The Authors Of Pain defeated The Forgotten Sons (Blake & Cutler)
Crowd loved AOP tonight. They were worked over by Blake and Cutler throughout the match until they hit the assisted lariat finish for the pin and win.
Vanessa Borne defeated Xia Li
Borne hit a rope assisted spinning slam on Li to win.
The Mighty TM61 defeated The Ealy Brothers
Yes, they were billed as The Mighty TM61. They stole this win after stalling and avoiding the larger stronger men. Thorne and Miller showed extreme confidence in the match.
Fabian Aichner defeated Brennan Williams
Aichner won this one with a handful of tights
Heavy Machinery defeated No Way Jose and Trent Seven
This was an amazing comedy match that included the worm, a Macarena contest, Otis doing Otis things, and Trent getting squished by the Compactor for the win.
Oney Lorcan defeated Kona Reeves
The Iconic Duo introduced Reeves and said they were mad at Lorcan for an altercation during the meet and greet earlier in the event. Peyton Royce tried to throw her shoe at Lorcan but hit Reeves instead, allowing Oney to score the pin.
EC3 defeated Tian Bing
EC3 hit a TKO for the pin and win.
Aleister Black defeated Marcel Barthel
Marcel stalled and ate a Black Mass kick in a quick match.
Post match, Zelina Vega came out to Andrade Cien Almas’ music and cut a promo on Black while seated in front of him in the ring about how he disrespected the champion and herself and will not win at TakeOver New Orleans.
NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon defeated Lacey Evans
Moon hit an Eclipse for the pin to retain the title. Post match, there was a brawl with Shayna Baszler which led to the locker room emptying and pulling them apart before Moon dove to the pile and stood tall at the end.
The Big News: Shayna Baszler once again dominated Ember Moon, but once again Moon left with the Women’s title. This time, however, Baszler won via disqualification when Kairi Sane ran in for the save as Baszler was about to permanently injure the champ.
The Medium News: Pete Dunne retained the United Kingdom Championship, beating Roderick Strong in an excellent match.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Aleister Black and Killian Dain are headed for a collision as both want a match with Andrade “Cien” Almas.
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WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne defeated Roderick Strong to retain his title
They wrestled for 30 seconds and immediately went to commercial, which is amazingly early for the show. Dunne placed Strong’s fingers on the steps outside, but instead of stomping on them, he stomped on the elbow of Strong. He went for this a second time, but Strong moved, hoisted Dunne, and dropped him with a backbreaker on the ring steps.
Strong went for a superplex, but Dunne struck him in the face, dropping him to the floor. As Strong tried to get back in the ring, Dunne dove off the top with a stomp to Strong’s arm! Seconds later, however, Strong shook it off and gave a back suplex to Dunne on the ring apron, which is the hardest part of the ring.
Dunne used a Falcon Arrow into an armbar that Strong was able to get out of. Strong tried to use a backbreaker, but his arm gave out on him. Dunne got on a triangle choke, but when Strong couldn’t stack him up, he carried him to the middle rope and catapulted him throat-first into the top rope.
They traded their high-impact moves, with Dunne using an Ex-Plex and Strong using the Tiger Driver. Strong went for the Strong Hold, but Dunne wrenched his fingers and then retained the title with the Bitter End.
Excellent match to kick off the show.
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A video package aired building up the Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano NXT Championship match next week. It’s Almas’ title vs Gargano’s NXT career. They keep building up that Gargano can’t beat Almas, which could indicate a title change.
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Earlier today, Velveteen Dream was ambushed by reporters. He said he will beat No Way Jose next week and called out Tyler Bate.
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Aleister Black came out for a promo. I could swear they said he’d be in action. Anyway, Black said there is a devil on his back and that devil is driving him. That devil is the NXT Championship.
Before he could continue, he was cut off by SAnitY’s music. Killian Dain meandered out and told Black that the devil isn’t on his back, Dain is. Dain won’t stop until the NXT title belt is around his waist. People in the crowd made comments about how the belt probably wouldn’t fit around Dain. Anyway, Dain said he will put chaos in Black’s path.
Black said Dain crossed him and now must fade to black.
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TM61 defeated John Skyler & Andrew Duckworth
TM61 have one more sign than they used to in the crowd, but they got a lot weaker reaction coming out than they did for their return match a month ago. Skyler & Duckworth got brief heat on Shane Thorne, but that was set up for Nick Miller to make a quick comeback. They picked up the win with Greetings From Thunder Valley.
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Shayna Baszler defeated NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon by DQ
I really enjoyed their first match back at TakeOver: Philadelphia, where Baszler worked an armbar for five minutes. How will this compare?
Moon exploded at the bell and kept putting herself into situations where she almost got caught with an armbar, but she kept just getting out of it. Moon went for The Eclipse, but Baszler rolled out of the ring. Moon glared at her and instead hit a suicide dive. Unfortunately for the champ, Moon slammed her injured arm on the announce table.
Moon was now at the mercy of the merciless Baszler. Baszler used a double wristlock and began going for the armbar. Moon stacked her up like at TakeOver, but Baszler kicked out. No one reacted because I don’t think anyone bought it as a finish twice.
Moon went shoulder-first into the ring post and tumbled out of the ring, onto and down the ring steps. Baszler followed her outside the ring and ripped at Moon’s arm in the guardrails. After shoving the referee out of the way, Kairi Sane ran down and attacked Baszler for the disqualification.
Sane got the best of Baszler. Baszler turned to leave and then tried a surprise attack, but Sane was smart to it and knocked her down again. Baszler finally left and was announced as the winner while Moon sold the shoulder as death.
That does it for this week. Next week, it’s Almas vs Gargano part IV. Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
The Big News: The Authors of Pain will challenge Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly for the NXT Tag Team Championship at TakeOver: Philadelphia.
The Medium News: Ember Moon will defend her NXT Women’s Championship against the Queen of Spades, Shayna Baszler at TakeOver.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Just three days before his main event championship match, Johnny Gargano puts his title shot on the line against Velveteen Dream next week.
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Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli defeated Heavy Machinery
One of Otis Dozovic’s New Year’s Resolutions was to marry Mandy Rose. I wonder if Rose is aware of this. This match was set up about a month ago when Sabbatelli parked his Maserati in a spot that was not helpful for Heavy Machinery. Thankfully we have well thought out, intelligent angles.
