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If there’s one thing WWE NXT is good at, it's takeovers, and that’s exactly what the brand did with the previous two episodes of SmackDown and RAW as they were added to the Survivor Series pay-per-view for the first time.
Their actions attracted equal reactions, and the brand was ready for invaders from the RAW and SmackDown rosters after what they did in the past few days. The O.C. visited Full Sail University, giving a fitting reply to NXT this week.
Apart from that, the company continued with its regular action and storyline building, as NXT has to build towards two back-to-back pay-per-views, rather than just one. The women of NXT were focused on WarGames, while the men had to divide attention between the two events.
In this article, we take a look at five things the company got right on this week’s episode of NXT.
#5 The O.C.’s attack
NXT is arguably the best of the three brands at giving fans a great opening segment. WWE has been using opening segments to build towards the main event of almost every single show, and this week was no different.
Before this week’s NXT could begin, The O.C. arrived and laid out The Undisputed Era backstage while they were trying to make a statement. The best faction on RAW made a huge statement of intent, opening the show before heading to the Black & Gold ring to address the crowd.
The Phenomenal One clarified that The O.C. was in the building to take over NXT, but Tommaso Ciampa and a couple of his friends did not like the idea.
This set up a huge six-man tag team match between the teams of AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, & Karl Anderson, and Ciampa, Keith Lee, & Matt Riddle.
The O.C.’s attack was the perfect way to kick off the show, as fans have been drooling over a possible rivalry and match between the two factions down the road. Setting up a huge RAW vs NXT match for later in the night completely blew the roof off Full Sail University, as fans got ready to taste what to expect at Survivor Series.
#4 Pete Dunne vs Damian Priest
Pete Dunne and Damien Priest’s rivalry has quickly become one of the most personal ones in all of NXT. While the previous battle belonged to The Archer of Infamy, Dunne returned to take Priest’s fingers.
The Bruiserweight displayed some technical perfection and reminded fans why he was the longest-reigning NXT United Kingdom Champion. This allowed him to slow down the physically larger man before he set up a cross arm breaker which enabled him to break the fingers of his rival, forcing a tap out.
This match was perfect, but what followed was even better, as Killian Dain struck right after to avenge the punishment his digits received at the hands of Dunne. While Dain was busy beating the living daylights out of Dunne, Priest got in his way and also came under fire from the big man.
This allowed the company to build a huge triple-threat match for the future, as all three men have unique skills in the ring which could work extremely well in a match. The Beast of Belfast is finally finding his rhythm again on the Black & Gold brand, and he is immediately getting in contention for some top matches.
#3 Dakota Kai’s revival
Dakota Kai’s return from injury required her to make some big statements to get over with the crowd once again, and that is exactly what the company allowed her to do this week on NXT.
Kai battled Shayna Baszler with an eye on the last spot on Team Ripley, and this allowed her to give her best performance on NXT yet. The action was tight, and Kai showed even more heart while taking a beating from the NXT Women’s Champion.
The Captain of Team Kick limped through her comeback and continued her offense to even come close to an upset win over The Queen of Spades. However, Kai was caught in the Kirifuda Clutch and tapped out after being unable to reach the ropes.
After the match, Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir beat down Kai who gave an epic performance, and Mia Yim entered the arena with a kendo stick to send the heels backstage.
While her performance sure seemed like she’s made it to Team Ripley, Ripley decided to add Yim to her team as the final member. Kai walked off dejected after the announcement, and this leaves the door ajar for a character change for Kai which could help her get more focused and aggressive.
#2 The double-build
The creative handled the huge main event superbly! Even though it would have been great to have a result out of this match to see what direction the company would take for Survivor Series, we still have a few weeks left for a taste of what to expect at the multi-branded PPV.
Instead, the company did extremely well by not only giving the six men some major spotlight but adding two more top Superstars to increase the interest of fans in the entire affair even more.
After Keith Lee hit a Pounce that wiped out the referee, there was carnage all around as the company went from Survivor Series mode to WarGames mode in no time.
Finn Balor interrupted proceedings to lay out The Original Bro with a Bloody Sunday, similar to what he did to Jhonny Gargano a couple of weeks back.
This provided The Phenomenal One an opportunity to set up Ciampa for a Styles Clash, but Adam Cole appeared from nowhere to first take out Styles with a superkick, following it with the Last Shot on The Sicilian Psychopath.
This entire segment was incredibly done and turned the focus of the NXT crowd from Survivor Series back to WarGames in a flash. Not only did Cole take out his nemesis from RAW, but he also took out Ciampa who will lead a team against The Undisputed Era at the event.
#1 A tease to remember
Amid all the chaos during the main event, the company teased something the fans won’t forget for a long time.
After the referee was knocked out, Finn Balor’s music hit and The Extraordinary Man came out to hit Matt Riddle with a Bloody Sunday. After delivering the move and effectively weakening the babyfaces, he immediately showed his respect to AJ Styles who did the same for Balor. This was an incredible bit of writing and gave fans a chilling moment which they did not expect to see on Wednesday night.
The Prince of NXT showing his support for The O.C. now leaves fans with several questions in hopes of seeing the four men take on The Undisputed Era somewhere down the line. The O.C. and Balor vs. The Undisputed Era is a fascinating possibility, and lighting the spark can help the company continue to garner more viewership even if it was just a one-off affair.
While it seems the two teams may not get a chance to go at each other at WarGames or Survivor Series, maybe the company could plan something even bigger for them down the line.
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