WWE NXT Results : Full Details
NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura def. Samoa Joe (Steel Cage Match)
MELBOURNE, Australia – NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe’s storied rivalry wrote arguably its greatest chapter yet, as the two bitter rivals clashed inside a steel cage. After The King of Strong Style won the NXT Championship back from Joe in Osaka, Japan, a determined Joe immediately demanded a rematch inside a Steel Cage.
The steely surroundings proved to be the perfect confines for this huge NXT Championship Match as Nakamura and Joe waged war in front of the NXT Universe in Australia. The titleholder and his challenger took turns ruthlessly beating one another inside the unforgiving steel structure.
These fierce warriors left it all out in the ring as they not only fought one another, but battled pure exhaustion as their epic war came to a close. In the end, it was Nakamura’s spectacular Kinshasa on Joe while balancing on the middle of the top rope that would ultimately spell the end for the submission specialist. The champion seemingly had an opportunity to walk uncontested out of the steel cage, but chose to slam the door shut. Instead, Nakamura proceeded to hit not one, but two more devastating Kinshasas on Joe for the pinfall victory.
The Revival def. Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli
MELBOURNE, Australia — NXT’s debut in Melbourne kicked off with tag team action, as former two-time NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival squared off with the blue chip duo of Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli.
The rookie tandem looked to overpower Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder, but the former champions used their wiles to take advantage of their inexperienced opponents and gain control. While Moss & Sabbatelli were eventually able to muscle The Revival around the squared circle, Dash & Dawson’s experience (and a few underhanded tactics) made the difference. The self-proclaimed “top guys” put Moss down with the Shatter Machine to get the three-count and leave Melbourne victorious.
Tye Dillinger & Buddy Murphy def. Bobby Roode & Elias Samson
Buddy Murphy was amped to return to his hometown of Melbourne for a tag team throw-down with Bobby Roode & Elias Samson. It didn’t hurt that he had the “perfect” partner in his corner, Tye Dillinger. The Glorious One sought to put Murphy in his place early on, but there was no stopping the daredevil Australian, nor The Perfect 10, though Roode did his best to avoid coming to blows with Dillinger.
The Perfect 10 went on a tear, pummeling both Roode and Samson to the delight of the Melbourne crowd. However, the nefarious duo of The Glorious One and The Drifter eventually overtook him. Murphy tagged back in and was raring to go, neutralizing Roode at ringside with a breathtaking dive over the ropes. Back in the ring, The Perfect 10 drilled The Drifter with the Tye-Breaker, getting the win and making sure that Murphy’s homecoming ended on the perfect note.
Ember Moon def. Billie Kay and Liv Morgan in a Triple Threat Match
With NXT Women’s Champion Asuka thwarting Nia Jax last week in Osaka, Japan, there is still a spot open for her next challenger. Three potential future contenders battled it out in a Triple Threat Match, as Ember Moon, Liv Morgan and Billie Kay collided in The Land Down Under.
Each Superstar took turns showing off her impressive skillset to the NXT Universe in Melbourne. Morgan’s athleticism was on full display as she flew around the ring with ease. Meanwhile, Australia native Kay dominated a large portion of the contest behind her powerful attack, even managing to ground both her opponents at the same time.
Eventually Kay’s assault was halted, allowing Moon to capitalize for the victory. After Kay delivered an emphatic powerbomb on Morgan, Moon took advantage by hitting the Australian Superstar with her trademark corkscrew stunner from the top rope for the pinfall.
#DIY def. TM61 (NXT Tag Team Championship Match)
The future of NXT’s tag team division looks extremely bright. All you have to do is watch #DIY’s action-packed battle against TM61 to see that. These two evenly matched teams put on quite the show as they clashed for the coveted NXT Tag Team Championship.
Aussies Shane Thorne & Nick Miller had the home field advantage, but they were running into the red-hot titleholders. Both teams sized each other up in the early goings, but it didn’t take long for the pace of the contest to pick up. The champions and challengers traded ringing strikes and explosive suplexes amid a rowdy NXT Universe Down Under.
The crowd thought they had witnessed a title change when Miller sacrificed his own tag team partner to deliver a vicious powerbomb from out of the corner onto Tommaso Ciampa. However, as they have become accustomed to doing, #DIY battled back to eventually claim victory in this epic battle.
Despite the loss, TM61 showed that they belong in contention for the NXT Tag Team Championship, even earning a post-match handshake from the titleholders in a classy sign of respect.
