"Yo, Adrian! I Did Iiit!" - Sami Zayn Wins The NXT Championship

[Uncle Sam]

After his first title shot in October last year, after loss after loss after heroic, breathtaking loss, after tease after tease: Sami Zayn is the NXT Champion.

And, just as I type that, Kevin Owens - who just celebrated so fanatically with Sami that he cut himself open somehow - tossed Sami's head onto the entrance ramp, yanked him back up and knocked him out cold with a powerbomb onto the apron.

That main event just produced literal shock and awe.

 

[Starkist]

And the WWE will never acknowledge that this has been done in the past and they'll tell you it's the first time ever these two have come face to face toe to toe.

Congrats on the win.

 

[bk555]

I think this is so great! There is nothing wrong with saying that NXT is better than the WWE right now! I know a lot of people pretty much say it all the time and because of the IWC's propensity to bag on the WWE a lot, it might seem farfetched, but No! NXT is the real deal!

They have about 1/100th of the star power but how is it that I found this to be such an entertaining main event? Great storytelling, great WRESTLING and a flawless combination of those two. Kevin Steen (Owens) is going be great as well and obviously we could talk for a very long time about how good Zayn and Neville are. That ending had me smiling the whole time! It was a great moment to finally see Zayn as champion and even BETTER to set up a potentially fantastic program between Owens and Zayn.

A+, I was a huge fan.

 

[WarroBODFan]

And the WWE will never acknowledge that this has been done in the past and they'll tell you it's the first time ever these two have come face to face toe to toe.

Congrats on the win.

Right before Kevin Owen's heel turn they embraced, and it was referenced how close they are, and Kevin's pre-debut vignettes, he spoke about how Sami Zayn is his best friend and how many times they've crossed paths. I'm sure they'll reference it in future promos during their feud too.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Too bad this will get, oh, 20 posts. Because despite all discernible logic, WWE has chose to keep NXT a virtual mystery to the majority of their audience.

A great match, a great payoff, for a great competitor. Zayn is the kind of guy the can build an even higher profile for this brand around.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think this is so great! There is nothing wrong with saying that NXT is better than the WWE right now! I know a lot of people pretty much say it all the time and because of the IWC's propensity to bag on the WWE a lot, it might seem farfetched, but No! NXT is the real deal!

They have about 1/100th of the star power but how is it that I found this to be such an entertaining main event? Great storytelling, great WRESTLING and a flawless combination of those two. Kevin Steen (Owens) is going be great as well and obviously we could talk for a very long time about how good Zayn and Neville are. That ending had me smiling the whole time! It was a great moment to finally see Zayn as champion and even BETTER to set up a potentially fantastic program between Owens and Zayn.

A+, I was a huge fan.

What makes NXT an overall superior product is the difference in booking. In my opinion, Triple H is a FAR more consistent booker than Vince McMahon is and you see the consistency if you watch NXT. There's nothing going on in NXT that can't be done equally well on the main roster. Both the main & developmental rosters have a lot of talented wrestlers and the only major difference is that Triple H ultimately makes the call on what goes on in NXT and Vince decides on the main roster. I'm not saying that every decision Triple H makes is right, every feud is great, every match a classic, but Triple H is focused more on NXT being a "wrestling" product first, foremost and primarily. Vince is more concerned with the "sports entertainment" aspect of things right now. There'll be times in which we go for a long stretch of time when you can see that he goes with Triple H's plans for booking Raw & SD!. During those times, the booking is usually more consistent, the wrestling content is stronger, matches are longer and there's very, very little of the "sports entertainment" stuff going on.

Vince doesn't like the notion of WWE being thought of or referred to as a wrestling company, the problem is that WWE IS a wrestling company and the only way to change that would be to not have any wrestling. Vince likes to throw aroung buzzwords like "superstar" and "diva" and "sports entertainment" but it doesn't fool people.

When it comes to legit match of the year competitors, there've probably been about half a dozen or so that've taken place at these NXT specials. Last night was no exception with Zayn vs. Neville. Fantastic storytelling, great action, actually using a ref bump to further a storyline. Just great stuff all around.

