After a ferocious TakeOver event in New Orleans, we are now back to normal on NXT… but when is NXT ever normal? The landscape is changing with new champions in place, and established stars making that big jump to the main roster. What new storylines will develop this week? Which rivalries will be established? And who will emerge to fill the voids about to be left by Sanity, Almas, Ember Moon, the Iconic Dup, and err… No Way Jose?
Johnny Gargano Promo
Johnny Wrestling accompanied by Candice La Rae hits the ring to a huge pop. He talks about how happy he is to be home and recounts his rivalry with Tomaso Ciampa. He thanks the fans for their support while he was forced out of NXT.
After sharing a tender moment with Candice La Rae, a match between Mrs Wrestling and Zelina Vega is announced for later in the evening – the last piece of unfinished business. Once she is out of the way, Gargano declares his intention to challenge Aleister Black for the NXT title.
What better way to start than by highlighting the winner of the standout match from a standout TaleOver show? That was an almost perfect promo – the closing of old chapters and the start of a new one. Gargano v. Black is a match I definitely want to see.
Ricochet v. Fabian Aichner
Following on from that hot promo, we see the TV debut of one of the hottest new signings in the entire company – Ricochet. A classic tale of high-flyer v. powerhouse ensues with Aichner using his strength advantage to dominate early on. It is all set up for the babyface comeback and when it comes we see Ricochet pull out a series of impressive moves. He soon ends the match with a huge spinning senton off the top turnbuckle.
Winner: Ricochet
A strong debut from Ricochet (although that finisher looks incredibly dangerous as Ricochet came down hard on his neck). Interesting that several mentions were made of Bruno Sammartino, who passed away the night before this broadcast, on commentary due to the Italian heritage he and Aichner share. Whether that was coincidence or quickly edited in, it made for a fitting tribute.
War Raiders v. Chris & JC
After making their presence felt last week, it is time for War Machi… Raiders to make their official NXT debut. Rowe immediately flattens one of his opponents before he and Hansen get to work on the other. An impressive display of raw power follows with Mauro Ranollo remarking “it’s a good thing their opponents are wearing dark pants.” Fallout soon wraps things up.
Winners: War Raiders
This is a team I had heard of but never seen in action before now, and it was hard not to be impressed. These guys more than fill the gap left by AoP and the rest of the tag division should be very concerned indeed.
No DQ Match: Lars Sullivan v. Killian Dain
We had this match before TakeOver of course, but it ended with all the North American title participants hitting the ring. Tonight, we get a no DQ match that must have a winner. The fans chant ‘hoss fight!’ as the bell rings and we soon see the aggression of both behemoths on display. There is not much in the way of skill on display as both guys hammer each other with vicious blows and shows of strength.
Lars Sullivan gets some impressive spots in as he catches Dain when the Beast of Belfast dives through the ropes, and then suplexes him onto the floor. He then delivers a flying clothesline from the top rope to the outside, drawing an ‘NXT!’ chant from the crowd and blood from Dain’s nose.
The chairs then come out (though the crowd would apparently prefer tables). Sullivan only gets a couple of shots in though before he is flattened by a flying dropkick. A Vader Bomb gets Dain a near fall before he accedes to the fans’ wishes and gets one of our trestle friends into the ring.
Before he can use it, we get a strange spot in which Sullivan puts a chair on Dain’s body and performs a diving headbutt, resulting in him smashing his head into the chair. What did he expect to happen?
Anyway, the spots are coming thick and fast now as Dain sends Sullivan crashing through the table. Sullivan blocks a top rope dive with a chair shot, however, and then delivers the Freak Accident onto the chairs for the win.
Winner: Lars Sullivan
That was a hard-hitting slugfest with the outcome made less of a surprise with the knowledge that Dain is on his way to Smackdown. Fun as the match was, the ending seemed feeble. Dain took harder hits in the match and got back up after all. Anyway, that sets up Sullivan as NXT’s resident monster heel (in the singles division at least) for the foreseeable future.
Candice La Rae v. Zelina Vega
Candice starts off aggressively, but we soon see a role-reversal as Andrade Cien Almas appears on the apron to make a distraction as Vega has done on his behalf many times. That brings Johnny Gargano out from the back to even the odds.
Vega enjoys a brief period of dominance before La Rae fights back. A huge dropkick off the top rope gets her a near fall before she applies the Gargano Escape. Almas attempts to interfere but Johnny Wrestling traps him in the same hold, and we get the not at all uncommon sight (after Cena/Nikki Miz/Maryse last year and the more recent Mixed Match Challenge) of male and female partners applying the same hold in stereo. Vega taps out as she and Almas bid farewell to NXT.
Johnny Wrestling then hijacks his wife’s victory to reiterate his challenge to the new champ Aleister Black, who appears on stage to accept the match for next week.
Winner: Candice La Rae
Smart booking to have Vega take the farewell fall here instead of Almas losing twice in quick succession before his main roster debut (as has happened to other NXT Champions in the past). Much like Vega herself, the match was short but effective.
Final Thoughts
A show of two halves – the first was about establishing new stars and the second focused on closing old rivalries and giving a couple of main roster call-ups a send-off. That made for some fun TV, but I felt that this week’s show lacked a focus on our new champs. Although we saw Shayna Baszler and Adam Cole in pre-taped backstage segments and Black briefly on the stage, showcasing at least one of the new champs would have been a smart way to build on their momentum. Still, next week we get Black v. Gargano, which will no doubt be worth the wait.
