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An action-packed episode of NXT looked to set up some great rivalries for the brand for the coming weeks. With the possibility of crowds returning to the arena soon, the brand was all ready to build some big matches and bring in some big Superstars to make things very interesting.
Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux walked down the ramp for the first time on television, while a surprise return after the NXT Women’s Championship match between Charlotte Flair and Io Shirai shook up the women’s division.
Johnny Gargano and Cameron Grimes were able to make big statements during the night, but Finn Balor was at hand to take down the latter and possibly begin a new rivalry.
The main event saw Velveteen Dream chase the NXT Championship once again, but things didn’t turn out all too well for the young Superstar.
In this article, we will look at the five things NXT got right on this week’s show.
#5 Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux's debut
We first saw Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux appear after the One Final Beat match between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano where Gargano took the victory with the help of Candice LeRae.
Kross later appeared on NXT and wiped out Ciampa during a promo where he was ready to admit that Gargano was better than him. Since then, we haven’t seen Ciampa appear on the Black and Gold brand.
As for Kross and Bordeaux, the two were ready to appear in the NXT ring for the first time. Kross was ready for his first match on the brand while Bordeaux accompanied him to the ring following an impressive entrance.
Leon Ruff was Kross’s unlucky first competitor who took a few Saito suplexes from the new Superstar before tapping out to the Kross Jacket. The quick victory allowed Kross to make an immediate impact on NXT and gain some attention.
It will be interesting to see what Ciampa does when he returns to NXT and whether he will dare to cross Kross’s path or stay away from the new Superstar.
#4 The Heel Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano was set to return to the ring this week after his wife Candice LeRae unveiled a whole new side to herself last week. Gargano took on the massive Dominik Dijakovic in a match where size really did matter.
Dijakovic started strong and looked good early in the contest, but The Rebel Heart was able to bring the big man down with some tactical strikes. Once Dijakovic tried to regroup and take the fight back to Gargano, LeRae walked down the ramp to distract him.
This did not take much out of the big man who performed some impressive maneuvers but couldn’t get the better of the former NXT Champion. The Rebel Heart exposed the turnbuckle and then sent the big man into it to set up to the One Final Beat for the victory.
This was a good match that brought the best out of both men on television.
Dijakovic impressed again in this contest, and one wonders why he isn’t among the top players on the brand already. As for Gargano, it was a good way to warm up to reach the top of the ladder once again with some lethal performances.
It will be interesting to see where this new side of Johnny Wrestling takes him, and what he aims to achieve next in his NXT career.
#3 Finn Balor’s new target
Finn Balor was at the Performance Center to address the attack on him by a mysterious Superstar a couple of weeks back. He was scheduled to take on The Velveteen Dream during the night, but he was taken out in the locker room early in the night.
Balor walked up to the podium and addressed his attacker directly. He claimed that he wasn’t aware who had assaulted him, but he made it clear that whoever it was would pay dearly for their actions.
After Balor was done, Cameron Grimes took on Denzel Dejournette and went for the Cave In right after the bell. Even though Dejournette missed on the first attempt, he managed to hit the finisher soon-after to pick up a quick victory.
After Grimes was done with Dejournette, he tried to mock The Prince of NXT with a mic in his hand. Balor did not take Grimes’ words well and walked out to face the Superstar. After a few insults, Balor laid him out and stood tall to end the segment.
This was a good segment that helps bring back Balor to the front after his rivalry against WALTER had been disrupted. Grimes started off strong in NXT and went on to become a big dominating force before he was watered down by some even bigger opponents.
A rivalry with The Prince will help him get a major push even if he is unable to win the competition. This rivalry could become very interesting if it is booked right.
#2 Rhea Ripley's return
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair came out confident for this match but she was surprised by the speed at which Io Shirai came at her early in the match. The Genius From The Sky showed The Queen that she wasn’t the only premier athlete in the women’s division, and managed to push her to her limits even though there was a massive size difference between the two women.
The two women traded blows, but Flair saw herself lose control and decided to take some extreme measures. The action spilled over to the floor where Flair smacked Shirai with the kendo stick to cause a disqualification and retain her title.
Flair wasn’t done as she continued to attack the Japanese Superstar and then decided to apply the Figure-Eight leg lock around the steel post. Luckily for Shirai, Rhea Ripley made a surprise return and ran off the NXT Women’s Champion.
Shirai wasn’t happy with Ripley’s involvement, but it was great to see the former NXT Women’s Champion return and make things even more interesting on the Black and Gold brand.
The contest between Flair and Shirai was great, and the two women need to have a longer match where we could watch The Joshi Judas finally win a big one in WWE.
As for Ripley, she has some unfinished business with The Queen that she will likely get to sooner than later.
#1 Adam Cole's victory
The longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time, Adam Cole, was set to defend his title during the night against the man who has been chasing him for several weeks, The Velveteen Dream.
Cole mocked his challenger throughout the contest but Dream was focused to take the title home as he never really gave up during the opening minutes. Once the contest got more intense, the other members of the Undisputed Era decided to walk out and help their leader.
However, Dexter Lumis appeared from under the ring and stopped Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish in their tracks. He threw the heels around, but that caused Strong to collide with the referee and knock him out.
Inside the ring, Dream hit Cole with the Dream Valley Driver, but the referee was not available to make the three count and make the title change official. After the referee recovered, Cole hit a Superkick followed by the Last Shot to retain his title and stretch his reign even further.
This was a great match that should have been much longer than it was. However, it allowed Cole to retain the title while possibly creating some issues between His Purple Highness and Lumis. Lumis’ rise on NXT has been phenomenal and he could well turn out to be Cole’s challenger in a few weeks.
As for Dream, this unclean finish will allow him to regroup and come back for the title at a later date.
