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All eyes were on WWE NXT this week. Fans were eager to know the announcements William Regal would make during the show.
Pete Dunne was out to make an impact on NXT as he took down Jake Atlas and sent a challenge to the rest of the roster. However, it was odd to watch the NXT Tag Team Champions not come across their challengers on the show.
The Dusty Rhodes Classic Cup winners MSK returned during the night. Yet, they did not go after Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. Meanwhile, Imperium tried to recruit Timothy Thatcher to their faction while Tommaso Ciampa was left asking questions of his partner.
Adam Cole told the NXT Universe that he was the Undisputed ERA and that he took out the trash, while Leon Ruff sent a warning to Isaiah "Swerve" Scott to make the rivalry more interesting.
Let’s take a look at five of many great moments in WWE NXT this week.
#5 William Regal made two monumental announcements on WWE NXT
Last week, William Regal promised a monumental announcement. During the week, the single announcement was turned into two.
Regal came out early in the night to make them and kick off NXT. He first showed a videot that declared to the WWE Universe that NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver would a two-night event, on Wednesday and Thursday just before WrestleMania 37. The NXT General Manager then welcomed Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez to the ring, unveiled the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships, and awarded the titles to the two women who’d won the inaugural Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic Cup. Soon after, Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart challenged the Champions for the new titles.
This was a good way to kick off NXT this week.
Kai and Gonzalez deserved to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships last week but were robbed of the opportunity. Awarding them the new titles was the right move.
#4 The WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships changed hands on the same night
Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez accepted Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon’s challenge to defend the WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. The first-time Champions were confident that they’d retain their titles and assert their authority over the tag team division.
Blackheart was isolated by Gonzalez and Kai early but the tides were turned once Moon came into the match. Moon and Blackheart tried hard to keep Gonzalez out of the ring and continued to work over The Captain of Team Kick.
The War Goddess set herself up the Eclipse, but the powerful Gonzalez stopped Moon in her tracks. Moon and Gonzalez took the fight outside the ring, leaving Kai and Blackheart inside.
This allowed Blackheart to roll-up Kai for three-count and win the NXT Tag Team Championships. While WWE should have allowed Kai and Gonzalez to hold onto the titles till NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, it seems the creative division has something else in mind.
Giving Moon and Blackheart the title will help them build and stay out of the NXT Women’s Championship picture, while letting Gonzalez go up against Io Shirai instead.
#3 Io Shirai and Toni Storm put on a stellar match on WWE NXT
The first big match of WWE NXT was between Toni Storm and Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Championship. Shirai and Storm have cooked up a good rivalry on the Black & Gold brand, and WWE was looking to give its fans a big match.
Storm fit into her role as a heel well during the contest as she went on the attack from the opening bell. She tripped Shirai and inflicted some damage that helped her throughout the contest.
The Genius from the Sky continued to fight back, but Storm was determined. Shirai took a lot of punishment from the former NXT UK Champion and kicked out of two Storm Zeroes during the match.
She hit some big moves of her own and finally made Storm submit to the crossface. The match helped increase Shirai’s value on the NXT roster and gave Storm a chance to showcase her abilities. Fans can expect to see Storm move to the main roster following WrestleMania 37.
On the other hand, Shirai could defend her NXT Women’s Championship against the only woman who pinned her in recent months, Raquel Gonzalez.
#2 Finn Balor beat Adam Cole on WWE NXT
The biggest match of the night was saved for the main event of WWE NXT. Finn Balor looked to take out another challenger for his NXT Championship. While Adam Cole was determined to win the NXT title once again after betraying the Undisputed ERA.
Cole and Balor got down to business early. The Prince tried to take his opponent down with a dropkick. Cole countered by almost knocking Balor out with a Punt Kick on the ring apron.
The fight spilled over outside the ring where The Prince suplexed Cole on the ramp. The Panama City Playboy fought out of a 1916 attempt and stayed in the match. The Prince countered a Panama Sunrise attempt, but couldn't land the Coupe de Grace on Cole.
Later in the match, Balor tried to land the 1916 again, but Cole hit the Last Shot for a near fall. Balor kicked out of a Panama Sunrise soon after. The NXT Champion sent Cole outside the ring where Kyle O’Reilly showed up.
The distraction allowed Balor to hit the 1916 outside the ring and then a Coup de Grace in the ring to pick up the win. This was another top-quality match for The Prince who is now building his title reign very well. After a jaw injury early in his reign, Balor has recovered remarkably to stay on top in NXT.
#1 Karrion Kross found his way to the top of WWE NXT
After the match between Adam Cole and Finn Balor on WWE NXT, things got even more interesting. Kyle O’Reilly confronted Cole and managed to stop The Panama City Playboy’s low-blow attempt. He then ripped Cole’s Undisputed ERA armband off and attacked him viciously.
The two men traded blows around the stage area. Meanwhile, Karrion Kross arrived in the ring. The Herald of Doomsday stared down Balor, but the NXT Champion did not seem afraid of his potential challenger.
This was a great end to NXT, and it builds towards two massive rivalries heading into the next TakeOver.
How do you think the match between O’Reilly and Cole will turn out at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver? Will other members of the Undisputed ERA interfere? And do you want to see Karrion Kross take on Finn Balor for the coveted title?
