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WWE NXT advertised a few big matches for Tuesday night. Unlike WWE RAW, the brand ensured that all the advertised matches went ahead, according to plan.
Tommaso Ciampa sought revenge from Ridge Holland on this week’s episode. Meanwhile, Raquel Gonzalez returned to action after her recent NXT Women’s Championship defense.
Mandy Rose competed in her first match back in NXT against Sarray. The latter picked up the win after Rose was counted out from the contest. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne attacked Sarray in her locker room later in the show to take the rivalry to the next level.
Ilja Dragunov showed up with the NXT UK Championship and was looking forward to taking down anyone who wanted to take a shot at his title.
Roderick Strong and Ikemen Jiro put on a decent contest before The Messiah of the Backbreaker picked up the win. Diamond Mine also introduced the newest members of their faction, The Creed Brothers.
Let's take a look at five things WWE got right on this week’s NXT.
#5 Duke Hudson and Kyle O’Reilly had a good match on WWE NXT
Kyle O’Reilly put on a great match against Adam Cole at WWE NXT TakeOver 36. The superstar was nursing some injuries but seemed ready to take on the massive Duke Hudson this week.
The two men previously got into a brawl, and KOR was ready to show the 6-foot-5 superstar why he shouldn’t have messed with him. O’Reilly did not appear intimidated by the size of his opponent and targeted his limbs early on.
However, Hudson used his size and power advantage to keep the former NXT Tag Team Champion at bay. O'Reilly locked in a Guillotine Choke, but Hudson rammed him into the corner to break it.
Kool Kyle worked on Hudson’s left leg and continued to punish him throughout the contest. He eventually locked the newcomer in the Heelhook and made him tap out.
Fans expected a lot from Duke Hudson during the NXT Breakout Tournament. He did well, even though he was knocked out early.
The creative team looks to have a lot of confidence in Duke, and that’s exactly why he got a match against a top NXT star like O’Reilly.
#4. Imperium defeated Drake Maverick and Grayson Waller on WWE NXT
During this week's NXT, Drake Maverick teamed up with Grayson Waller for a match against Imperium's Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.
Waller started the match for his team and took a beating from Aichner and Barthel before he mounted a comeback. Barthel slowed Waller down and continued to kick him around the ring.
Drake Maverick soon tagged into the match and tried to turn the tables. But he could not retain control of the contest for too long. Barthel hurled him outside the ring, and Imperium hit their signature finisher on Waller for the win.
This tag team match wasn’t the best one on the latest NXT match card. However, it did allow Imperium to pick up a win following their major loss two weeks ago.
Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner need to pick up some big victories and get back in contention for the NXT tag team titles soon, and this week's show seemed like a step in the right direction for the duo.
#3. The two top champions made their intentions clear on WWE NXT
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez returned to action this week after retaining her title against Dakota Kai at TakeOver 36. Gonzalez took on Jessi Kamea during the episode.
Kamea tried to gain the upper hand early on and punished the NXT Women’s Champion. She targeted Gonzalez’s left knee and looked to showcase her talent in front of the NXT Universe.
Gonzalez mounted a comeback and hit her opponent with a big dropkick. Big Mami Cool took Kamea down with a big boot before hitting the single-arm powerbomb for the win. After the match, Gonzalez stared down Franky Monet to make a statement.
It looks like Monet will be the next challenger for the NXT Women’s Championship. While she has not done much in NXT yet, many fans are well aware of her work outside WWE.
Meanwhile, Samoa Joe showed up for an interview with Wade Barrett. Barrett asked Joe about his legacy as the NXT Champion. The Samoan Submission Machine vowed to set a good precedent with the title.
He wanted the best men in NXT to come forward and face him for the championship. The segment was short and effective as a whole.
Joe will need to find a challenger soon, and it will be interesting to see who steps up to The Samoan Submission Machine first.
#2. LA Knight picked up a big victory over Johnny Gargano on WWE NXT
Indi Hartwell wanted Johnny Gargano to give Dexter Lumis a chance on WWE NXT. Gargano did not look to be in favor of the idea but reluctantly accepted Lumis to accompany him to the ring for the time being.
Both Lumis and Hartwell accompanied him out for his match against LA Knight on NXT. The two men nearly high-fived in the ring before Gargano realized he was not next to Austin Theory.
Knight took control of the match early and delivered some good moves to slow down the former NXT Champion. Gargano fought back and used his experience to his advantage for some time.
A slingshot spear nearly earned Gargano the victory, but LA Knight kicked out just in time. Johnny Wrestling tried to hit One Final Beat, but an uppercut from Knight sent him right into Lumis’ arms. The distractions allowed the former Million Dollar Champion to hit the BFT for the win.
LA Knight needed to pick up a victory after ending his rivalry with Cameron Grimes. This was a good match that allowed him to showcase his talent against a former top champion.
Meanwhile, the storyline between Gargano and Lumis keeps getting more interesting.
#1. Tommaso Ciampa took down the mighty Ridge Holland on WWE NXT
Ridge Holland and Timothy Thatcher put on an absolute slugfest on WWE NXT last week. Holland defeated Thatcher and went on to injure the brawler before Tommaso Ciampa could make the save.
Ciampa vowed to get revenge against Holland on this week’s NXT. Meanwhile, Pete Dunne and his men continued to make tall claims about their future, and Holland promised to put The Blackheart in the hospital.
The two NXT Superstars met in the main event of the night. Ciampa came out firing and sent his opponent into the announce table early. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch distracted The Blackheart and helped Holland gain control of the match.
Late in the match, Ciampa nearly put Holland away with an Air Raid Crash. Holland responded with a head-butt that nearly knocked the former NXT Champion out.
Ciampa finally picked up the win with Willow’s Bell, and the match itself was great, which gave both men a chance to shine in the final moments of this week's NXT.
After the match, The Bruiserweight attacked Ciampa. MSK ran down to make the save and took out Dunne, Lorcan, and Burch.
It looks like the rivalry between Pete Dunne’s men and the team of Ciampa and Thatcher is far from over. Meanwhile, MSK will defend their NXT Tag Team Championships against Lorcan and Burch soon.
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