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The go-home show of WWE NXT before TakeOver 36 was expected to be special. The brand did well with some matches and segments to build towards one of the biggest TakeOver events of the year.
Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis teamed up for the first time to compete in a Mixed Tag Team Match. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae were not happy with the big step Hartwell took after the match was over.
A championship match was forced to be canceled, but Ilja Dragunov ended up benefiting in a big way from the decision. LA Knight laid out a WWE Hall of Famer once again. Will the Million Dollar Champion pay for his antics at TakeOver 36?
Karrion Kross and Samoa Joe came face to face once again on NXT. However, things did not end too well for the NXT Champion and his challenger on the show.
MSK and Imperium competed in the only championship match of the show. It will be interesting to see who steps up to the NXT Tag Team Champions next.
Take a look at the five things WWE NXT got right on this week’s show before TakeOver 36.
#5 Ilja Dragunov picked up momentum before WWE NXT TakeOver 36
KUSHIDA was scheduled to defend his WWE NXT Cruiserweight Championship against Roderick Strong this week. However, William Regal announced that the champion was not cleared to compete, prompting Malcolm Bivens to demand a match for Roderick Strong.
Ilja Dragunov answered the challenge after his loss to Pete Dunne last week. He came out looking all pumped up and went after Strong from the get go.
Strong slowed him down with a few massive strikes and went on a backbreaker spree. An elbow to the head busted Dragunov open, but he refused to give up.
The Mad Russian went on a roll late in the match and hit Strong with some of his signature moves. He ended The Messiah of the Backbreaker’s resistance with an uppercut to pick up the victory.
The No. 1 contender to the NXT UK Champion called out WALTER after the match. However, The Ring General did not answer his call.
After his loss against Dunne last week, it was good that the NXT creative team gave Ilja Dragunov a big win before TakeOver 36. However, NXT should have protected Strong as he is the No. 1 challenger to the NXT Cruiserweight Champion.
Later on in the show, Bivens said Strong’s loss was invalid because Dragunov was not a cruiserweight. The justification will not help The Diamond Mine grow as a faction.
#4 Cameron Grimes defeated Josh Briggs on WWE NXT
Cameron Grimes was booked to take on Josh Briggs on WWE NXT. LA Knight offered Briggs $10,000 to take Grimes out for good. Ted DiBiase and Knight walked out to join the commentary team at ringside for the match. The Million Dollar Man bet $20,000 on Grimes before the match began.
The Technical Savage could not get the upper hand early, and LA Knight distracted him to give Briggs an advantage. However, Briggs could not do too much damage and fell for the Cave In within minutes.
Knight punched DiBiase after the contest and laid out Grimes with his finisher to end the segment on NXT. Grimes was picking up a few quick victories last year before he became an enhancement talent. This is the type of match The Technical Savage needs to remind fans what he’s capable of.
Backstage, The Million Dollar apologized to Grimes for dragging him into the situation. Grimes did not accept the apology and said that he was ready to head to the moon with the Million Dollar Championship.
#3 InDex took the next step in their relationship on WWE NXT
Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell took on Robert Stone and Jessi Kamea on WWE NXT in one of the most bizarre matches possible. Franky Monet tried to help Stone and Kamea early but got thrown out of the arena by the referee.
Kamea dominated Hartwell for some time before the men came into the ring. Stone could not do much against The Tortured Artist, and Kamea slapped him soon after. This set of Hatwell, who attacked Kamea viciously to make a statement.
Back in the ring, Hartwell locked Kamea in the Silence for the win while Lumis knocked out Stone outside the ring.
After the match, Beth Pheonix gave Hartwell a ring to propose to Lumis. Johnny Wrestling’s daughter proposed to The Tortured Artist, who said yes. The two were officially engaged to end the segment.
The match wasn’t too great but WWE has done outstandingly well with the Lumis and The Way storyline. Even with Austin Theory missing, Hartwell has been doing a good job at building the storyline. This is something different that the NXT brand needed for some time.
#2 MSK retained their NXT Tag Team Championships against Imperium on WWE NXT
WALTER made it clear to Fabian Aichner and Marcel Bartel that they needed to win gold on WWE NXT to fulfill the prophecy. MSK walked out to defend their NXT Tag Team Championships against Imperium in the only title match of the night.
MSK tried to make an early impact and teamed up to send Aichner out of the ring. MSK hit dives but Imperium caught both of them and slammed them to the floor to take back control.
The heels isolated Wes Lee and Aichner nearly picked up the win with a lariat.
Soon after, WALTER walked out to watch the match up close. Nash Carter entered the ring and went on a roll, nearly picking up the win in the process.
The Ring General looked to distract the referee, but Ilja Dragunov ran out to attack the NXT UK Champion. The distraction allowed MSK to hit their finisher to pick up the win and retain the NXT Tag Team titles.
After the match, WALTER laid out both the members of MSK and then put down Dragunov to end the segment. The match was good and it was the right decision to allow MSK to retain the titles.
Constant losses have hurt Imperium’s credibility in NXT. However, WALTER could soon help them win the titles from Nash Carter and Wes Lee.
#1 Karrion Kross tasted Samoa Joe’s fists before WWE NXT TakeOver 36
WWE NXT saved the face-off between Samoa Joe and Karrion Kross for last on Tuesday night. Samoa Joe came out to the ring first, looking as ferocious as ever. Karrion Kross came out next, calling security to help him on his way out.
He said it wasn’t about either man in the arena, but about the future of the NXT brand. Even though the NXT Champion did not want to get physical before TakeOver 36, Joe had other plans.
He attacked Kross and took out everyone around him with a dive from the ring. A host of referees and other officials came out to try and stop the two men, but things got ugly fast.
The Herald of Doomsday sent Joe into the steel steps before being run through the barricade himself. The segment was good, even though it was a little unexpected.
WWE could have saved the action for NXT TakeOver, but the creative team decided to let Kross taste Joe’s fists before the event. The match between the two superstars will be explosive, to say the least. Will NXT have a new leader post-TakeOver?
