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While the top champions of NXT, Finn Balor and Io Shirai, were not scheduled to show up during this week’s episode of the Black and Gold brand, there were still a few title matches booked for the night.
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan were set to defend their tag team titles against Breezango, while Jake Atlas got a shot at the NXT Cruiserweight Championship during the night.
However, all eyes were on Johnny Gargano who looked to break the curse, much like Sasha Banks, and make his first successful NXT North American Championship defense.
Apart from these matches, Toni Storm was booked to compete against Candice LeRae, while Xia Li was unable to make it out for her match against Raquel Gonzalez.
With so much action scheduled for the night, we will look at the five things WWE NXT got right during this week’s show.
#5 Leon Ruff takes the WWE NXT North American Championship off Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano loves wheels, and that is exactly why the heel WWE NXT North American Champion brought a wheel to the ring to figure out who’d get a chance to challenge him for the title during the night. He replaced Austin Theory’s name with Leon Ruff and gave it a spin. It landed on Ruff, and it was evident that the champion was looking for Ruff to challenge him anyway.
The youngster came out with a big smile on his face and shook hands with Gargano before preparing to take him on. Gargano looked to shake off the curse and extend his NXT North American Championship reign.
He took the fight to the newer Superstar immediately and brutally kicked him down. When Ruff tried to make a comeback, The Rebel Heart threw him into the steel steps.
While it seemed like Gargano was going to make his first successful title defense, Damian Priest showed up to distract him. This also earned Ruff a roll-up victory, but Gargano kicked out before the three-count.
Ruff soon caught Gargano with a crucifix pin to pick up one of the most shocking upsets in WWE history. The victory allowed the 24-year old to pick up his first title in the company and surprise everyone watching the show.
This was an interesting booking that not only took the title away from Gargano after two weeks, but it also gave a newer Superstar a chance without much experience.
Gargano’s heel gimmick has been comical, but this was a bit too much, to say the least. WWE could have picked Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, or even Jake Atlas to take the title off Gargano. However, it was a good surprise that will likely help NXT build its newer Superstars while elongating the rivalry between Gargano and Priest.
#4 Candice LeRae plays the perfect heel on WWE NXT
WWE NXT showed us a replay of Candice LeRae destroying Shotzi Balckheart’s tank with the help of the masked Superstar before she made her way out to the ring. Toni Storm followed, and the two were set to lock horns in one of the best women’s matches of the match.
The Poison Pixie was the smaller Superstar in the fight but used her technical abilities to keep Storm down for some time. Later on, LeRae hit a backstabber on Strom and went for a moonsault that was countered by the former NXT UK Women’s Champion.
After some more action in the ring, LeRae was able to stack Storm up with a pin by using the ropes for leverage. After the match, Storm tried to take out LeRae but the masked Superstar arrived to make the save.
Blackheart entered the ring to try and even the odds but ended up being laid out by the heels. The masked Superstar then revealed herself to be none other than Indi Hartwell.
This was a fun match that allowed LeRae to pick up even more heat and reveal who her new partner is. NXT has built several partnerships in the women’s division, but this could turn out to be the most interesting one. Apart from Dakota Kai, The Poison Pixie is arguably the biggest heel on the NXT women’s roster.
#3 Jake Atlas once again impresses against the WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion
Early on in the show, Jake Atlas attacked Joaquin Wilde in the parking lot. This gave Santos Escobar a reason to grant Atlas a title match during the show. Atlas has proven to be one of the best cruiserweight performers in the Black and Gold brand for some time now, and it seemed like he was en route to becoming the new WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion.
While Escobar got a few good strikes in, Atlas sent him out of the ring with a kick to the head. Escobar returned the favor soon after and took control of the match once again.
Atlas fought through a submission maneuver before being slammed by the champion into the mat. After fending off an attack from Raul Medoza and Wilde at ringside, Atlas hit a great springboard blockbuster for a close count.
After the two traded the action, Atlas attempted to go for his Cartwheel DDT finisher. However, Escobar caught him and hit his finisher to retain his NXT Cruiserweight title.
This was arguably the match of the night that allowed both men to shine. While Escobar has been a good champion, he hasn’t been as effective as the previous ones. However, he has taken out Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and Atlas a few times now, and it will be interesting to see who stands up to the NXT Cruiserweight Champion next.
#2 Timothy Thatcher defeats Dexter Lumis on WWE NXT
After Timothy Thatcher destroyed Dexter Lumis’ painting backstage, a match between the two WWE Superstars was booked on NXT. While Lumis has been having a great time on the Black and Gold brand and has taken out some top performers, Thatcher has been on the losing end more often than not.
Lumis looked to feed on Thatcher’s fear and gave him a creepy cold stare before the match began. The Tortured Artist took control of the match early, but Thatcher’s submission skills helped him get back in the match.
While both men used their power to take each other down with suplexes, a distraction from Cameron Grimes decided the fate of the match. The distraction led to Thatcher taking out Lumis and getting the pin for the victory.
After the match, The Technical Savage beat NXT’s artist down mercilessly to prove a point. This was a good match that allowed Thatcher to finally pick up a victory over a bigger star on NXT. His last big victory had come against Bronson Reed on NXT Super Tuesday in early September.
NXT is also doing the right thing by elongating the rivalry between Lumis and Grimes to keep The Tortured Artist busy for some time without entering the title picture.
#1 Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan retain the WWE NXT Tag Team Championships
The Kings of NXT arrived towards the end of the show as Pat McAfee and Pete Dunne accompanied Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan for their title defense. McAfee once again delivered a promo to tell the WWE Universe that his faction was the best four-man stable in wrestling history.
Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan took on Tyler Breeze and Fandango in the main event. Breezango came out without any flashy entrance after a long time and seemed much more serious and focused.
Both teams had some high moments during the match, with Breezango impressing everyone with their athleticism once again while Burch and Lorcan used the power to keep the advantage.
Drake Maverick came out to try and attack Pete Dunne and Pat McAfee for injuring Killian Dain last week, but The Bruserweight took him out easily. McAfee helped his team cheat to retain the titles to close the show.
This was another good match that allowed The Kings of NXT to come out strong and build more heat. While Burch and Lorcan are capable enough to retain the titles clean, it was interesting to see McAfee help them do so.
After the match, The Kings of NXT destroyed Breezango and Maverick to make a statement. It seems like the faction will get in a short rivalry with Maverick, Dain, and Breezango before The Undisputed Era arrives to take matters into their own hands.
