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Ridge Holland was scheduled to make his in-ring return on WWE NXT this week. The superstar suffered a gruesome injury last year, but returned to help Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan on last week’s show.
Trey Baxter and Joe Gacy competed in a match during the NXT Breakout Tournament. Baxter hit a beautiful 450 stomp to Gacy for the victory.
Meanwhile, Hit Row had the upper hand in their match against Legado del Fantasma before Santos Escobar caused a disqualification. The result could lead to an NXT North American Championship match between Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Escobar.
Samoa Joe was looking for Karrion Kross throughout the episode once again. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae were also looking to end the relationship between Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell.
There were some good segments and matches booked for this week’s show. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on NXT this week.
#5 Ridge Holland tore through Ikemen Jiro on WWE NXT
Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan took on Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher in a great tag team match on WWE NXT last week. Ciampa and Thatcher were doing well in the contest until Ridge Holland made his return to attack Thatcher and cost his team the match.
This week, Ridge Holland returned to the NXT ring after several months. His opponent, Ikemen Jiro, tried to weaken him early but failed badly.
Holland hit Jiro with a Pounce outside the ring and sent him hard into the barricade. He ripped off his opponent’s jacket and threw him around a couple of times. He then laid Ikemen Jiro out with a Northern Grit to pick up the win.
After the match, Holland threw Jiro out of the ring to allow Pete Dunne to address the NXT Universe. The former NXT UK Champion put his faction over and sent a warning to the rest of the roster. He claimed that they were the most dangerous trio around.
The match was fun and did what it needed to do. NXT wasted little time in reestablishing Holland as a true force. Fans can only hope that the build for the superstar will remain good and he will not be wasted on the main roster.
NXT has built several factions in recent months. Hit Row, Legado del Fantasma, and Imperium will likely give Dunne’s new faction a tough time.
#4 Roderick Strong picked up an undisputed victory over Bobby Fish on WWE NXT
A big match between former teammates Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish was scheduled for WWE NXT. A video package was shown before the match to recap Strong and Fish’s past before the match kicked off.
Fish tried to slow down the member of the Diamond Mine early with a barrage of kicks and forearms. Malcolm Bivens did not seem too thrilled as his client went on the defensive early in the contest.
Strong broke free and hit a big backbreaker to make a comeback into the match. Both former members of the Undisputed ERA traded some good strikes to keep the action ticking. Strong delivered some vicious backbreakers to ensure that he kept control of the contest.
Finally, The Messiah of the Backbreaker hit Fish with a knee to the jaw before planting him with End of Heartache for the win. The match was good and allowed both the NXT Superstars to shine.
Unfortunately, Fish has lost most of his matches since his comeback while the other Undisputed ERA members are pushing ahead. Hopefully, NXT will give him a chance to get to the top of the roster soon.
Later in the night, KUSHIDA accepted Strong’s challenge for an NXT Cruiserweight Championship opportunity. The two men will likely put on some great matches in the weeks to come.
#3 Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Cameron Grimes and LA Knight on WWE NXT
Cameron Grimes and LA Knight were shown in the WWE NXT locker room preparing for their match against the Grizzled Young Veterans. Both men promised to work together during the match, even though Knight forced Grimes to work in his butler attire.
Grimes did well against James Drake early and kept him on the backfoot before Knight came into the ring. The unlikely tag team did well initially before a distraction from Knight allowed Zack Gibson to take advantage.
Grimes tried to make a hot-tag to the NXT Million Dollar Champion soon after but was betrayed by Knight who left him alone. The Technical Savage tried to end the match on his own but could not survive for long. He ran right into the Ticket to Mayhem to award GYV the victory.
After the match, Ted DiBiase confronted Grimes. He told the NXT Superstar that he had to find a way out of the deal before heading backstage with him.
NXT is building a very interesting storyline for Grimes. He has always been a prominent superstar on the brand, but this storyline is helping his character and position on the brand a lot more.
Fans can hope that he will get a big push as an outcome of this storyline that will help him reach the top of the NXT brand.
#2 Samoa Joe gives a glimpse of what to expect at WWE NXT TakeOver: 36
Early on WWE NXT, General Manager William Regal met Samoa Joe backstage and placed security personnel around him. He told the Samoan Submission Machine that since he was a competitor again, he wanted to keep him away from the NXT Champion.
Karrion Kross arrived in the arena before the main event of NXT. He stormed the announce table and mocked Samoa Joe. The Samoan Submission Machine came out and went through the wall of security like it was nothing.
The NXT Champion disappeared, leaving a security guard to suffer the wrath of Joe. The former NXT official locked the security guard in a Coquina Clutch to send a message to Karrion Kross.
The segment did well to give both the superstars a chance to build their rivalry further without getting physical. That was the main point that NXT had to focus on as the creative team should keep both the giants away from each other up until TakeOver 36.
When the two titans eventually do clash, it promises to be one of the most tantalizing encounters in recent memory on NXT.
#1 Even a loss could not keep Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell apart on WWE NXT
Dexter Lumis drew a picture of his future with Indi Hartwell on WWE NXT. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae were not thrilled with what was going on and told Indi that all this had to end.
Gargano took on Lumis in the final match of the night with Indi’s love-life hanging in the balance. Johnny Wrestling took control of the match, but Indi Hartwell ran down to ask Gargano to give him a chance.
LeRae came out soon after to ensure that Indi remained far away from The Tortured Artist as Gargano tried to end their relationship in the ring. Gargano even blamed Beth Pheonix for the entire drama during the contest.
Late in the match, Lumis hit Hartwell by mistake. He went to check on her, giving Gargano a chance to hit One Final Beat for the win. The Way tried to take Hartwell away with them. Instead, she ran down and kissed Lumis passionately to end the show.
InDex has been one of the most entertaining storylines on NXT. Even though Lumis lost, it looks like he’s won Indi over and the two will form a partnership together.
Many will argue that Lumis should be in the title picture rather than in a romantic storyline. However, NXT has done well to keep The Tortured Artist in the spotlight for a long time without having him compete in too many matches.
