While the main roster is enjoying a tour of Europe, in NXT it’s business as usual. Rivalries are heating up and tonight we get to see two of the biggest on the brand – Ricochet v. Velveteen Dream and Undisputed Era v. Dunne, Lorcan and Burch. Fasten your seatbelts – this could be quite a ride!
Johnny Wrestling Returns?
A surprise start as Gargano’s music hits but who comes out? Tommaso Ciampa of course, here once again to antagonise the fans. To a chorus of boos and chants of ‘you suck!’ and ‘you tapped out!’ Ciampa informs us that he lost the battle at TakeOver but he is winning the war.
Candice La Rae then comes out to confront her husband’s former partner. She calls him out for his recent actions as he feigns wiping tears from his eyes. She says the whatever the future holds for Gargano, he is the better wrestler, a chant soon picked up by the fans.
Ciampa seems to imply some kind of relationship between himself and La Rae and soon ends up eating a big slap. The two then exit opposite sides of the ring.
More great heel antics from Ciampa with the entrance and his interactions with the crowd, who lapped up every second. This is all building to Gargano’s eventual return of course and we will see how Candice La Rae’s role plays out.
Brandi Lauren v. Lacey Evans
Brandi Lauren is not a familiar name or face to me, but NXT continue with their recent trend of giving entrances to the underlings of the women’s division – perhaps we will see a couple of these de facto jobbers step up soon.
She’s still a jobber for now though as Evans dominates the match making impressive use of the ropes for some slingshot offence. She hits a moonsault (I guess this is now a standard move in WWE rather than a special one) but doesn’t go for the pin, instead picking Lauren up for a knockout punch.
As Evans celebrates on the ramp, she gets blindsided by Kairi Sane. The pirate princess extracts a measure of revenge for getting knocked out by Evans a couple of weeks ago, but Evans manages to escape before we see the In-Sane Elbow.
Winner: Lacey Evans
A strong showing from Evans, but I still feel she is nowhere near the level of Kairi Sane, which makes it hard to invest in the feud.
Backstage Interviews
We see another scrum interview with Dakota Kai, who seems to be a darling of the NXT press corp. Nikki Cross makes her presence felt, sticking a phone in Kai’s face and asking when she will face her fears and challenge Shayna Baszler. If Dakota Kai could act beyond a high school drama show level, this would be one of the best storylines on WWE TV right now.
We also hear from Aleister Black and his reaction to last week’s claims from Ricochet and Velevteen Dream that they want title shots. He responds that as champion you are a bigger target but when you step into the ring with Black, you become the target.
Ricochet v. Velveteen Dream
Speaking of Ricochet and Velevteen Dream, that’s our next match! The crowd are wild for this one as both guys trade taunts early on and reverse each other’s moves. This gives Ricochet a chance to show that his technical ability is up there with his high-flying prowess as well.
We see a real treat of coves and counter moves as both guys glide around the ring, matching each other at every turn. Just as we seem to be on our way to a surprise 5-star TV match, Lars Sullivan makes his presence felt, flattening both guys as they are in the corner. Sullivan lays out both guys before declaring the NXT title is soon to be his.
No contest
Even though there was no finish, seek out the first few minutes of that match if you haven’t seen it already. Both Dream and Ricochet were phenomenal, and I now can’t wait to see the two of them put on a full TakeOver match. Sullivan’s appearance was well-timed and well-placed as a huge heat magnet. Job well done.
Raul Mendoza v. Kona Reeves
A second appearance for the repackaged Reeves, who gets a decent amount of heat from the fans who take pleasure in informing him that he sucks (though it is hard to tell if they are playing along with the heel role or genuinely informing him of his lack of ability).
Reeves dominates the match early on but soon finds himself on the end of a comeback as Mendoza gets some athletic kicks in. Reeves reasserts himself though when he counters a flying Mendoza with a big boot. One Hawaiian drop later and it’s all over.
Winner: Kona Reeves
That was a better showing from Reeves who looked more assured in the ring (as a cocky heel should). He still has a long way to go to climb the ladder though.
Undisputed Era v. Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, & Pete Dunne
The match starts with Strong and Dunne in the ring, but Strong immediately tags out. Dunne then follows suit. Danny Burch is at the mercy of Undisputed Era early in the match until he forces Strong into his corner and Dunne tags in.
The crowd are hot for Dunne unloading his frustrations on Strong. He soon has him in a finger-twisting grip. Cole and O’Reilly try to help but end up receiving the same treatment from Lorcan and Burch as we get fingers snapping all over the place.
A ref distraction allows Strong to gain control with Dunne now getting worked over by the heels. He eventually fights his way out with a hot tag to Oney Lorcan, who pops the crowd with a wild series of strikes and suplexes. In the chaos, Burch nearly gets a pin, but the heels break it up.
Burch then nearly gets pinned as each member of Undisputed Era unloads with signature moves. All three of the faces then slap on submission holds eventually broken up when Strong kicks Lorcan off him and sends everyone else down like a domino rally.
It looks like Undisputed Era are set to win late on, but a miscue leads to Strong striking O’Reilly. Lorcan and Burch then close out the match, laying waste to O’Reilly for the pinfall victory.
Winners: Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, & Pete Dunne
That is as good a six-man tag as you are likely to see (RAW and Samckdown – please take note). It was fast-paced without feeling rushed and everyone got a chance to shine without it being a spotfest. Giving the duo of Lorcan and Burch the finish suggests they will challenge for the tag gold soon. This was a breakout performance for two guys who have been on the NXT undercard for a long time, and I am looking forward to seeing more of them in action.
Final Thoughts
I really like the format NXT has been using these last couple of weeks – 4 matches, an in-ring promo, and brief but purposeful backstage segments in between. It creates a well-paced and action-packed broadcast in under 60 minutes and is so refreshing compared to the main roster shows. Keep it coming!
