NXT champion Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe squared off in Melbourne tonight (Dec. 8) for a steel cage match General Manager William Regal said would their rivalry “settle once and for all”.
After some issues lowering the cage itself, the fourth title fight between the two men featured the hard-hitting action we’ve seen in matches at TakeOvers in Brooklyn & Toronto & this past Saturday at a house show in Osaka, Japan... and at all points in between.
@SamoaJoe and @ShinsukeN are in a WAR inside a STEEL CAGE for the #NXTChampionship at #NXTMelbourne! pic.twitter.com/AV02ZvcEC8
— WWE (@WWE) December 8, 2016
And... add fuel to the Joe call-up rumors, because Nakamura retained in straight-forward fashion after choosing to not win via escape, instead sticking around to deliver some KINSHASAs (three, by one count) and pin Joe before celebrating with the Australian crowd.
Insta-responses from those in attendance are extremely positive, and hopefully an indication the match is as good as the experience of seeing it live undoubtedly was.
Shinske refused to win by walking out of a cage like a coward. Great, old school style brawl in a cage with Joe and Nakamura #NXTMelbourne
— Kevin Chiat (@kevinchiat) December 8, 2016
Legit @ShinsukeN and @SamoaJoe absolutely killed it in the STEEL CAGE MATCH tonight, WOW!!!!!! #NXTMelbourne
— Brooke. (@brookerawrx) December 8, 2016
We’ll have to wait for the next episode of NXT on WWE Network, debuting next Weds., Dec 14, to form our own opinion. But it looks like it’s time for a new NXT title program after a year of Joe-centered ones.
How’s that sound, Cagesiders?
Thanks to AaronWFenwick on Twitter for our main page image.