Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger
The night started with a choir of singers, Bobby Roode coming out to a majestic crowd and a battle of two Canadians. Roode and Dillinger started the night off hot and played PERFECTLY to the crowd. It started with Dillinger really getting into the mind of Roode, with every chop and punch followed with the “ten” chant. When Roode finally got going offensively, he hit a few backdrops and then slowed the pace down with some headlocks and submission moves. It always seemed that Tye was able to come back, battle back and get so close to upsetting Roode.
The final moments of the match showed Dillinger reversing a move, but ultimately being thrown into the post and hit with a Glorious DDT for the loss. Even though we knew that Bobby Roode was going to win, I was very curious to see how they would book Dillinger. A tough loss, but I think this was a great loss and showcased how over a guy can be. Tye Dillinger proved to be on the level of main event talent and NXT should see this down the road as someone who could potentially chase a championship. If not, Tye will find a nice spot on Smackdown or RAW in 2017. As for Roode, does anyone carry himself more like a star? From the confidence, the robe, the moves and the arrogance, Bobby Roode has found the perfect gimmick to make him a mainstay in NXT and in WWE.
The Authors of Pain vs. TM-61
The Finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic came down to two of the younger teams in NXT. Thorne and Miller hit some excellent splash moves, with Thorne flying from the crane holding Paul Ellering and crashing down on the big men. After that, a suicide dive and a few more top rope moves carried them offensively.
Time would tell until The Authors of Pain would take over and they did just that. Double team moves and powerful slams were the end of the Australian team. AoP would hit their finisher and become the winners of the tournament. When you look at these two teams, they are so different but so similar. They had to do too much to get the crowd connected with their match. There needs to be a bigger focus on their character development and dramatic elements in future storylines. They are too good in the ring to not take more time to develop a unique gimmick. Look at Gargano and Tomasso. They started as a random pairing, but now could be the biggest team in NXT. Follow that path.