 

[klunderbunker]

A little over a year ago I got to see Sami at a house show. Other than a few OLE chants he came out to silence. Ten minutes later he had the crowd completely into the match and got a great pop when he pinned Jack Swagger. That's all you need to know about how good Zayn is.

Last night was a long time coming and it was worth every bit of the wait. Sami has earned his spot and is one of the best underdog characters you'll ever find. He connects with the audience and that's more important than anything else. He's more than ready for WWE, where he'll likely turn into a nothing jobber because that's how WWE works. Even though, great match last night and definitely worth seeing.

 

[Bagpipes]

Loved everything about this show.

There were so many genuine feel good moments that were obviously not entirely kayfabe.

Balor wearing the paint was great; that women's title match was so good in so many ways (something I haven't said about a WWE Divas match for years); Zayn finally winning the big one and the celebration that followed; the surprise heel turn at the end; the commentators not putting themselves over the entire show; Graves on commentary was great; really one of the best "PPVs" I've seen in a long, long time.

 

[Thriller Ant]

For as shitty of a year WWE has had, last night was one of two times they've showed how perfect and beautiful storytelling in pro wrestling can be. Daniel Bryan was the first, and now Sami Zayn is the second.

Neville tried to pull out every underhanded trick he had, going as close to full heel as he ever will most likely, which was the the main advantage he seemed to have over Sami. Sami even teased going down that path with the title belt, but chose not to and finally overcame his inability, real or just perceived, to win the big one his way.

At it's best, wrestling is about making you feel real emotions, and the redemption of Sami Zayn couldn't have done it any better.

 

[HurriKane]

I would tie this with Wrestlemania as show of the year, everything was perfect, and everything I could have ever hoped for. Sure Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn fought as Steen and Generico on the Indys, but to think in NXT how much attention they are getting, and the way they started the feud with them hugging in the ring, and the powerbomb on the outside, is almost a continuation of the near career long feud they had on the indies.

Along with one of the best divas matches all year, Finn Balor and Hideo Itami, and everything was just awesome.

Hell I'm even enjoying Baron Corbin, the whole crowd countdown puts a whole new dynamic on the quick win gimmick that has been done to death.

Great show.

 

[Radical]

Overall, the show solid from top to bottom.

It was an excellent PRO WRESTLING show. Pretty much everything you could ask for:

- Exciting debuts
- Intense rivalries
- Engaging characters
- Excellent wrestling and athleticism
- Great commentary that focused on the match at hand
- High profile, well built Championship matches

The highlight, for me at least, was Sami Zayn finally winning the NXT Championship and over Adrian Neville, no less, who had been the guy he never seemed to be able to beat for the 'big one' and he finally did!

I was very happy to see Sami win it.

I wasn't shocked by Kevin Owens turn at the end because I had heard enough people tease that it might happen on the show so I was basically expecting it but it was well played none the less. It instantly sets up the next feud and with so much history behind it already it should be a great one.

... I just hope Zayn doesn't lose his NXT Title in his first title defense ... although it does look like it's going that way. The only good thing is it probably won't be for a few months.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It was a great match, a LOT of credit should go to Neville who put Zayn over like a million bucks. WWE clearly feels that Zayn could be a replacement D-Bry if he can't come back, and if he does it could be an epic feud between the,.

The striking thing, forgetting Owens was the repeat of the "Bret Mania" finish, with him being lifted high etc... it's normally a good sign for a talent to get that kind of moment rather than the tickertape alone.

 

[Starkist]

Right before Kevin Owen's heel turn they embraced, and it was referenced how close they are, and Kevin's pre-debut vignettes, he spoke about how Sami Zayn is his best friend and how many times they've crossed paths. I'm sure they'll reference it in future promos during their feud too.

Awesome, because they have a great rivalry between each other. My main concern is the main roster call up where all the good dies. In NXT I'm sure it is acknowledge more so because Triple H knows it is more of an Indy camp than anything. I hope we see it on the main roster as I mentioned it would be awesome.

 

[MCMG]

Sami is just so wonderful. He is instantly likeable and this feud from start to finish has been perfect. The match was pretty damn good and the celebration was emotional. Superb stuff all round.

I honestly think the sky is the limit for Sami. He can definitely be a World Champ. Sami can take a beating better than most. and he has has a spectacular move-set and, like I said, he too easy to like.