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00:00Guys, take a look at this.
00:02I've known Samoa Joe a long, long time, and
00:05I have never, ever seen him more focused than he is for
00:09his NXT title match tonight.
00:10And off and down to these two global superstars,
00:16who came together to win the first ever Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
00:21But a decade long friendship dissolved over the pursuit of the coveted NXT Championship.
00:30I can't do as much as you say.
00:44I think it's true.
01:00A ten-year friendship, ten-year friendship down the drain,
01:06when in reality, I would have given him a title shot in the first place.
01:12Listen, I'm not trying to justify what I did.
01:16What I did was a horrible, horrible thing.
01:19But when it comes to the NXT Championship,
01:23sacrifices must be made.
01:28We are defined by two things,
01:31the choices that we make and the actions that we put behind them.
01:35I hate to spring this on you, but I could have gone about this a lot of ways.
01:38And when they announced the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic,
01:41Finn Balor, you came to me, and we won it all.
01:49I want a shot at the championship.
01:51You got it.
01:52But Finn, you put no action behind it.
01:56It's not that easy, actually.
01:58We've lost focus on who is the number one contender.
02:01And where does that leave me?
02:04Waiting?
02:07I don't wait.
02:09In case you people don't know, I'm Samoa Joe.
02:12And the very second I stepped foot in NXT, I was owed.
02:17But more importantly, I am entitled to an NXT Championship match.
02:25We used to be friends, Joe.
02:27We used to trust you.
02:29I'm gonna commit you.
02:31There's nobody in the NXT locker room that I knew better,
02:34or trusted more, than Samoa Joe.
02:37I don't care what Joe's reasons are.
02:39He's destroyed a ten-year friendship,
02:41and now, now it's a person.
02:45Oh, no! Uh-oh! Uh-oh!
02:46It's Samoa Joe trying to put the champ to sleep!
02:48I realize that there's a very good chance
02:50that Finn Balor will bring along his demon.
02:53That piece of him which makes him almost superhuman.
02:56You see, the demon is only a piece of you.
03:01And I'm a 100% complete, total, and utter monster.
03:08I hear Samoa Joe saying,
03:10he's not going to wait.
03:14Can you blame him?
03:16Samoa Joe has traveled the world.
03:17He has done this for many years,
03:19and he has held titles everywhere he has gone.
03:24The NXT Championship to this point has eluded him,
03:27and he didn't feel like waiting any longer.
03:28I think that's a key right there, Corey.
03:29In this man's 16-year career, he has held Patriot Championships all over the world.
03:34Every promotion he's completed.
03:35He's completed.
03:36I think that's a key right there, Corey.
03:38In this man's 16-year career, he has held Patriot Championships all over the world.
03:42Every promotion he's competed in.
03:43I almost feel like Smola Joe internally may be a little disappointed in himself.
03:47Maybe he figured when he came to NXT last May, he would have been the title picture quicker.
03:52He would have been NXT champion sooner.
03:53I think that's a key right there.
03:54He's a key right there, Corey.
03:55He's a key right there.
03:56He's a key right there, Corey.
03:57He's a key right there, Corey.
03:59I think that's a key right there, Corey.
04:00I think that's a key right there, Corey.
04:01This man's 16-year career, he has held Patriot Championships all over the world.
04:05And every promotion he's competed in.
04:07I think that's what Samoa Joe said.
04:18Finn Balor did not put any action behind what he said.
04:22And that's giving Samoa Joe an opportunity at the NXT title.
04:26So Joe went and took it.
04:28Can you blame him for that?
04:29Absolutely not.
04:30Samoa Joe knows what he wants.
04:31He wants the NXT title.
04:33And unfortunately for Finn Balor, Balor has it.
04:37So bridge it down great.
04:38He's gonna be next to Matt Stott's name.
04:40He's gonna be next to Mattully.
04:41Let's see him.
04:42Now I'm gonna give up,bo.
04:44He doesn't need that.
04:50Let's see him.
04:53I'm gonna get to Twitter.
04:55You need to.
05:03We'll watch tipo girls.
05:06.
07:35And that is 100% utter monster all the time, Samoa Joe.
07:43That is 100% utter monster all the time, Samoa Joe.
08:25And that is 100% utter monster all the time, Samoa Joe.