Sabbatelli used both a dropkick and a running crossbody to Dozovic. Unfortunately for him, neither of those worked, especially the crossbody, as Dozovic caught him and dropped him. Tucker Knight tagged in and used a spinning front face lock, but he allowed Sabbatelli to tag out to his fresh partner. Moss only fared slightly better as Heavy Machinery took back over. They paid tribute to The Bushwhackers and Scotty 2 Hotty, including Dozovic doing the Worm.
Everything was going well for Heavy Machinery until Moss used a schoolboy with his feet on the ropes to pin Knight. This was a seven-minute match where they got 30 seconds of offense, but that last three seconds was all that was important.
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The Undisputed Era cut a promo about their respective matches at TakeOver: Philadelphia. Basically, they have made every TakeOver about them and this will be no different.
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A video package aired, showing what happened last week with Adam Cole and Aleister Black. While building up their extreme rules match, they showed a bunch of famous ECW clips, including Taz and Bam Bam Bigelow going through the entrance ramp and New Jack diving off the balcony.
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Roderick Strong defeated Fabian Aichner
Aichner is the guy who was in the Cruiserweight Classic but has gained 30 pounds of muscle since.
Aichner can still move, which is impressive when you’re 230-240 pounds of muscle. He did, however, almost drop Strong on top of his head with a powerslam. Aichner slapped on an abdominal stretch, which always disappoints me when no one does the Mike Rotunda grabbing of the ropes.
Aichner went for a springboard clothesline, but Strong caught him, dropped him with a uranage into a backbreaker, and picked up the submission win with the Strong Hold.
After the match, Strong said last week Lars Sullivan talked about how he has gone through everyone, well Sullivan is a force that Strong wants to destroy.
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We had a TM-61 video package. They have been out for a year thanks to injury and now are coming back. They were traced back to being in wrestling school together, becoming closer friends, and ultimately making it to WWE together. They showed footage of them training with Harley Race and trying out at the Performance Center.
Next week is part two.
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Lacey Evans defeated Aliyah
There have been a half dozen times the last two years where I’ve asked “Whatever happened to Aliyah?” and the very next week she’s on television. Triple H must be reading my mind and booking the show based off it. I don’t believe Evans has been on TV since being in the Mae Young Classic. Her parents named their daughters Stacy, Tracy, Lacey, and Macey (Lacey’s real name).
The story of Aliyah is a weird one. Seemingly every match she ever wrestles she performs very well (well, very acceptably) for 80 percent of the match, but that other 20 percent is so atrocious you wonder how she’s ever allowed on TV. They tried to get around that by having Evans take the majority of the match, however Aliyah had to do something, so we got her falling on her behind instead of her feet and strikes that missed by three feet that Evans had to sell.
Evans literally won with a punch to the face. Not sure if she meant to, but she appeared to really connect with it.
After the match, Evans asked how could Mr. Regal allow the lowest forms of trash in the NXT women’s division. It’s time for a proper, sophisticated lady to clean house. She’s going to start with classless psychos like Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, or the pathetic Kairi Sane.
Before she could continue, Shayna Baszler walked out and glared her down, which caused Evans to leave. It’s okay because Baszler got in the ring and put Aliyah in a rear naked choke. The referee could not break it. Moon waited for her music to start, but she eventually made the save.
Moon dared Baszler to bully her right here, right now. Baszler said she didn’t have her gear on, but would do it for Moon’s title.
Moon told her to name the place and name the date, telling her not to forget to bring her gear because Moon is going to kick her ass. Baszler yelled back to bring the title to Philadelphia for TakeOver.
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After a commercial break, Regal acquiesced to Moon’s request and made Moon vs. Baszler for the title at TakeOver.
In walked Zelina Vega, who said everyone knows Johnny Gargano has zero chance of winning at TakeOver. She said Velveteen Dream deserves it more and Gargano should put his title shot on the line in their upcoming match.
Regal said no and Vega said Gargano is a loser and a sham.
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Speaking of people who haven’t been on the show in forever, No Way Jose is coming back. He’ll be on next week’s episode.
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Gargano came to the ring for a promo. He said he just saw Vega talking to Regal. He knows what everyone is saying behind his back. Everyone doubts his ability to beat Andrade “Cien” Almas. He shouted that he is done being doubted. He is not a broken man or a loser. This is not a fluke, but this is his time and opportunity — and no one will stop him.
He agreed to put his title shot on the line against Velveteen Dream next week. For the first time in a long time, he knows who he is. He is Johnny Wrestling and he is the next NXT Champion.
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Last week, Undisputed Era destroyed SAnitY before they had to defend the Tag Team Championship against them. In theory this should lead to another SAnitY title match, but instead they aren’t in the TakeOver title picture.
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The Authors of Pain defeated The Street Profits in a number one contender’s match
Despite flirting with a babyface turn, Akam and Rezar were definitely the heels in this match, as the fans at Center Stage loved the Street Profits. We did get dueling chants, with the AOP’s fans louder and lasting longer.
The Authors got the heat on Montez Ford. Ford, who is not a small man, looked tiny in the arms of Rezar, but he was able to make the hot tag to Angelo Dawkins. Dawkins ran wild on his own and it was looking like it could be the end, but Rezar took Dawkins’ head off with a clothesline. We got a Super Collider and a Last Chapter to Ford and that was that.
Ten days from now, Akam and Rezar will try to become the second two-time NXT Tag Team Champions when they challenge Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia.
So, that does it for this week. Thank you all for reading and until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
There were 350 people in attendance at last night’s house show.
– The Street Profits defeated The Ealy Brothers
– Liv Morgan defeated Bianca Belair
– Kassius Ohno defeated Babatunde Aiyegbusi
– Roderick Strong defeated Buddy Murphy
– Peyton Royce (w/ Billie Kay) defeated Ember Moon, Nikki Cross, and Kairi Sane in a fatal four-way match
These are the same four wrestlers who will be involved in the fatal four-way for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: War Games later this month.
– Johnny Gargano defeated Fabian Aichner
– Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler defeated Heavy Machinery
SummerSlam weekend officially kicks off at the Barclays Center tonight as NXT returns to Brooklyn for its annual summer TakeOver special. As always, all of NXT’s titles will be on the line, along with two more matches to complete the card.
