In recent months, there has been a man in NXT who is as fearsome as anyone, that being the submission & catch wrestling expert Timothy Thatcher. He would send Matt Riddle packing from NXT after a brutal cage fight, have some of the hardest hitting matches in the brands history with Oney Lorcan, and then look to make it into the NXT North American Championship Ladder Match. Thatcher faced Dexter Lumis & Finn Balor, and would be the one to lose the match.
Not wanting Balor to make his way to the match, he’d cost Balor his second chance match with Velveteen Dream, and earn a date with the prince. Balor is hard hitting, a world travelled veteran, and as tough as they come. Who will walk away from this grudge match with a big win in the opening match of Takeover XXX?
Finn Balor Almost Outwrestles Thatcher
Balor got this one started quick with some strikes, and Thatcher had him on the ground in seconds and tried for an armbar. From his time in the NJPW Dojo, Balor knew how to grapple with the best of them and was ready for this challenge, getting the arm himself. Thatcher would take Balor back to the mat, but struggled to gain control as Balor outsped and outwrestled Thatcher in the opening minutes.
He’d get a front facelock on Balor, until he opted for an overhand chop to the chest before reapplying the hold. Balor would throw Thatcher over the top rope the next time he was taken to the rope, looking for some space. He’d attack fast when Thatcher got back in the ring, but find him in a kneebar. Balor would escape, and end up in a bow & arrow lock, and narrowly escape this as well.
At this point, Thatcher was in complete control, having taken the speed away from Balor, even having a comeback snuffed out when he ended up in a kimura lock. This would be transitioned into a wrist lock, then a perfectly placed knee to the back. Balor was slipping by the moment.
Timothy Thatcher Brutalizes The Prince
Thatcher would grasp a double chicken wing and look for the suplex, but Balor countered into a pinfall. This wouldn’t work, and Thatcher would keep the hold. Balor would counter again, and this time hit a dropkick, getting back in this one. They’d exchange strikes in the ring until Balor got chopped in the face, and responded with an overhead kick, leading to a double down.
Balor would take control when they got back up, tripping the legs and hitting a short double stomp, taking Thatcher’s breath away. Looking for the GTR, he’d pick Thatcher up, and they’d grapple some more until Balor grabbed an abdominal stretch. He’d transition this into a reverse 1916, then hit the John Woo dropkick, and go high for the Coup De Grace.
Finn Balor Doesn’t Give Up
Balor missed this, and landed hard on his hurt left leg. Thatcher found this opening and got the single leg boston crab, with Balor barely getting to the bottom rope. Balor would escape a potential Fujiwara Armbar, but take an enziguri to the head followed by a german suplex.
He wouldn’t stay down long, grabbing another abdominal stretch on Thatcher, which would be countered into an ankle lock. Balor countered this by rolling through and hitting another double stomp! He’d go high again, nail the Coup De Grace, and hit the 1916 DDT for a hard fought win, his twelfth in NXT Takeover history.
This was an incredible and hard hitting match, one that stayed in the ring for 99% of it’s runtime. Balor & Thatcher put on a wrestling clinic in this match, and this will not be the last time we see this match. I give this one an easy ⅘ (****). Do you want to see another match from these two? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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