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WWE NXT started with a big match between Leon Ruff and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. The two superstars have been involved in a major rivalry. They decided to take things to the next level this week in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Legado del Fantasma appeared to lay down challenges for the NXT Tag Team Championships and the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. KUSHIDA accepted the challenge and set the date for a 2-out-of-3 falls match against Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight title.
LA Knight defeated Jake Atlas to continue his good run on NXT while Cameron Grimes took down newcomer Asher Hale. Finn Balor returned on Tuesday night to give an update to his fans regarding his future in NXT.
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell took on Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon in the main event of NXT for the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on NXT this week.
#5 Leon Ruff and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott put on a fantastic match on WWE NXT
Leon Ruff and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott were chosen to kick things off on WWE NXT this week. The two superstars competed in a Falls Count Anywhere match. Swerve taunted Ruff early and took control of the action once Ruff lost his cool.
The two men decided to throw everything at each other as they fought all around the ring. Swerve threw a toolbox at Ruff, and the two men battled to the locker room where he ran Ruff down with a crate.
The former NXT North American Champion fought back and delivered a running somersault senton after knocking Swerve off the stage. The action only got better from thereon as they kept fighting all around the ring.
Ruff hit Swerve with the toolbox and then delivered a frog splash for a near-fall. He kept the pressure on with a series of springboard cutters but could not put Swerve away.
Just when it looked like the former NXT North American Champion would pick up the victory, AJ Francis appeared to attack him. This allowed Swerve to plant Ruff with a JML driver for the win.
This was a fantastic opener for NXT. The two superstars delivered an A-grade match that will likely help them push ahead in their careers. Ruff was seen as a pushover early in his career. However, he has managed to make a name for himself in less than a year.
Swerve seems to have formed a new faction on NXT, and it will be interesting to see what he plans to do following his rivalry with Ruff. Swerve could be the perfect challenger to KUSHIDA’s NXT Cruiserweight Championship in the months to come.
#4 Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher continued building their case on WWE NXT
Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher came face to face with The Grizzled Young Veterans on WWE NXT. Zack Gibson and James Drake defeated the duo during the NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic Cup, and they were ready to avenge their loss.
Ciampa and Thatcher had a better plan this time around. They kept tagging each other in to ensure that Gibson and Drake could not isolate one of them for too long.
Ciampa and Thatcher found a way to isolate Drake and keep the pressure on him throughout the middle phase of the match. A hot tag to Gibson allowed the GYV to make a comeback.
A suicide dive from Drake sent Ciampa over the announcers' table. There, The Blackheart managed to steal Wade Barrett’s shoe. He distracted the referee and allowed Thatcher to use the shoe to take down Gibson.
A Fujiwara armbar followed and allowed Ciampa and Thatcher to win the match. This was a good contest that allowed Ciampa and Thatcher to move closer to the NXT Tag Team Championship picture. The two superstars have been doing well on NXT, and the company needs to keep them in the spotlight in the months to come.
#3 Karrion Kross met his future challengers on WWE NXT
William Regal and Scarlett were in a meeting on WWE NXT when Johnny Gargano interrupted them. This led to Regal booking a match between Karrion Kross and Austin Theory next week.
Kross and Scarlett took to the ring later on. Kross was ready to face any challenger for his NXT Championship. Kyle O’Reilly made his way out and stepped up to the champion. Cool Kyle made it clear to Kross that he wasn’t afraid of him and would face him whenever he got the chance.
Pete Dunne was out next and decided to make his case too. The Bruiserweight considered himself the best in NXT and wanted to prove it by winning the title.
Finally, Finn Balor made his return to NXT for the first time after TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The Prince made his case and attacked Kross, only to be taken down by the champion.
All three men attacked the NXT Champion, but he managed to fight them all off with ease. The Herald of Doomsday made a statement by dropping a security guard with the Doomsday Saito.
Gargano and Theory appeared to attack Kross when he least expected it. The two men took out the NXT Champion with a series of Superkicks and a shot to the head before running out of the arena.
Kross has been established as an immovable force by NXT. The superstar needs to keep the title for a long time, despite there being several top challengers waiting to get a shot at him. Balor should move away from the title picture and Dunne should get a go at The Herald of Doomsday soon.
#2 Sarray once again impressed on WWE NXT
Sarray made an impressive WWE NXT debut against Zoey Stark a couple of weeks ago. Zayda Ramier made her singles debut against Toni Storm and picked up a shocking victory.
NXT compared the two superstars’ debuts before they met in the ring.
Ramier decided to take the fight to Sarray early on. She unloaded with a series of punches and kicks before The Warrior of the Sun mounted a comeback. She planted Ramier with a German Suplex and kept the pressure on her.
A Saito Suplex from Sarray to Ramier earned her another impressive victory on NXT. Sarray has had a good start to her NXT career and the brand should not hold back on her.
Sarray and Ramier showed each other some respect before Toni Storm arrived to break things up. However, Zoey Stark got in her way to continue their rivalry.
NXT allowed Ramier to get some offense in after picking up a huge victory last week. This shows that the creative team has a lot of faith in her. The Warrior of the Sun will need to pick up a few more victories before she becomes a threat to the top of the roster.
After Io Shirai’s impressive run with the NXT Women’s Championship, it will be interesting to see what Sarray could do at the top of the division.
#1 The Way won the WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships
The final match of the night saw Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon defend their WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships against The Way. Before the match, Dexter Lumis was seen trying to get close to Indi Hartwell again. But Candice LeRae ensured that The Tortured Artist could not take Hartwell’s focus off the big match.
LeRae attacked Blackheart and Moon before the Street Fight could begin. The NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions used a trashcan and trashcan lids to knock out their opponents.
The match got more exciting from thereon as both teams continued to use weapons to gain the advantage. Weapons started filling up the ring and the surrounding area as all four women took a lot of punishment throughout the contest.
Hartwell was impressive during the clash and used her power well to flatten her opponents. She set up Blackheart on a ladder for LeRae to hit a springboard moonsault.
Blackheart tried to take Hartwell out of the equation soon after with a weapon through the announcers' table. However, Mrs. Lumis recovered and hit a diving elbow to Moon through a table.
The Poison Pixie used William Regal’s signature brass knuckles to knock out Blackheart and then hit the Wicked Stepsister on a chair to win.
This was an intense contest that allowed NXT to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions. The opener was a great one, and the women did well to end NXT on a high. The Way now holds the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles, and they will likely try their best to avoid defending it anytime soon.