In the NXT Championship match, Bobby Roode will defend against Drew McIntyre. It’s the biggest spot for McIntyre since he returned to WWE earlier this year. Asuka will also put her now-500+ day long NXT Women’s Championship reign on the line as she again faces off with Ember Moon.
To round out the card, SAnitY will challenge The Authors of Pain for their tag titles. Aleister Black will take on Hideo Itami, and Johnny Gargano gets his first singles match on a TakeOver special as he squares off with Andrade “Cien” Almas.
NXT alumni will be part of the pre-show, with WWE branding this TakeOver as a homecoming for the brand. Our live coverage of the main card starts at 8 p.m. ET
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The show began with Code Orange playing the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn theme with NXT clips interspersed throughout.
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Andrade “Cien” Almas pinned Johnny Gargano
The finish saw Zelina Vega distract Gargano with a Tommaso Ciampa t-shirt, which allowed Almas to hit the Hammerlock DDT for the win.
These two work pretty well together and it made for an excellent opener. Almas got the heat by locking Gargano in his armbar in the ropes and worked the shoulder. Gargano came back with a series of clotheslines and his Spear from between the ropes. Almas did his spot where he lounges in the ropes, but Gargano hit a superkick, dropping Almas to the outside. Almas caught him on a second Spear and hit a Tornado Scorpion Death Drop, but Gargano kicked out of that.
Gargano blocked a superplex, but Almas flipped over on a sunset flip power bomb and hiptossed Gargano into the corner. After a series of reversals Gargano got on the Gargano Escape, but Almas rolled through and hit a deadlift power bomb into the turnbuckles. Almas took off from the opposite corner and hit his running double knees for the nearest of near falls.
Gargano hit two superkicks, a Lawn Dart into the corner and went for a running kick to finish things when the finish happened.
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Kurt Angle, Daniel Bryan, No Way Jose, Roderick Strong and The Iconic Duo were all hanging out in a skybox. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay were all over Bryan, who was laughing at the situation.
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Corey Graves joined the announce table for the next match.
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Alexander Wolfe & Eric Young of SAnitY defeated The Authors of Pain for the NXT Tag Team Championship
SAnitY ended the AOP’s undefeated streak and won the Tag Team Titles with a double team neckbreaker on Rezar.
This was another excellent match, but in a completely different way than the opener. Akam and Rezar stormed the ring for a 4-way brawl with Wolfe and Killian Dain before the match even began. They brawled to the outside and Eric Young pulled out a table, but it didn’t come into play until later as the brawl broke down into a tag team match.
SAnitY teased that it would be Wolfe and Killian Dain, as they were the two brawling with AOP early. However, Eric Young jumped onto the apron and since Killian Dain was never officially in the match, he tagged in to replace Dain as the official member in the match. AOP used an impressive move where Akam backdropped Young onto Rezar’s shoulder, who dropped EY with a Dominator.
Even though there were no official babyfaces, Young fought from underneath, which the crowd was into, but they didn’t seem to care as much for Wolfe’s hot tag. All four men looked good regardless. AOP has improved exponentially since debuting and Wolfe has never had much of a chance to show what he can do, but he was really good as well.
Young got tagged back in, which the crowd popped for. Akam went for an assisted power bomb/superplex to Young, but Nikki Cross held EY’s legs, so Rezar took a power bomb. That would have been the finish, but Akam just broke up the pinfall at the last second. Paul Ellering and Nikki Cross confronted each other, but Cross dove over the top rope onto Akam. However Akam caught her and was about to slam her down, but Killian Dain speared both of them through the table from earlier. Rezar was left with Wolfe and Young and that was it.
After the match Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly ran in through the crowd and assaulted everyone. They weren’t called reDRagon, but Mauro referenced their successes in ROH and New Japan. After laying out the other 4 men, they dropped Young with Chasing The Dragon (called by name). Fish and O’Reilly dropped the tag team titles on Young and left through the crowd.
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Neville was moodily sitting in the crowd by himself. Shinsuke Nakamura and Kalisto were sitting elsewhere.
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Jim Ross came out as the surprise guest commentator for the next match. Good to see he hasn’t retired since Cesaro & Sheamus had that confrontation with Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins at the WWE 2K event yesterday.
PLUS Code Orange came back to play Aleister Black to the ring for the next match.
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Aleister Black pinned Hideo Itami
The finish saw Black block the Go To Sleep and hit the Black Mass while Itami screamed for everyone to show him respect. A good match, but not quite as good as the first two bouts.
You know what you were in for when the match began with both men kicking each other in the face multiple times. Itami hit the first big move of the match as he dropped Black on the top rope and used a jumping knee to the head. He may have caught him in the nose, since Black sprung a leak and is wearing the crimson mustache.
Itami face washed a down Black and mocked him by sitting cross legged on the mat. Black started his comeback and hit the Quebrada, but actually kicked Itami on the top of the head. Itami took him back down with a diving clothesline and a Fisherman Suplex. Itami hit a Falcon Arrow from the middle rope, but Black kicked out and stared down Itami.
Near the finish we get a flurry of strikes from both men. Kicks, punches, chops, slaps, knees, everything you can do to hit another man was thrown in one 60 second burst.
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Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Bayley were shown at ringside before the next match.
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Asuka submitted Ember Moon to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
Asuka will live to see Day 506 as NXT Women’s Champion as she submitted Ember Moon to the Asuka Lock. (Mauro kept calling it 504 days, but today is Day 505)
This match got off to a quick start with Ember attacking at the bell. Asuka rolled to the outside, but Ember used a flip dive off the middle rope onto Asuka. The champ took over by sending Ember first into the ring steps and then suplexed her onto the ramp. Back in the ring Asuka focused her offense on Ember’s shoulder that was injured several months ago, locking in a Fujiwara Armbar. Ember got out of it and hit a step-up enziguri for a 2 count.
Asuka went for the Asuka Lock, but Ember reversed it into one of her own, but Asuka reversed that and locked it on good, but Ember was able to flip over and almost pin her there. Ember kicked out of a Running Hip Attack and blocked a second before hitting a tornado suplex. Asuka booted Ember right in the face, but Ember slammed her to the mat. Ember trapped her in the tree of woe and hit the double foot stomp.
Ember finally hit The Eclipse…but Asuka kicked out. The crowd exploded for both the move and the kick out. Ember looked on the verge of tears. She went for a second one, but Asuka cheated by holding the ref in front of her. Then Asuka rolled through on a flying crossbody and had a handful of trunks, but the referee caught her. Ember got another super close near fall with a superkick, but she got caught on the kickout.
