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WWE NXT is looking to build towards the New Year’s Evil event, and the brand had several big matches and segments scheduled for this week’s episode. Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, Austin Theory, and Indi Hartwell celebrated Christmas on television The Gargano Way, during this week’s NXT.
Adam Cole and The Velveteen Dream were featured in one-on-one matches after a long time, while Leon Ruff also found himself in a big match once again during the episode.
Rhea Ripley was looking to build her rivalry against Raquel Gonzalez, and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai was looking to meet Toni Storm in the middle of the ring. However, she was not ready for the Superstar who returned to take her down and build towards a new rivalry.
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Bronson Reed made his much-awaited return to the NXT ring, but he could not impress much as he was put up against Ashante "Thee" Adonis. Reed was able to make quick work of his opponent and send a message to the rest of the NXT roster.
With NXT looking to build some big matches for the beginning of next year, we will look at the 5 things WWE NXT got right during this week’s episode.
#5 Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan retain their titles in a Street Fight on WWE NXT
Killian Dain and Drake Maverick were out for revenge on this week’s WWE NXT as the two men competed against Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan in a Street Fight for the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Unlike the Street Fight on WWE RAW, where all the Superstars surprisingly followed the tag rules, even though it was a no-disqualification match, the NXT Superstars went at each other right from the start.
While Dain and Maverick had control of the match earlier, Burch and Lorcan quickly mounted a comeback. Suddenly, both teams decided to obey tag rules.
Dain dished out a lot of punishment to the NXT Tag Team Champions, who had to work together to take the big man out of the equation late in the match. The Champions looked to put The Beast of Belfast through two tables at ringside, but he ended up bouncing off and landing on the floor.
Maverick tried to take out Burch and Lorcan himself, but ended up tasting their finisher to allow the Champions to retain their titles. This was a fun match that allowed Dain and Maverick to shine. Dain is a much better competitor than his recent bookings reflect, while Maverick has been one of the breakout stars of the year.
#4 The Cruiserweights show some aggression on WWE NXT
Jake Atlas and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott had a good match earlier this month, but Scott wasn’t too happy when he lost the contest. This week on WWE NXT, the brand gave fans a rematch between the two athletic Superstars.
While the NXT Cruiserweight Champion has been away for some time, it looks like the brand is working hard to build a future Cruiserweight Champion. Atlas and Scott are both great choices to dethrone Escobar, and they both gave a good performance during this week’s NXT.
Scott was much more aggressive and focused during this match, and Atlas tried to match that by picking up his game late on. However, Scott delivered a few kicks to Atlas’ head and then ended him with the Confidence Boost to pick up the victory.
It’s good to watch Scott win after he lost earlier this month, and it looks like he is transitioning well into a heel character.
NXT seems to have built a good rivalry between these two Superstars, and fans will likely watch them compete a few more times before one of them takes on Escobar again.
#3 Timothy Thatcher gets much more than he bargained for on WWE NXT
Timothy Thatcher was looking to make a statement on WWE NXT this week. He took on former NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff to try and send a message to Tommaso Ciampa.
Ciampa had already proven himself once again by defeating Tyler Rust the previous week and did not seem threatened by the heel. However, Thatcher took out all his anger on Ruff, who was no match for the technician.
Thatcher played with his opponent for some time and put out a chair for The Blackheart to come and watch the match. While Ciampa did not accept the invitation, Ruff made a huge impact by rolling up the over-confident Superstar and picking up another huge upset victory.
After the match, Ciampa appeared to spike Thatcher with a DDT through the ropes and told him he would see him in the Fight Pit.
The WWE Universe will likely remember what Thatcher did to Riddle in the Fight Pit, and fans can expect him to deliver a similar performance against Ciampa. However, losing to Ruff after so much build-up leaves a huge question mark on NXT’s booking decisions.
#2 Rhea Ripley starts building up again on WWE NXT
Rhea Ripley seems to have her eyes firmly set on Raquel Gonzalez. However, she was scheduled to meet Dakota Kai in the ring during this week’s WWE NXT. Ripley wasted no time in showing off her strength and threw Kai around like a rag doll.
Kai tried to mount a comeback by taking out Ripley’s arm, but she was unable to keep control of the match for long.
The Nightmare found herself locked in an armbar late in the match, but she used her strength to lift up her opponent and slam her to break free from the hold.
Kai mounted a comeback again, and Ripley dared Gonzalez to come down to the ring after she spotted her standing on the stage.
Ripley hit the Riptide soon after to pick up the victory, and got into a staredown with Gonzalez in the ring right away. Officials had to pull both competitors apart to ensure no damage was done and protect them for their match down the road.
Kai did not look as fresh as she usually does in the WWE NXT ring during this bout. However, her job was to make Ripley look like the better competitor, and she managed to do that pretty well. Gonzalez vs. Ripley Part 2 will likely be great, and NXT is working harder to build towards the rivalry this time around.
#1 The Last Shot brings WWE NXT to a close
A confrontation between Adam Cole and The Velveteen Dream earlier in the show led to the main event of WWE NXT this week. The WWE Universe has seen Cole and Dream compete in several matches earlier, but no one was complaining, as fans expected this to be a top match.
Cole finally got some one-on-one action in NXT as he tried to work on Dream’s neck early in the match. This was Dream’s first singles match in over a month and a half, and the Superstar was looking to make an impact against the former NXT Champion.
Both men delivered some great moves, and fans saw Pete Dunne arrive to distract Cole and take Roderick Strong down with the Bitter End on the ring apron. The distraction allowed Dream to use his shirt as a weapon on Cole, behind the referee’s back.
At the end of the match, Dream hit the Purple Rainmaker from the top rope but could not pick up the victory. The Panama City Playboy ended the match by delivering The Last Shot to earn the win.
This was a fun final match that allowed both Superstars to gain prominence again. WWE NXT have pulled the spotlight away from Cole slightly, following his NXT Championship loss, and are giving Kyle O’Reilly a deserved push. However, they gave the Superstar a good match to remind fans that the top man on the brand can still continue to entertain and dominate whenever he wants.
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