08:37From Huntington Beach, California, weighing 282 pounds, Samoa Joe.
08:51And his opponent, from Gray County, Wicklow, Ireland.
09:06Weighing 190 pounds, he is the NXT Champion, Finn Balor.
09:21Finn Balor has held the NXT Championship since July 4th of this year.
09:34Captured it from Kevin Owens in Tokyo.
09:37He with that win, Rich, has spent eight years training in Japan, competing in Japan,
09:49where he won that championship.
09:50And now here we are in the UK, also familiar territory for Finn Balor.
09:55Samoa Joe is no stranger to the UK.
09:59Samoa Joe has been all over the world.
10:02He's competed in the biggest stages all over the globe.
10:05We'll talk about this matchup on social media.
10:07He used the hashtag, Balor vs. Joe.
10:11And pinfall submission, the only way that Samoa Joe can capture the championship from Balor here tonight.
10:1710,079 fans, I should say.
10:2110,079 on hand, sold out here tonight in London.
10:26Watching around the globe on the WWE Network.
10:30Good in on our hands tonight, main event NXT Championship.
10:35Yes, Samoa Joe! Yes, Samoa Joe! Yes, Samoa Joe!
10:41Balor may invoke the demon, but Samoa Joe is an agent of brutality.
10:46Ready to make the sunburn red in Balor's universe.
10:49You were mentioning that home field advantage, it sounds like the crowd here in London's about a 50-50 split.
10:54Well, don't forget about the star power that Samoa Joe brought to NXT when he first came here.
11:00Samoa Joe had his following.
11:02Whether you agree with his actions or not, Samoa Joe has earned a lot of respect throughout this industry.
11:08What a kick by Balor.
11:11We're thinking the same thing, Graves.
11:14From a tactical standpoint, though, nearly a 100-pound difference between Balor and Joe.
11:20Balor announced at 192.
11:23But Balor launching with a drop kick into Samoa Joe.
11:27Does that weight difference make any difference at all throughout the course of his matchup glory?
11:31I don't think so.
11:32I mean, Samoa Joe is in as great cardio balor as shape as anybody.
11:35Look at Finn Balor.
11:36Look at that look on Balor's face.
11:38That is a man who is truly embracing the demonic side of his personality to combat Samoa Joe here tonight.
11:46He is in another world.
11:50Two, two, three.
11:54Finn Balor is fulking the here in London.
12:04Tapping into that dark passenger that he carries within him.
12:09Finn Balor is definitely bringing it tonight.
12:11I mean, he's on the attack full force right off the bat.
12:13That's what he's gonna have to do.
12:15Look at the artwork on the back of Finn Balor.
12:19It's all about the state of mind.
12:21Yeah.
12:22Right into the steel ring steps.
12:26On yourself for battle, and then you deliver, and that's what the NXT Champion is doing.
12:32Don't forget these two competitors trained together at the Inoki Dojo in California.
12:42They know each other very well, going back over ten years.
12:46Yeah, now they're trying to destroy each other for the NXT Championship.
12:49You can't worry about the past.
12:50You can't worry about friendship.
12:52That could have been it right there.
12:54One, two.
12:56And that's how quickly things change.
13:01Especially when you're dealing with a man like Samoa Joe.
13:05Triple H said in the media call this week that Samoa Joe has seemingly flipped a switch,
13:09and gone back in time.
13:11It's like he's rejuvenated himself in the last few months.
13:13Look, Samoa Joe has changed his own rules of engagement in order to achieve his goal,
13:17which is to be a champion here in NXT.
13:19One, two, three, four.
13:24What stuck with me was the words we heard from Samoa Joe before the match.
13:28Finn Balor, the demon is a part of him.
13:30Samoa Joe is 100% monster.
13:33Let's go, let's go.
13:35In the ring, come on.
13:36He doesn't need to tap into a side of his psyche.
13:38He doesn't need to put a costume on.
13:40He just goes out there and beats you up.
13:42It's a little more than a costume.
13:43Now we're going for that double stomp on the stairs and boom.
13:47Right into a Irenagi.
13:54One, two, three.
14:02Be careful not to get himself disqualified.
14:04But he's definitely making the most of the referee's count to do as much damage as possible to those rapid fire jabs.
14:10That's what Joe tends to do.
14:12Bring him up.
14:13How did that take him?
14:15Balor answers.
