Big Bad Blog Video Theater-Asuka vs Nia Jax

Here's the match video of Asuka defending her NXT Women's Championship against Nia Jax from last night NXT Takeover show. I am posting this for Asuka fans who don't have the WWE Network. If you have been watching NXT, you will know that Nia is the WWE version of a monster heel. She is also the cousin of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Her big problem is her lack of experience. She also probably doesn't know her own strength. After Asuka won the belt on the last Takeover show, the obvious thing was to give Bayley a rematch. Instead they decided to have Nia beat Bayley badly enough to injure her. It was an angle because Bayley continued to work house shows. She will get that rematch at the Aug. NXT Takeover show. They sold Nia as a monster heel including having her powerbomb Asuka at the contract signing. The match went pretty much as I expected. I thought Nia would beat the crap out of Asuka but that Asuka would ultimately win. The thing that stood out to me in this match is Asuka's attention to detail. Everyone in the WWE can learn so much by watching her. It starts with her entrance. Asuka changes her look and her entrance routine at each Takeover show. The only things that don't change is her music and her robe. I think she changes her hair colour every week. And though she wears the same basic costume, she changes elements of it just to freshen it up. As a graphic designer, Asuka knows this is important. As expected, Nia was in control for the first part of the match. Asuka sold Nia's offense like she was getting killed. Her facial expressions are fantastic. This includes a guillotine attempt that Nia turns into a suplex. Asuka's comeback attempts are easily cut off. Nia seems overconfident and that's her big mistake. First, Asuka turns a sunset flip attempt into an ankle lock. Her transitions are unbelievable. The end comes after Nia powerbombs Asuka and then misses a leg drop. Asuka follows this with a Shining Wizard and a hip attack. She goes for an Asuka Lock but Nia is too big to apply it properly. So instead she hits four consecutive kicks to the head and it's all over. Asuka is still the NXT Women's Champion. The ending reminded me of when Io Shirai beat Alpha Female in Stardom a couple of years ago. Asuka's attention to detail continues post match. She celebrates but she still sells Nia's offense. And she continued to do that in her post match interview which I am posting here. And she continued that this morning on Twitter. The WWE is frequently criticized for lapses in continuity. And here's someone who knows how important continuity is. Plenty of wrestlers would have shown no evidence of a tough match in the post match interview. Asuka's performance last night was simply brilliant. Enjoy the videos!