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Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe were both sitting ringside.
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Triple H will be on Facebook Live with Cathy Kelly after the show ends.
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Drew McIntyre pinned Bobby Roode to win the NXT Championship
The NYPD Pipe and Drum Band did a brief performance accompanying McIntyre on his entrance. In Bobby Roode’s continuing quest to have the longest entrance in pro wrestling his walk to the ring tonight clocked in at an even four minutes.
McIntyre won the title with his second Klaymore kick. Roode had the match won with his second Glorious DDT, but insisted on going for a third and that was his downfall. That was then followed by the debut of Adam Cole, teaming with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly to lay out the new champion. An excellent main event, followed by a great post-match angle to cap off a great show.
The two men were evenly matched early, but Roode almost hit the Glorious DDT two minutes into the match and mockingly told Drew how close he was. McIntyre came back and used his suplex throw. Outside the ring Roode went for a dive off the apron, but he got caught and eventually Drew gave him a tilt a whirl slam on the ring apron (which is the hardest part of the ring).
Roode finally took over with a neckbreaker on the middle rope as McIntyre tried to get back in the ring. Roode used a Buff Blockbuster on the mats outside the ring and a neckbreaker inside the ring. At some point Roode got a pretty noticeable bruise outside his left leg.
Roode went for a running crossbody, but he got caught and Drew dropped him with a Celtic Cross for a 2 count. Drew went for a top rope superplex, but Roode tripped him and due to his height, Drew’s head smacked off the mat with a thud. While Roode played to the crowd, Drew sat up and heaved him across the ring.
McIntyre set up for the Klaymore, but Roode feigned being unconscious. McIntyre picked him up and almost hit Future Shock, but Roode hit a Back Stabber. Drew finally hit the Future Shock, which was his old finisher, but Roode got out at 2. Roode then hit a Running Liger Bomb for a 2 count. McIntyre hit the Klaymore, but Roode got his foot on the ropes on the pinfall attempt.
Roode rolled outside and Drew tried to go after him, but the referee manhandled him to prevent him from doing so. Drew then ignored him and did a running tope over the top and partly to Roode (but mostly to the mats). Roode avoided a second Klaymore and hit a Spinebuster and a Glorious DDT, but somehow, someway, McIntyre kicked out.
The title lineage now reads Seth Rollins, Big E, Bo Dallas, Neville, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode and Drew McIntyre. The King is dead, long live the new King!
After the credits rolled, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly appeared on the ring apron to play distraction as Adam Cole ran in through the crowd and attacked the new champion! The three former ROH stars put the boots to Drew McIntyre and ended the show standing tall.
The Big News: Bobby Roode stood tall over both Drew McIntyre and Roderick Strong as his interference led to a no contest in the main event.
The Medium News: Ember Moon cut a fiery promo stating that she will be the new NXT Women’s Champion on Saturday.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Lars Sullivan threw his Tag Team Partner of the Week in the trash.
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We started the show with Mr. William Regal mid-ring for the semi-annual NXT contract signing. If there is one thing you can commend Mr. Regal for it’s that NXT always has the proper match paperwork filled out and signed.
Anyway, this particular contract signing was for the upcoming Women’s title match as Ember Moon will, once again, challenge the undefeated, undisputed, reigning, defending NXT Women’s Champion Asuka.
Moon told Asuka she has had an incredible journey here on NXT and has been the most dominant champion in WWE. Moon said her undefeated streak has even surpassed Goldberg, which led to the crowd chanting “Asuka” in the same manner.
Moon finally brought up that Asuka cheated to beat her at TakeOver: Orlando. She also blamed Asuka for her shoulder injury taking her out of Chicago. Moon got irate and said she refuses to be a victim, and due to Asuka’s shortcuts she has gotten better. She vowed to end Asuka’s undefeated streak and become the NXT Women’s Champion.
Asuka smiled at Moon before stating something in Japanese before both ladies walked off.
Random trivia: As of Saturday Asuka will be at 504 days as NXT Women’s Champion, which passes Rockin’ Robin’s 502 days as WWF Women’s Champion in 1988-1990 and makes her the longest reigning champion of any WWE title since Hulk Hogan’s 1984-1988 WWF title reign.
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Regal was confronted by Lars Sullivan earlier today. He said he knows he has been bad in the past, but he promises to be good if Regal gives him one more tag team match. Regal reminded him that his partner could lose, but Sullivan promised to be a good boy this time. Mr. Regal acquiesced.
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The Street Profits defeated Lars Sullivan & Chris Silvio
Sullivan found the smallest, geekiest looking partner he could find. Shockingly, this strategy didn’t work out for him.
Sullivan wanted to start the match, but Silvio ran across the ring at the bell and got punched in the face by Angelo Dawkins. Montez Ford marked out for it so bad that he ran into the crowd and celebrated before returning to the ring. The Profits did not allow Silvio to tag out and they pinned him after the Sky High/frog splash combination.
After the match, Sullivan lived up to his promise of not destroying his partner in the ring by literally carrying him outside the arena and throwing him into the trash bin.
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Ruby Riot defeated Billie Kay
This was set up last week when Kay and Peyton Royce were going to do a makeup tutorial, but they were distracted by Riot randomly walking by and thus never finished their tutorial.
Kay and Royce were fooling around at the start of the match, so Riot had enough of their shenanigans and used a series of roll-ups for one counts. Kay finally took over with a kick to the head. She used Eat Defeat at one point, but it only got a two count, which she could not believe.
Riot made her comeback, which led to Royce trying to interfere. Unfortunately for The Iconic Duo, Riot kicked Royce off the apron and kicked Kay in the head for the pin.
Royce then declared that Riot got lucky, but she will never be Iconic. Riot didn’t seem to care and walked off.
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This Saturday at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III:
Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas
Hideo Itami vs. Aleister Black
NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Ember Moon
NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain defending against SAnitY
NXT Champion Bobby Roode defending against Drew McIntyre
The rundown of the card led into a really nice video package talking about what brings us to the AOP vs. SAnitY match.
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Drew McIntyre vs. Roderick Strong ended in a no contest
In case the stipulations confuse you, if Strong can defeat McIntyre then at some point in the future Strong will get a match against Bobby Roode. Win, lose, or draw, McIntyre is still the number one contender and will face Roode this Saturday at TakeOver for the championship.