14:17Got him with that one.
14:28Balor went down quick.
14:30Balor again defeated Kevin Owens for the championship last July in Tokyo.
14:39Defended the title in a ladder match against Kevin Owens and Roland.
14:43But has he ever faced somebody?
14:45My goodness with the force of Samoa Joe.
14:48It never ceases to amaze me, a man who is 300 plus pounds moves around like a lightweight.
14:54Incredible striking ability.
14:58His hands, his feet.
15:01You name it, it's a weapon.
15:03Every time Balor seems to be fighting back and gaining ground, Joe cuts him off with the knee.
15:32And you notice the demeanor on Samoa Joe's face never changes.
15:36That look of disgust, that look of focus, that cold, calculating body language.
15:41Samoa Joe holds onto to maintain dominance.
15:45The seams of his rivalry planted after Joe Mojo asked for a title opportunity against Finn Balor.
16:01It was denied by William Rubin, the gentleman.
16:04Joe felt insulted that Finn Balor didn't make it happen.
16:09Forward for the title.
16:10And a kick out.
16:11That's convenient, but Joe says he felt betrayed by Finn Balor.
16:15It wasn't Finn Balor who denied Joe.
16:17It was Riku who said, look, you gotta earn your opportunity.
16:21And if that's not-
16:22You notice a big, giant knee from Samoa Joe cover for the championship and kick out.
16:31Listen, guys, let's not worry about how we got here, why Samoa Joe's here.
16:34The fact is Samoa Joe is beating the tar out of the demon in London.
16:38That he is at the moment.
16:40The NXT championship being defeated in primetime live in London.
16:51Finn just trying to get those hands up, trying to block those blows.
16:54Jones just so quick, he knows where to find those openings.
16:57One, two, three, four.
16:59Come on, come on, come on, listen, you're all right?
17:04Balor could be out, Cole.
17:09Balor could be out.
17:12Finn, are you all right?
17:14Champion, communicate with me, are you all right?
17:17You wanna keep going, you okay?
17:19The referee making sure Balor can't continue.
17:28Chops by Samoa Joe.
17:33Joe wants to dismantle his former crowd.
17:36He's gonna fight back.
17:39I don't know if it's wise to do a striking match with Samoa Joe.
17:44He's trending right now on Twitter, NXT TakeOver London.
17:48And we can see new NXT champion trending.
17:52But Joel misses with the centaun.
17:54Balor may have just saved his championship by getting out of the way.
18:05I wonder how much the stress going into this matchup has been on Balor.
18:09Samoa Joe, nearly 300 pounds, launching himself through the ropes.
18:27And wiping out the NXT champion Finn Balor.
18:31He only talking about five seconds that went by.
18:35Finn Balor thought he had Joe Rock.
18:37And then just like this, Samoa Joe full speed ahead,
18:41using every ounce of that 300 pound plus frame to take out the champion.
18:46Like getting hit in the face with a school bus.
18:48Samoa Joe knows what is at stake.
18:50And he is willing to do anything and everything necessary to walk out of London, NXT champion.
18:56This could do it.
18:58Samoa Joe hooks the leg in.
19:00Balor able to get the right shoulder up at two and a half.
19:04You got a guy like Finn Balor who's so proud to be the face of NXT.
19:08He's called NXT the most influential brand in the world today.
19:13And yet, you're facing a man like Samoa Joe who is hell bent on doing anything possible to take that away from you.
19:20Comes with the territory, Byron.
19:23When you're an NXT champion, you've got everybody gunning for you.
19:26Uh-oh.
19:27Powerbomb by Joe's shoulders and down it.
19:32Uh-oh.
19:33No, no, no, no, no.
19:35New champion.
19:36New champion.
19:37And Finn Balor taps out.
19:40In the center of the ring, a long wheels away from those ropes.
19:43Finn Balor.
19:44A crossface.
19:47And how resourceful is Samoa Joe?
19:50Submission maneuver to submission maneuver.
19:54And Joe yelling at Finn Balor, tap out, tap out.
19:57Balor struggling, trying to reach out to the bottom rope.
20:04But hold on, Balor.
20:07And Joe just hanging on.
20:08Trying to use his weight to pin Samoa Joe.
20:10Joe rolls him right back into the crossface.
20:12Samoa Joe using his weight to stop Finn Balor from being able to crawl over and break this hole.
