Ranking Every 2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match In NXT Ever
3. Sami Zayn Vs. Samoa Joe: March 9, 2016
Sami Zayn sat on the sidelines with a shoulder injury for the better part of 2015, but two things motivated him to get back to action sooner than expected: exacting revenge on longtime rival Kevin Owens, and reclaiming the NXT Championship he was technically never beaten for.
He returned to the ring at the tail end of the year and immediately set his sights on the NXT Championship, but he first had to go through Samoa Joe, who was fresh off a loss to Finn Balor at TakeOver: London. He may have lost to The Demon once, but nothing was going to stop him from contending for the gold a second time.
Every No. 1 contender's match Zayn and Joe faced off in managed to conclude in controversy, and thus, a 2-out-of-3 Falls match was made for the March 9 episode of NXT. Other matches were scheduled to take place on that show, but due to Zayn and Joe lasting the entire hour, none of them actually occurred.
It was refreshing to have such a match where the first two falls weren't total throwaway and it lived up to the stipulation. After splitting the first two falls, the former Ring of Honor standouts pulled everything of their arsenals in order to put the other away. It was a test of endurance for Zayn and Joe, and both passed with flying colours.
As usual for The Underdog From the Underdog, Zayn came up short of earning another title shot, yet still looked strong in defeat. Meanwhile, Joe further proved that he was unstoppable en route to winning the prestigious prize.