Strong came out at the bell quick until McIntyre kicked him right in the stomach and then used a dead-lift release suplex on his smaller foe. They ended up fighting outside the ring, Strong took a running start at McIntyre, but McIntyre hoisted him into the air and sent him into the ring post.
Strong didn’t even sell that for very long, as he dropped McIntyre with a backbreaker on the ring apron, which is the hardest part of the ring. Strong actually got most of the offense, with McIntyre having to fight back from underneath.
McIntyre started his comeback, which featured both men booting each other in the face. McIntyre went for the Claymore, but Strong kneed him in the face and dropped him with another backbreaker.
Strong put McIntyre in the tree of woe and was probably going for a double foot stomp, but Roode ran in from out of nowhere. Roode shoved Strong off the top rope and began attacking McIntyre as the referee called for the bell.
Roode slammed Strong outside the ring and then dropped McIntyre with the Glorious DDT. The show ended with Roode standing over his main rivals, holding his belt high.
That does it for this week. This Saturday check out our live play-by-play of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and then come on back next Wednesday for all the fallout. Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
The Big News: Kassius Ohno took a hard kick to the groin, getting a disqualification win over Hideo Itami in the process.
The Medium News: After destroying former TNA Knockout Lei’D Tapa, Ember Moon was officially named number one contender and will face Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
The Little Beaver-sized News: SAnitY confronted The Authors of Pain and got their butts kicked.
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Ember Moon defeated Lei’D Tapa
Lei’D Tapa becomes the most recent former TNA employee to appear on NXT television, as she went one-on-one with the woman who is arguably the top contender to the reigning, defending, undisputed NXT Women’s Champion, Asuka, Ember Moon.
Tapa came out strong and fast, but Moon quickly turned things into her advantage, using, among other things, a tornado vertical suplex, and she picked up the win in less than two minutes with The Eclipse. This match almost lasted as long as Tapa’s run in TNA.
Moon grabbed the mic after the match and declared that she wanted Asuka at TakeOver: Brooklyn. She announced that she is standing right here and will give Asuka all that she desires in regards to a worthy challenger and competition.
Moon said she is not afraid and she will defeat the undefeated Empress of Tomorrow, closing up by asking Asuka if she was ready for Ember Moon.
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Roderick Strong went to Twitter after he lost his title match and told Bobby Roode that that was not the last he’ll see of Strong.
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We got an Aleister Black video package.
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Up next, the undefeated, undisputed, NXT Tag Team Champions, The Authors of Pain were scheduled to destroy Timothy Bumpers & David Ramos. However, it never quite got that far.
Nikki Cross met AOP on the ramp and stood in front of them as Alexander Wolfe and Killian Dain stormed to the ring through the crowd and destroyed AOP’s intended opponents. Akam and Rezar stomped to the ring and we had a brawl between the four men.
The SAnitY duo got a brief flurry, but ultimately the tag team champions stood tall, making Dain and Wolfe slink off. Wolfe did cackle at them from the ramp, but this is far from over.
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The Street Profits cut another Snapchat promo. For the first time we actually got names for them. If you read the NXT live event reports you already know this, but for those who don’t, they are Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins. Dawkins used to be an NXT jobber and was best remembered as the guy who wore two headbands for some reason.
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Two months ago, Andrade “Cien” Almas lost to Cezar Bononi but did not care until last week. Thea Trinidad was given the name of Zelina Vega. Anyway, No Way Jose chased off Almas last week, which led to a confrontation between Jose and Vega earlier today when he was arriving at the arena.
Vega said she admired Jose, but unfortunately for him he got involved in her and Almas’ business and he cannot dance around the fire that he just set.
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Velveteen Dream defeated Cezar Bononi
Bononi won one match two months ago, lost a second match last week, and now has his own music and titantron. I guess losing to Jose is the equivalent of paying your dues?
Bononi looked really good here. He has great size, power, and is a heck of an athlete. Despite all that, he got dropped with a rolling Death Valley Driver and the Purple Rainmaker for the pin.
Kayla Braxton tried to interview Velveteen Dream after the match, but he refused to do so in front of the ugliness of the fans. If you recall, Dream wouldn’t cut promos previously because of the horrible ambiance of the backstage area. So the stage has terrific ambiance, if only they had better looking fans, I guess?
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William Regal was backstage and he made Asuka vs. Ember Moon official for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.
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We were then joined by Drew McIntyre, who is the number one contender and is headed to Brooklyn to challenge Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship in just a little over three weeks. McIntyre won last week against Killian Dain using the Claymore Kick.
McIntyre said he doesn’t go backwards and is not concentrating on his previous failures. He said it wasn’t until he was gone from WWE that he woke up and realized he needed to be the hardest worker in the entire world. He grew and became more successful. Every company he went to became bigger and better in part because of his hard work. That hard work brought him back to NXT.
He said everyone in NXT are equals and they walk side by side. Everyone…but one. And that one is Bobby Roode. When McIntyre looks in Roode’s eyes he sees the look of entitlement. This is not Bobby Roode’s NXT, this is all the fans’ NXT. McIntyre got the entire crowd on their feet and announced that Roode is not NXT, but we are NXT.
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Roode will reply to Drew McIntyre next week, plus Johnny Gargano will finally return to the ring as he faces off with Raul Mendoza. During the main event they also announced Asuka will finally return.
Speaking of Mendoza, he cut a promo saying he’s been training just as hard as Gargano and maybe next week is not so much about Johnny Gargano, but about Raul Mendoza.
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Kassius Ohno defeated Hideo Itami by DQ
After a night full of two minute matches and promos, it was nice to take a deep seat for the main event. These two have had differences dating back to Itami’s attitude change after losing to Roode at TakeOver: Chicago. Finally, Ohno got tired of listening to Itami’s griping and here we go.
They always say that you will hit your friends harder than you will hit people that you don’t like. With that in mind, these two must be the best of friends. Ohno and Itami did not appear to be pulling much as the sound of flesh on flesh echoed throughout the arena as Itami finally took over by knocking Ohno out of the ring and to the floor.
They chilled out afterwards as a wrestling match broke out. Itami got the heat until diving off the top rope and falling into a chop from Ohno. Ohno literally ran wild with a series of clotheslines and a cyclone boot to the jaw.
