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WWE NXT was full of big matches and segments this week. Io Shirai teamed up with Zoey Stark to take on Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. “The Collosal” Bronson Reed picked defeated LA Knight with ease, continuing to build on the momentum that the creatives are giving him. The NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defeated Mercedes Martinez and Aliyah.
William Regal announced a big Battle Royal for next week that will lead to a Gauntlet Match on the first night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The winner of the match will get a shot at Johnny Gargano’s NXT North American Championship on the second night of TakeOver.
Plus, The Prince of NXT came face-to-face with his opponent for TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. NXT UK Champion WALTER also met his next challenger on this week’s broadcast.
Let’s take a look at the five things WWE got right on NXT this week.
#5 Raquel Gonzalez got the better of Io Shirai on WWE NXT
Zoey Stark and Io Shirai teamed up to take on the former WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez. Gonzalez mocked Stark early on after the two women kicked off the match.
Shirai came into the ring soon after and showed why she’s the NXT Women’s Champion. She kept Kai down for some time and took control of the match.
When Stark came back into the match, she showed what she’s made off, sending both Kai and Gonzalez into the steel post outside the ring.
Stark tried to pick up the victory for her team, but she was no match for Gonzalez. The powerhouse kicked Shirai to the floor and then hit an impressive single-arm powerbomb on Stark to pick up the victory.
After the match, Kai distracted Shirai, allowing Gonzalez to attack her and then take her out with a single-arm powerbomb on the announce table.
The match allowed Stark to shine against some of the most experienced women in WWE today. Gonzalez did well to impress the NXT Universe with her performance and pick up momentum ahead of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
#4 Tommaso Ciampa stood up to WALTER on WWE NXT
Drake Maverick got stuck in a big match on WWE NXT this week. Maverick was booked in a match against one of the biggest men in WWE, WALTER. The NXT United Kingdom Champion dominated his competitor and sent a clear message to the NXT Universe.
WALTER powerbombed Maverick hard into the mat, then locked his smaller competitor in a single-leg Boston Crab. The referee was forced to stop the match after Maverick passed out.
After the match was over, Tommaso Ciampa came out to the middle. Ciampa made it clear to The Ring General that his title intrigued him. The Blackheart challenged WALTER for the NXT UK Championship before facing his wrath.
Then Imperium attacked Ciampa, and The Ring General ripped off Ciampa’s dog tags. He delivered a vicious chop to the former NXT Champion to make a statement.
WALTER vs Ciampa at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver will be a big match. While WALTER will likely retain his title, the match will prove to be another stepping stone in Timothy Thatcher’s storyline with Imperium.
#3 Karrion Kross calls out The Prince of WWE NXT
Last week on NXT, Danny Burch was injured by Karrion Kross and it was announced over the week that Burch would take time to recover. As a result, William Regal was forced to strip Burch and Oney Lorcan of their NXT Tag Team Championships.
Lorcan demanded a match against Kross, and Regal happily obliged. Lorcan came into this match with a lot of aggression and it looked like he wanted to teach Kross a lesson.
However, he was no match for The Herald of Doomsday who did not seem affected by Lorcan’s attacks. Kross took control of the match and mocked Lorcan before the former NXT Tag Team Champion made a comeback.
Lorcan showed a lot of heart and fight and was impressive throughout the match. However, a Big Boot from Kross followed by a Saito Suplex and an elbow to the back of the head earned Kross the victory.
After the match, Kross called out Finn Balor. The NXT Champion arrived and made it clear that he had figured out Kross. The Prince called Kross out for being sloppy when angry, claiming that he would take advantage of that weakness to defeat him at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
The match was great and allowed the hard-hitting Lorcan to shine. Balor’s warning helps him gain an advantage after being manhandled by Kross last week.
#2 KUSHIDA and Jordan Devlin had a great match on WWE NXT
A Twitter battle between KUSHIDA and Jordan Devlin led to this match on WWE NXT after William Regal was intrigued by the idea of watching the two men go at each other.
The Cruiserweight Champion from NXT UK talked himself up before the match began. Once the bell rang, The Irish Ace went after KUSHIDA early before being taken down with an arm drag.
KUSHIDA worked on Devlin’s arm throughout the match to build towards the Hoverboard Lock. The two men delivered some impressive moves and KUSHIDA tried to lock Devlin in the Hoverboard Lock on a few occasions.
The Irish Ace nearly picked up the victory with a Springboard Cutter before Legado del Fantasma came out to distract both men. Chaos ensued, and KUSHIDA nearly made the NXT Cruiserweight Champion tap out to the Hoverboard Lock before Devlin stacked him up for the three-count.
After the match, KUSHIDA took out Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Santos Escobar entered the ring to confront Devlin before Shawn Michaels showed up to slide a ladder between Devlin and Escobar. This signaled a new stipulation for their NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night Two match.
This was the best match of the night, but it could have had a better ending. HBK’s involvement makes this match feel bigger and adds a new dimension.
#1 Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly settled their differences on WWE NXT
William Regal promised to find a way to settle the differences between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly on WWE NXT last week. Cole and O’Reilly got into an ugly confrontation in the parking lot and had to be taken away by the police.
Regal called out Cole and O’Reilly for disrespecting the entire NXT brand with their actions. The General Manager then allowed the two wrestlers to compete on the second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
Regal admitted that KOR had not been cleared to wrestle, and he wanted to ensure that NXT would not be liable if he was injured further. The Panama City Playboy called out O’Reilly for being delusional and selfish in considering Finn Balor for The Undisputed Era.
KOR made it clear that The Undisputed Era made him a better man, and he respected the faction for what it did for him. Both men then signed the contract for NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver before nearly coming to blows.
This was a simple yet effective way to build one of the most anticipated matches of the year. Cole and O’Reilly are phenomenal in the ring, and this rivalry will help them perform at the highest level.
Ensuring that the two men only had a war of words without trading any punches was the right move to make. NXT must save all the action for TakeOver.
