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This week’s NXT was the final one before the big WrestleMania week which will see matches pan out over two nights. NXT will have some major stars such as NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and Austin Theory represent the brand at the event, while recently moved Superstars Shayna Baszler and Angel Garza will also have big matches.
Unlike the previous few weeks, this week’s show was filled with some great matches and gave fans some interesting progression to existing and new rivalries.
Newer stars such as Shotzi Blackheart, KUSHIDA, and Dexter Lumis got a chance to shine, while Keith Lee managed to make another big impact.
With WrestleMania looming, the fans will have their eyes on all sorts of performers on the three brands of the company.
In this article, we will look at the 5 things NXT got right on the show before WrestleMania.
#5 Dexter Lumis and KUSHIDA’s performances
Dexter Lumis took on Jake Atlas early on in the night to get some exposure in front of the NXT Universe. Both men tried to grab the opportunity with both hands, but Lumis took control from the word go and never let it slip.
Lumis was able to put Atlas away via submission and move further in his quest to become a big player in NXT. He has an interesting character that can help him get some major rivalries in the coming months. The match wasn’t too long, but it did what it needed to and helped the two Superstars get some screentime.
Later in the night, KUSHIDA got an opportunity to show NXT what he’s made off as he took on the well-known Joaquin Wilde.
The two men traded some great technical moves and displayed to the NXT Universe why they were so over when they signed with the company. While Wilde was able to make an impact during the match, it was KUSHIDA who put Wilde away with an armbar and take the victory.
Both men shook hands but could not stay away from trading insults, which confirmed that this wasn’t the last time they will meet in the ring.
The match could be termed the match of the night before the main event and gave fans some great entertainment on a night that did not have too many prerecorded segments and promos.
#4 Velveteen Dream’s statement
Since Tommaso Ciampa has bowed out of the race for the NXT Championship and gone back after his archnemesis Johnny Gargano, The Velveteen Dream has been looking to up his game.
During his Steel Cage match with Roderick Strong, Dream pulled off an interesting move by throwing out Strong from the cage and allowed him to win but locked himself inside with the NXT Champion, Adam Cole.
This week, Dream was faced with his first task of putting away Undisputed Era’s Bobby Fish to progress towards his actual target. Fish, as we all know, is one of the top wrestlers in NXT and its no easy task to put him away.
During the initial stages of the match, Fish avoided the Purple Rainmaker by rolling out of the ring. He then attacked Dream relentlessly and continued to beat him down.
The former NXT Tag Team Champion tried different submission holds to put Dream away, but His Purple Highness was able to hit the Dream Valley Driver at the right time to pick up the victory. After the match, Dream delivered a promo to target Cole once again.
The lack of Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly at ringside did hurt the match a bit as there was no crowd in attendance to hype the match, but it was great to see Fish get a single's match on television.
However, Dream’s victory helps him move a level up while allowing NXT to keep building a story in hopes of seeing the crowds return when the stage is set for Cole vs. Dream for the title.
#3 The Blackheart’s performance
Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen WWE deliver some great Gauntlet matches for the fans and make things much more interesting.
The Gauntlet match to determine who’d get a second chance at the Ladder Match to get a shot at the NXT Women’s Championship was all set. Shotzi Blackheart and Deonna Purrazzo kicked things off and the latter tried to put away Blackheart, but was unsuccessful in doing so and fell prey to a senton.
Xia Li entered the mix next and looked to score a victory after last week’s mysterious attack on her before her scheduled match with Aliyah. However, even Li couldn’t get Blackheart out of the way and was eliminated by her with a submission maneuver.
Aliyah tried to take down Blackheart by entering next and was determined to use her heelish tactics to put the babyface away. Even though Aliyah came close, she too fell prey to the same submission hold that marked the end of Li.
Kayden Carter entered the mix after Li and couldn’t get the better of the green-haired Superstar. After trading some moves and weakening Blackheart, she was put away with a senton as Blackheart got her fourth elimination in the match.
Dakota Kai was last to enter the mix and was able to put away the gutsy Blackheart. Although, the newcomer was able to leave a huge mark on the rest of the women’s division with a performance no one will forget.
Will Blackheart have a Kofi Kingston moment down the line keeping in mind her current performance? We’ll just have to wait to find out.
#2 The Captain’s win
Gauntlet matches are always fun, and the person who enters first is always at a disadvantage while the final entrant has the biggest advantage.
While Shotzi Blackheart was able to knock it out of the park with her performance, it was Dakota Kai who entered the match last and stole the match and the show with a victory. History will only show that Kai was the eventual winner of the clash, even though Blackheart gave a once in a lifetime performance.
Keeping that in mind, allowing a heel like Kai to enter last and win the match was a brilliant idea from the creatives. Not only does this help Kai get more heat, but a heel winning the match also sets up the field for what lies ahead for the NXT brand.
Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair will battle it out for the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36, and fans are expecting the babyface to bag the victory even though The Queen is coming at her strong.
Kai’s victory tells us a bit about what to expect at The Show of Shows, and Kai seems like the biggest heel in NXT at the moment since her turn who can actually be a threat, along with her bodyguard, to whoever becomes the Champion.
#1 Keith Lee retains the NXT North American Championship
The biggest match of the night, one which could have lit up an NXT TakeOver event, was the main event of the night.
The match saw Keith Lee defend his title against Damian Priest and Dominik Dijakovic. The match made up of three powerhouses and was expected to be extremely physical. Unsurprisingly, that is exactly what it ended up being.
All three men unleashed everything they had at one another to ensure they would stay on top as whoever went down the mat was met with even more punishment.
The highlight of the match was seeing Lee use Priest’s body as a weapon against Dijakovic before slamming The Archer of Infamy on his back.
The Archer of Infamy got frustrated and used the nightstick on Dijakovic to try and pick up the victory. However, The Limitless One took the advantage by propelling Priest out of the ring and then pinned Dijakovic to pick up the win.
The finish was great as it protected Priest and gave him a chance to rise up as a singles contender to the title. Dijakovic has taken several pins while competing for the title, but the unclean finish will allow him to not lose too much value.
Lee retaining will help him move forward in his quest to become the best on NXT, and he needs to perform at a few TakeOver events with the title before finally losing it.