Itami battled back and hit a nice corner dropkick to Ohno. He went for a Go to Sleep, but Ohno got out and hit a big boot. Ohno went for a rolling elbow, but Itami…kicked a field goal with Ohno’s groin for the disqualification.
Itami snapped upon learning the decision and destroyed Ohno with kick after kick. Itami laid him out with two different GTS’, and I think their friendship is officially over. Itami dragged Ohno outside the ring and dropped him face-first on the ring steps.
What happened to the Hideo Itami we knew and loved? Maybe we’ll get our answers next week. Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
The Big News: Asuka will face Ember Moon, Ruby Riot, and Nikki Cross in a fatal four-way at NXT TakeOver: Chicago after she didn’t allow a finish in the number one contender’s battle royal.
The Medium News: Roderick Strong will face Hideo Itami next week, with the winner challenging Bobby Roode at TakeOver.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Heavy Machinery cut a bad promo and were mocked by DIY for it.
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Killian Dain defeated Danny Burch
SAnitY kicked off the show this week. Killian Dain was here to face Danny Burch. Burch went from NXT jobber to released to brought back for the UK title tournament after a run on the indies and now was back to jobbing on NXT.
Burch charged into a lockup, but Dain powered him into the turnbuckles. Dain overpowered Burch all through the match, including using the Wasteland. Burch started a comeback, but Dain nailed him with a running dropkick and he picked up the win with the Ulster Plantation (One Winged Angel).
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A video package for the re-debuting Patrick Clark aired. He called himself the Velveteen Dream.
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Heavy Machinery defeated Ricardo Watts & Hector Kunsman
Otis Dozovic weighs 340 pounds “on a good day” (whatever that means) and single-handedly outweighs their opponents. The result was never in doubt. Kunsman got heaved across the ring with a suplex and then Heavy Machinery did their falling body slam/splash finish on both men at once.
They cut a promo after the match, saying they love to eat and lift weights. They got the fans to chant “steaks and weights.” They want the Authors of Pain. So much for a slow build.
Tucker Knight cut most of the promo, while Dozovic growled into the mic.
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Bobby Roode gave advice to Kona Reeves before the next match.
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DIY cut a promo backstage and said Heavy Machinery are big and mocked their entire promo. They said they are still owed a fair “one-on-one” rematch and the line for title matches starts behind them.
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Hideo Itami defeated Kona Reeves
Reeves attacked Itami before the bell, which got big heat from the crowd. The bell finally rang and Reeves was on the attack. Reeves got Itami down, but instead of following up the attack, he mocked Itami, so Itami kicked every exposed part of his body.
Itami got tired of kicking Reeves, so he pinned him after a Go to Sleep.
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A video package for Drew McIntyre aired, showing him in his Chosen One gimmick from 2009, skipping the 3MB era, and skipping ahead to the last month or so.
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Up next was part two in the “Who is Roderick Strong?” video series. It’s still really good:
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William Regal and Bobby Roode were backstage. Mr. Regal went to tell him his TakeOver opponent, but Roode cut him off. Roode said that Hideo Itami is dangerous and doesn’t deserve to face him.
Mr. Regal agreed that he needs to earn the opportunity, and said next week Itami will face Roderick Strong and the winner faces Roode at TakeOver.
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An Aleister Black video package aired. He’ll be wrestling next week.
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A number one contender’s battle royal ended in a no contest when Asuka attacked the three remaining competitors (Ember Moon, Ruby Riot, and Nikki Cross)
Half of the women in this match have rarely, if ever, appeared on NXT before and a couple were from outside of WWE. The order of elimination was: Victoria Gonzales, Bianca Blair, Rachael Evers (Ellering), Sarah Bridges, Sonya Deville (the former Daria Berenato), Lacey Evans, Kimberly Frankele, Candice LeRae, Aliyah, Liv Morgan, Billie Kay, and Peyton Royce.
Kay and Royce were working together from the beginning. Gonzales went after the Iconic Duo at the start, but it didn’t work. Evans kicked Cross in the butt to try to eliminate her. That didn’t work, shockingly enough.
Kay and Royce eliminated several together. Shockingly, the eight women who have very rarely, if ever, been on the show, were the first eight gone. Moon single-handedly eliminated Kay and Royce even when it looked like they would have Kay interfere after being eliminated.
Riot, Cross, and Moon were the last three, and they went for several minutes by themselves. Moon hit Cross with the Eclipse, but couldn’t get her up and out. Riot and Moon looked really good together and will one day have a good match. Moon went up top for another Eclipse, but Asuka appeared!
The referee called for the bell while Asuka destroyed the three remaining women and screamed that no one was ready for her. Moon took a nasty bump out of the ring that looked like a suicide dive into the guardrail. Moon may have injured her shoulder.
Who is going to face Asuka at NXT TakeOver: Chicago after she ruined the battle royal? Mr. Regal came out and announced a fatal four-way for TakeOver as the show went off the air, with Asuka facing Moon, Riot, and Cross.
That does it for this week! What will happen next week as we are on the road to Chicago? Until then, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers!
The Big News: Kassius Ohno re-debuted and got the upper hand on the glorious NXT Champion.
The Medium News: Pete Dunne beat Mark Andrews in a match that was even better than the Tyler Bate-Trent Seven match last week.
The Little Beaver-sized News: Peyton Royce won an opportunity for Asuka to kick her head off her shoulders.
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Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Ember Moon in a triple threat match to earn a championship opportunity
Liv Morgan cannot throw a good punch. She either needs to never throw another punch on television again or do what The Rock did and practice throwing hundreds of punches at the mirror until you get better.
Billie Kay ran interference for her girl and a distraction led to Royce throwing Moon into the ring steps. Moon tried to get back in at one point, so Royce ran after her to knock her off. Unfortunately the referee wandered in front of her, so Royce had to literally run around the referee to knock Moon off.
Royce beat on Morgan for most of the match. Morgan made her comeback and hit a bulldog, but Moon returned to break it up. We got a tower of doom spot, where Moon gave Royce a sunset flip powerbomb off the middle rope at the same time Royce gave Morgan a superplex. I have seen that spot mistimed so many times by people far less green, but these three pulled it off flawlessly.
Moon went for the Eclipse, but Kay ran in and Moon gave it to her instead. Morgan threw Moon outside the ring, but then got pinned by Royce after a knee and a Perfect Plex.