20:19He's gonna break the demon in half.
20:22What would it mean for Samoa Joe to make the demon submit?
20:25Balor gets his bottom foot on the rope and that'll break the rope.
20:29At least for the time being Finn Balor still has life in this matchup.
20:33Again, the NXT Championship is on the line.
20:40The challenger, the man you're looking at right there, Samoa Joe.
20:43One!
20:44Finn Balor the champion.
20:45One!
20:47One!
20:48One!
20:49One!
20:50One!
20:51One!
20:52One!
20:53One!
20:54One!
20:55One!
20:56One!
20:57One!
20:58One!
20:59One!
21:00One!
21:01One!
21:02One!
21:03One!
21:04One!
21:05Five!
21:06One!
21:07One!
21:08Two!
21:09One!
21:10Three!
21:11One!
21:12One!
21:13Two!
21:14One!
21:28I don't think so, Rich.
21:31Finn still seems to have enough left in the tag.
21:34He's gonna break the fight to Samoa Joe.
21:36Samoa Joe!
21:46Lightning strike chops.
21:49Getting hit in the chest with a frying pan.
21:52Over goes Finn.
21:56Wow, what a nasty back elbow.
22:00It's not good.
22:01Ballard might be out cold already.
22:02This is not good at all.
22:04Maybe not.
22:05No!
22:07Quarter in for Gary.
22:08Down goes Joe to the outside.
22:11And he's still on his feet.
22:13Come on.
22:14Get him back in the way.
22:16Come on.
22:17Wait a minute.
22:19Swam down over the top.
22:2615 minutes for a new life.
22:32NG, NG, NG, NG, NG, NG, NG.
22:38Sometimes you just reach that moment where you can't worry about repercussions.
22:42You just gotta go.
22:43You just gotta charge ahead.
22:45Double snap to the back.
22:48That's it.
22:49Balor rolling Joe over.
22:51Push the leg with a tail on the line and a kick out.
22:54Two and a half.
22:55Take another look at this.
23:00Finn Balor willing to do whatever it takes to keep his championship.
23:05Whatever it takes is right.
23:06You just identify your target.
23:08And just strike it.
23:10Strike it till it can't move anymore.
23:12One, two, four.
23:19I've seen Balor go for this before.
23:25Is he gonna be able to get Joe up though?
23:27I don't think so.
23:36That's it.
23:37Joe's out on his feet.
23:39Here comes Balor.
23:41Slip leg kick.
23:42Baby out for good.
23:50Balor lining up Samoa Joe.
23:53Here he comes.
23:55Oh, oh.
23:56Oh, oh.
23:57Get set down.
24:02Uh-oh.
24:03Uh-oh.
24:04Muscle Buster on the way.
24:06We made a new champion.
24:08Balor shimmies through.
24:10One, two, one.
24:12And Samoa Joe just able to kick out.
24:18Pele kick.
24:19I'm sure Finn got all of it, but.
24:21He got enough of it.
24:22One, two, three.
24:26What a match.
24:27The NXT title is on the line.
24:35Finn Balor has taken a tremendous amount of punishment.
24:40Somehow he has found a way to get himself back in the matchup.
24:45But right now it is anyone's match.
24:48Guys, I think you can agree with me.
24:50This is what a championship match is all about.
24:52This is what a championship match should be.
24:55Joe can only win the title by pin follower submission.
25:01One, two, three, three, three, three.
25:18It's the machines.
25:20Samoa Joe.
25:21Bowling elbow by Joe.
25:25He got caught, he got caught.
25:30Coquita clutch.
25:32Finn Balor has been forced to pass out twice, but Balor.
25:39Great ring awareness by Balor, able to break that before Joe got it locked in completely.
25:44The last two times Joe had Balor locked into that Coquita Clutch.
25:49Balor was foaming at the mouth.
25:51He's going for it again.
25:52And Samoa Joe dragging the champion back in the ring.
25:58He knows that's what he needs to do if he wants to win the championship.
26:01History maybe about to repeat itself again.
26:03Will Samoa Joe force Finn Balor to pass out for a third time and capture the NXT champion?
26:13The NXT championship double stop.
26:15How did Balor roll through?
26:17Where did he find the strength?
26:20One, two, three, three, three, four.
26:26One, two, three, four.
