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KUSHIDA and Kyle O’Reilly were announced to compete on WWE NXT this week. The two top superstars met in the ring last week after KUSHIDA’s match to make the contest official.
Adam Cole was also scheduled to compete in a match on NXT against an unknown competitor.
Other than those two top matches, there were several matches and surprises in store for the fans on Tuesday night. Zoey Stark and Io Shirai teamed up to take on The Robert Stone brand. Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory’s antics got them into a match against Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan.
Karrion Kross seems to have found his challenger for The Great American Bash. Franky Monet made quick work of Elektra Lopez on the show. Hit Row picked up another victory, this time against Ever-Rise. Fans were also looking forward to seeing whether anyone would dare to provoke Samoa Joe.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on NXT this week.
#5 Carmelo Hayes competed in another top match on WWE NXT
Adam Cole came out on WWE NXT and spoke about Samoa Joe’s attack on him last week. Cole claimed that he was the King of NXT, and Joe wasn’t going to change that.
Cole said he was looking forward to facing Kyle O’Reilly at The Great American Bash, but wasn’t wrestling on Tuesday night. Carmelo Hayes interrupted the former NXT Champion and convinced Cole to fight him.
The two men squared off after Hayes slapped Cole across the face. The veteran wore the rookie down and showed him what it was like to face a top superstar on the brand.
Hayes fought back and built some momentum after Cole taunted him for too long.
Hayes managed to block a Panama Sunrise attempt from Cole with a superkick. However, he couldn’t avoid a second attempt and sold the move beautifully, awarding the victory to Cole.
This was a fun match that allowed Hayes to shine once again. He had a great first match against KUSHIDA three weeks back and managed to put on a great show once again here.
Cole has been at the top of his game for some time now. He needs to compete on NXT more regularly to keep fans interested every week. Backstage, William Regal warned Cole not to provoke Samoa Joe again.
The former NXT Champion responded by walking out. WWE seems to be planting seeds for Joe’s potential return to the ring in the months to come.
#4 Zoey Stark and Io Shirai picked up a victory on WWE NXT
Zoey Stark was shown in an interview backstage on WWE NXT. She praised Io Shirai and claimed that she respected her and wanted to help her. Shirai responded by saying that she respected Stark but did not like her.
Aliyah and Jessi Kamea geared up to take on Stark and Shirai in a tag team match. The Genius from the Sky kept Aliyah on the backfoot and delivered some great moves.
Stark came into the match and the heels managed to find a way to isolate her. Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell made their presence felt as they watched the match up close.
After some top moves, Shirai hit her signature moonsault to pick up the win. After the match, Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez caught up with Shirai and Stark and told them that they would not make it to the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship match.
Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart also got involved and attacked Gonzalez and Kai before Samoa Joe had to send out officials to break up the brawl.
A match between the three teams to determine who would face The Way at NXT's The Great American Bash is now booked. The entire segment went well and gave the brand a chance to build towards a big No. 1 contender match.
Stark and Shirai work well together even though they do not like each other. They seem to be the frontrunners to become the No.1 contenders for The Great American Bash title match.
#3 The Way had a great tag team match against Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan on WWE NXT
Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory came out to talk directly to the WWE NXT Universe. Gargano claimed that the brand needed a new NXT Champion to go with the new management backstage.
He called out Karrion Kross for a match, but Pete Dunne arrived instead with Oney Lorcan. The Bruiserweight wasn’t too happy with Gargano considering himself the No. 1 contender. Gargano refused to fight him, but Dunne got hold of Theory’s finger and snapped it on his way out.
Johnny Wrestling asked William Regal to punish Dunne for his actions, and the NXT General Manager announced Dunne and Lorcan vs. The Way.
The two teams met in the ring and Theory was isolated by Dunne and Lorcan early on. The Bruiserweight continued to punish Theory’s fingers and stomped on his small joints.
After Johnny Wrestling got the tag, he had a great exchange with Dunne. The two teams delivered some great moves before Gargano hit Lorcan with the One Final Beat for the win.
After the match, Karrion Kross appeared to lay out Gargano with a running elbow. Samoa Joe let Kross walk out without any consequences following the attack.
It was a great match that allowed the old Johnny Gargano to perform his heart out against a top superstar like Dunne. The aftermath encounters were even better, and NXT managed to plant the seeds for the next top title match.
Gargano and Kross will likely compete for the NXT Championship at The Great American Bash.
#2 KUSHIDA and Kyle O’Reilly tear the house down on WWE NXT
Last week on WWE NXT, Kyle O’Reilly laid down a non-title challenge to KUSHIDA. The Japanese Superstar gladly accepted the challenge, and the two men met in the ring this week.
Both men declared their respect for each other in a video package before the match started. They started by exchanging some holds and countering each other’s moves.
The two NXT Superstars continued to show off their strengths throughout the contest. After a few more great exchanges, KUSHIDA trapped KOR in the Hoverboard Lock but O’Reilly managed to wriggle out. He rolled up KUSHIDA with a schoolboy to steal the win. After the match, the two shook hands.
The match was great even though it wasn’t too long. Both superstars did their best to get the better of each other. In the end, the roll-up victory allowed KOR to win the match without chipping away at the NXT Cruiserweight Champion’s credibility.
KUSHIDA had KOR on the ropes, but O’Reilly managed to steal the victory ahead of his high-profile match against Adam Cole. NXT needs to book more of these technical matches that can show off the talent on the Black & Gold brand.
#1 Diamond Mine made their much-awaited debut on WWE NXT
Following the match, Adam Cole appeared to take the fight to Kyle O’Reilly on WWE NXT. The two men brawled outside the ring and all around the arena before Samoa Joe brought in security personnel to separate the two men.
This left KUSHIDA alone in the ring for the debut of Diamond Mine. Roderick Strong, joined by Tyler Rust, Hideki Suzuki and Malcolm Bivens, came out to deliver a brutal beatdown on the NXT Cruiserweight Champion.
Strong seems to be the leader of the faction, and it’s interesting to see that he’s back on NXT just weeks after quitting the brand. WWE has been teasing the arrival of Diamond Mine for some time, and it’s good to see Bivens and Strong lead two rookies on the Black & Gold brand.
Rust has already proven his worth in the ring and has received a lot of praise from Triple H. Suzuki is well-known outside WWE and could end up adding a whole new dimension to the faction. Bivens is one of the best on the mic right now and will give the faction a great boost.
Strong could potentially take the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from KUSHIDA at The Great American Bash.