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We got a video package for Mark Andrews and then Pete Dunne, who will be wrestling tonight.
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Another video package aired for the re-debuting Kassius Ohno. After he got fired last time he went on a winning streak on TV. Also seeing Ohno makes me miss Richie Steamboat, as those two had a really good feud going on back when no one else watched NXT.
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Shinsuke Nakamura is training for his comeback.
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Pete Dunne defeated Mark Andrews
The fans popped for the appearance of Dunne, the only real heel in the UK tournament. The Bruiserweight is here to face the former TNA X Division star. Dunne took Andrews down and began bending his wrist backwards and his fingers in directions that fingers are not supposed to go.
Andrews threw Dunne outside and went for a moonsault off the apron, Dunne caught him but Andrews turned it into a hip toss. The fans appreciated it and chanted “Mandrews,”
which was his nickname in TNA and the UK (and the announcers did not acknowledge).
Andrews went for the moonsault a second time, but this time Dunne just stepped aside and punched Andrews in the face. Dunne stomped on Andrews’ fingers before dropping him with the Hex Plex on the ring apron (which is the hardest part of the ring).
Andrews made his comeback and went for a springboard move, but again Dunne punched him in the face and hit a Hex Plex inside the ring, however Andrews kicked out. Dunne went for the Bitter End twice, but Andrews got out of it first and hit a reverse hurricanrana the second time.
Dunne went for another Hex Plex, but Andrews turned it into a hurricanrana for a near fall, which got the fans chanting “This is awesome.”
The third try at the Bitter End led to a small package for a near fall. Andrews hit the Stundog Millionaire and went for a shooting star press, but Dunne got his knees up. Finally, Dunne hit the Bitter End on the fourth try and picked up the win!
Despite being a despicable heel, Dunne shook the hand of Andrews after. I thought this match was better than the critically acclaimed Tyler Bate vs. Trent Seven match last week.
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Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were giggling backstage when the new NXT announcer alerted them that Royce will face Asuka next week for the title. Royce said she’d be champion now if not for that damn Nikki Cross. However she will win and take the title down under.
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Patrick Clark of Tough Enough fame will be wrestling next week.
Also the undefeated, undisputed NXT Tag Team Champions The Authors of Pain will defend against DIY
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The new NXT announcer stalked Tye Dillinger earlier today and asked about SAnitY. Dillinger said he now has backup in Roderick Strong and No Way Jose, so he invited SAnitY to try them again. Remember when they had a six-man tag a few weeks ago and SAnitY won? I guess we’re gonna have another one.
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NXT Champion Bobby Roode defeated No Way Jose
Roode continues to set records for how long he can take to walk to the ring, as tonight’s walk was easily longer than several matches on Raw this week. Heck, there were episodes of TNA Impact back in the Vince Russo era where Roode’s entrance tonight was longer than any match on those shows.
While I typed that Jose used dance as an offensive weapon until Roode got tired of his offbeat shenanigans and cut him off. It’s kind of weird that in the last segment Dillinger built up Jose as quality backup and here he is losing in the main event. With that said, Roode did his best to make Jose look like a contender. Roode came off the middle rope, but Jose hit his wind-up punch, however Roode fell out of the ring.
Jose threw Roode back in the ring, but when Jose came in after him, Roode came alive. He dropped Jose with the Glorious DDT for the pin.
Roode chop blocked Jose’s knee after the match and slapped on a single-legged crab. Jose tapped out, but Roode did not care. The referee waved his arms around, but Roode ignored that too. However, Kassius Ohno ran down to the delight of the fans!
Roode grabbed his title and ran away as Ohno stood tall. Roode asked him from the ramp who the hell he thought he was. Ohno said Roode knew who he was and said he was in NXT before and he has some unfinished business. He wants and needs the NXT Championship.
Roode said he was a fighting champion and teased getting into the ring for a title match right now. Ohno turned around to take off his jacket, so Roode chop blocked Ohno and attacked his knee.
Roode went for the single-legged crab, but Ohno kicked him off and beat down the NXT Champion. Ohno’s sneaker came off during this, so Ohno picked it up and threw it at Roode.
Roode ran off, knowing that his title reign just got more challenging. So that will do it for another exciting week of NXT. Until next week, remember to say your vitamins and take your prayers.
– Wolfgang defeated Aaron Solow in a squash match after hitting a moonsault. Wolfgang was from the UK tournament
TV Taping:
– Ember Moon defeated Aliyah with the Eclipse (off the top stunner) in a short match. Moon is originally from Dallas, so she got a nice reaction.
– WWE UK Champion Tyler Bate defeated Oney Lorcan with the Tyler Driver ’97 (sit-out double underhook powerbomb). Bate’s airplane spin was over with the crowd, getting them to chant to 10.
– No Way Jose defeated Elias “The Drifter” Samson after hitting the fastball punch. Samson was the only person to get a good heel reaction this far while Jose was loved as he cut off Samson’s pre-match promo.
Other Notes:
– On the pre-show, it was announced that Nigel Mcguinness will take over for Corey Graves on the NXT announce desk after tonight.
Great match to start the night. The crowd popped at the right spots. He worked as a face and now when he screams, the crowd screams back which he fed on to get him over. Almas hit the double knees in the corner but only got a near fall. Tozawa then hit him with his German Suplex finisher for the pin.
– Billie Kay and Peyton Royce defeated Liv Morgan and Aliyah
The first Australians on the card came out and cut a promo saying that they want to be billed from Orlando, Florida, and not Australia, especially the Gold Coast. The fans kind of popped for Morgan but were dead whenever Aliyah had offence. Fans were cheering and booing all over the place, then Kay and Royce got the pin after double team knee to the face of Morgan So, the hometown women who turned on the crowd to get heat ended up winning.
– Patrick Clark defeated Oney Lorcan
These guys did a great job considering they were relatively unknown to the crowd. This was a classic 80s style match where the heel Clark was over the top as he came to the ring. The crowd chanted ‘You look stupid’ (with an Australian accent which was wacky) in reference to Clark’s ring attire. Clark yelled at the crowd ‘Shut up, you wankers’, starting the crowd going into business for itself with “You’re the wanker” chants and “You’re still a wanker” when he got offence. The crowd chanted “You’re a tosser” and then back to “You’re a wanker”. It was fine for this match, but continued on throughout the night.