26:30One, two, three, four.
26:35One, two, three, four.
26:38One, two, three, four.
26:40One, two, three, four.
26:44Tell that both Finn Balor and Samoa Joe came prepared in this match to counter his opponent's best offense.
26:52You don't become some of the best wrestlers in the world without doing your homer.
26:56Here comes the champ.
26:58One, two, three, four.
27:00Swing lead again.
27:01Balor one more time.
27:05Drop kick into the corner but Joe's still on his feet.
27:08And Finn Balor's still gonna come.
27:11One more time but the drop kick but again Joe remains on the right.
27:16All right.
27:19Yeah.
27:21And the drop kick from behind and this time, this time Joe is on his back.
27:27Finn Balor's feeling it.
27:28He knows what he needs to do.
27:30But can't he do it?
27:31Can't he do it fast enough?
27:33You weren't fast enough.
27:36Finn Balor going to the outside, climbing to the top.
27:42Jump back to his feet.
27:44Yeah, he's such a short window of opportunity with Samoa.
27:46Balor in a dangerous position, fighting back desperately.
27:51Finn Balor's thinking Muscle Buster again.
27:53No.
28:06Balor holding on for dear life.
28:08He knows that if he wants to retain the championship,
28:11he has to fight back with everything he's got left.
28:15Huge chumps and shows.
28:18Cover.
28:20One, two, three.
28:23Here is your winner, and
28:28still the NXT Champion, Finn Balor.
28:38We have just seen Finn Balor paint an incredible platform of perseverance
28:44to survive, and I do mean survive this battle with Samoa Joe.
28:51One of those matches, guys, Finn Balor, I guarantee you,
29:06just look at himself in the mirror and
29:10know that he truly deserves to be the face of NXT.
29:25The demon had to go through hell to retain his championship.
29:29But you're absolutely right, Byron, that's what a champion is made of.
29:36Finn Balor struggled at points in the matchup.
29:39We thought Samoa Joe had Balor's number.
29:41I thought this was it.
29:42Balor able to keep those fingertips in just enough to prevent Joe from
29:46locking in the Coquina Clutch, able to break it.
29:49Here again, looks like Joe looking to finish it all off, roll through.
29:53And bam!
29:55Double stop, gut check after gut check in the main event tonight.
30:01This was the key, this was the opening, this was the one opportunity you search for.
30:08One, two, three.
30:10A huge moment of the matchup.
30:13The defining moment of the matchup, the demon takes flight.
30:17One, two, three.
30:22Balor was first on that top rope and Joe came after him.
30:26We thought that Joe had him lined up for the muscle buster.
30:29Balor knew that he had to fight with every ounce of strength,
30:32every ounce of energy that he had left.
30:34If there was any hope of retaining his NXT championship,
30:37and he did just that.
30:39We talked about how much pride Finn Balor has in NXT.
30:43In his mind, there are no greener pastures.
30:45There is no higher level.
30:47This is where you wanna be.
30:49And at least tonight, we know that Finn Balor's future will continue as the face of NXT.
31:00What a tremendous week it has been across the United Kingdom.
31:05NXT traveling overseas for the first time ever.
31:11And what a night it has been here to count it all off in London.
31:16A sold out crowd, 10,079 on hand at the SSD Wembley Arena.
31:30And many more watching around the globe, live in prime time from London.
31:39Finn Balor retains the NXT Championship in a tremendous battle against Samoa Joe.
31:54You see the trainers out to look at, not only Samoa Joe who has helped up the walkway, but now Finn Balor being evaluated as well.
32:06Yeah, you had to know if you were Finn Balor.
32:09I mean, you weren't gonna walk out of this match without some bruises, without being rocked a little bit.
32:13But Finn did what he had to do.
32:18He tapped into that demonic side to overcome the challenge of Samoa Joe.
32:24It was the demon versus the monster, this was Godzilla versus King Kong.
32:29The demon takes flight like a gargoyle in London.
32:33And that gargoyle connected in what you call Corey, a defining moment to retain the NXT Championship.
32:46That's what it's about, fighting spirit, a warrior's heart, Finn Balor, NXT Champion.
33:01What a tremendous event.
33:05Thank you so much for joining us in London and across the globe.
33:13Finn Balor retains the NXT Championship.
33:17Good night from London.
33:19.
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