Sami Zayn is arguably the most beloved NXT Superstar. Hes the perennial good guy and crowd favorite. However, he always seems to come up just short in his endeavors -- most notably, losing to Cesaro at NXT Arrival. On the other hand, Tyler Breeze is a self-absorbed, narcissistic male model. Hes so in love with himself that he takes a selfie video while walking to the ring. These two men met at Takeover to determine the number one contender to the NXT Championship. They had previously battled -- along with Tyson Kidd -- in another number one contenders match just two weeks prior. Obviously, Tyson Kidd came out the victor in that one, but General Manager JBL booked this match to determine the next contender to the coveted gold. The match started out well for Sami Zayn, but he was quickly derailed after being tossed to the floor by Breeze. Prince Pretty -- as he likes to be called -- then followed up by driving Zayn face first into the middle turnbuckle with a modified bulldog. The male model continued to dominate Sami with his aggressive offense, but Zayn was able to regain his momentum after dumping Breeze to the floor, and following up with a springboard moonsault. The world-renowned superstar nearly picked up the win after a high-impact Blue Thunder Bomb on Breeze. The self-professed gorgeous grappler would not be stopped, however, as he planted Zayn with an impaler DDT for the near fall. The crowd continued to voice their support for Sami with repeated Ole! chants as Prince Pretty again nearly scored the win after a modified sitout powerbomb. The match continued at a blistering pace as both combatants traded quick reversals and counters. Samis slap to Breezes face fired up the gorgeous one, but Zayns fighting spirit prevailed as he landed a unique suplex-powerbomb hybrid move. Moments later, Zayn again soared to the outside with a suicide senton onto Breeze -- whose head smacked the entrance ramp. The match came to a controversial conclusion back inside the ring. As Zayn went for his running big boot in the corner -- dubbed the Helluva Kick -- Tyler covered up in defense. This caused a questionably inadvertent low blow on Zayn. The referee allowed the match to continue but it would only last a few moments longer. Breeze hit the Beauty Shot spinning heel kick to score the win. Tyler Breeze is now officially the next man in line for a shot at the NXT Championship. Meanwhile, Sami Zayn continues to fall just short in nearly every big match he has. The frustration has to be building for Zayn, but for the time being, he continues to grin and bear it.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