– Buddy Murphy defeated Elias Sampson
Sampson started cutting a promo and the “What” chants began. Sampson started repeating himself everytime the crowd said “What” which made it worse. Then, he started singing a song about how he hated the Gold Coast and everyone got their phones flashlights out and due to the small size of the arena, it was almost like the house lights were on. During his song, Murphy’s music cut him off. Finish came when Sampson went for his guitar but the ref took it off him and Murphy rolled him up for the pin.
– NXT Tag Team Champions DIY defeated Tino Sabatelli and Riddick Moss to retain
Initially, the main event would going to be DIY and Nakamura vs. The Revival and Samoa Joe. Instead, we got a pretty average match where Tino and Moss were slow and plodding on offence. Crowd chanted ‘Go back to football’ at Tino, and this prompted DIY to do an American football snap in the middle of the ring where Gargano threw an imaginary ball to Ciampa for a touchdown. Match was pretty basic with the heels getting heat on Ciampa until the hot tag to Gargano. Match ended with the DIY knee/superkick finish to Moss.
– Bobby Roode defeated Tye Dillinger
Crowd went completely nuts for Roode, but they cheered as if both were faces. Fun match with both playing to the crowd. Dillinger was about to hit the Tye Breaker when The Revival ran in for interference and Roode got a roll up using the middle ropes with The Revival holding his legs. The heels ran off and Dillinger got up and just walked out.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon to retain
Crowd had become pretty restless and were just trying to start whatever chants they could to get themselves over. At a few different points, there were chants for James Ellsworth. The match was actually really good, but early on, it was ruined by the crowd until a few great spots which started the only “This is awesome’ chant of the night. Asuka got Moon in a few submission holds, an armbar and a kimura lock, which Moon escaped before tapping out to the Asuka lock.
After the match, Moon extended her hand for a handshake on the ramp. Asuka hesitated then shook her hand and the two hugged.
– TM61, Tye Dillinger and NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura defeated The Revival, Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe
The original match was just going to be a 6-man sans Dillinger and Roode. After the heels came out, TM61 had a nice homecoming entrance but was spoiled by the heels beating them down. Crowd chanted for Nakamura but instead Dillinger came to even the numbers. Then Roode came down and they threw the babyfaces out of the ring.
Nakamura’s entrance hit and the crowd went insane. When he got into the ring, the heels scattered, making Nakamura look really strong. The match was then announced as an 8-man.
There was lots of comedy in the match, some so cheesy and over the top it could only be done on a live show. Joe didn’t work much and just threw a few punches. The finish came when Dillinger hit a surprise super kick on Roode, followed by a Kinshasa by Nakamura.
Tonight’s NXT live event was in Lakeland, FL, in front of an estimated crowd of 200 people.
– Ember Moon won a women’s battle royal for the right to face Asuka in the main event
Macey Estrella, Bianca Blair, Danielle Kamela, Aliyah, Daria Berenato, Liv Morgan, Billie Kay, and Peyton Royce was the order of elimination.
– Oney Lorcan defeated Elias Samson
Lorcan won by submission with a single leg crab.
– Lince Dorado defeated Brennan Williams
This was the singles debut in NXT for Williams, who is a former NFL lineman and trained at Booker T’s school. Dorado won it with a great looking shooting star press.
– No Way Jose & Rich Swann defeated Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli
Crowd was on fire for Sabbatelli and Swann with dueling chants. Jose hit his windup punch for a near fall and later hit his half nelson slam on Moss for the victory.
– Tye Dillinger defeated Austin Aries
Dillinger got the win with the Tye Breaker.
– Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa cut a promo in the ring and wanted to take a #GloriousBomb with all of us but Patrick Clark interrupted them. Gargano and Ciampa gave him a superkick and running knee to send him packing.
– SAnitY (Sawyer Fulton & Alexander Wolfe) w/ Eric Young and Nikki Cross defeated Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight)
SAnitY hit their double team finish for the win.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka defeated Ember Moon
Moon went for the top rope stunner but Asuka caught her with a strike and then applied the Asuka Lock for the win.
I’m in Lakeland, FL, for NXT tonight with an expected 250 people in attendance.
– Tino Sabbatelli defeated Patrick Clark
Great reaction for Sabbatelli working as the face tonight. Early speed rope running, a leapfrog, and a crossbody by Sabbatelli. Clark cut him off and wore him down with headlocks before Sabbatelli hit a forearm in the corner followed by a slam for the win.
– Aliyah defeated Bianca Blair
This was Blair’s first NXT match. It got plenty of time and she showed her athletic ability. Aliyah was able to do an overhead with a bridge for the pinning combination.
Crowd was into the big men for this match, speed and power moves won them over early. The heels worked over Knight in the corner before a Bogojevic hot tag where he ran wild, even doing the worm to a big pop. The finish was Bogojevic tossing Crawford to Knight for an assisted scoop slam.
– Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Oney Lorcan
There was an early feeling out process and handshake for sportsmanship before Almas stomped Lorcan and went full heel during the match. Legsweep DDT by Almas for the win. He then tried to attack Lorcan after the match but was fought off after a good brawl.
– NXT Women’s Champion Asuka & Ember Moon defeated Billie Kay & Peyton Royce
Very good match as the Australian women had a lot of tag team maneuvers and used the five count expertly to keep the advantage over Moon until the hot tag. Asuka ran wild with flying hip attacks and finally nailed a series of kicks to Kay for the win.
– In-ring promo by Macey Estrella, who is a mother and a former marine.
– Cedric Alexander defeated Beautiful Blonde Blake
Impressive rope running and one-upsmanship early on. Alexander laid in some violent chops, then did the Japanese style repeated chops in the corner. Alexander hit the lumbar check for the win. The crowd gave him a great ovation after the match so he bowed to them in each direction.
– Tye Dillinger & TM61 defeated Sanity (Sawyer Fulton & Alexander Wolfe) w/ Nikki Cross & Elias Samson
The Drifter opened his return with a new song about how much he hated us. One kid even heckled him, so he pointed out “especially her.”
During the match, Nikki Cross would get up on the apron as if she wanted to get involved until Dillinger did a wind-up 10 taunt in her direction which scared her and sent her falling backwards in to the arms of Fulton and Wolfe.
Cross later tried to spray Dillinger with something yet he ducked and it went all over The Drifter, allowing Dillinger to hit the over the knee neckbreaker for the win.
