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WWE NXT delivered a great show on Sunday at NXT TakeOver 31, and they put on a good show this Wednesday again, to keep the momentum going. Ember Moon made a surprise return at TakeOver 31, and she was booked to compete in her first return match this week.
Dexter Lumis also made his return to the ring for the first time since the NXT North American Championship tournament, while Ridge Holland competed in a big match this week.
KUSHIDA showed his new attitude against former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, while Shotzi Blackheart picked up another victory by taking down Xia Li.
Drake Maverick partnered with Killian Dain to compete against Ever-Rise on this week’s show, and the match ended unexpectedly. Adam Cole sent a warning to Holland during the night, and Finn Balor provided the WWE Universe with an update on his injury.
All that, and much more, was on offer during this week’s show, and we will look at the 5 things WWE NXT got right on this week’s show.
#5 Dexter Lumis makes a return to WWE NXT
Leon Ruff became WWE’s latest signee this week, and he was scheduled to take on Austin Theory on NXT. Ruff has already competed against Aleister Black and Sheamus on WWE RAW and SmackDown respectively, over the past few months.
Theory was outdone by Ruff’s speed and athleticism at first, but his experience and power helped him pick up a rather quick victory over the new Superstar. After losing several big matches, it was good to see Theory pick up at least one victory after his return to NXT.
Theory then bragged about his future in WWE and how no one could stand up to him. This brought out the returning Dexter Lumis who wanted a piece of Theory himself.
The two men got into a match and it took Lumis a little time to get going again after the injury. However, he caught Theory with kata gatame, forcing a tap out.
After the match, Cameron Grimes appeared to plant Lumis with the Cave-In. Later, he explained that Lumis got on his nerves by not answering a question he had asked earlier.
Lumis' return to action is a welcome move as he is one of the top future stars of the company. Grimes seems to have gotten himself into another major rivalry, and it seems like WWE love his work but don’t know how to book him properly.
#4 KUSHIDA impresses against a former WWE NXT Champion
After his victory over former NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream, at NXT TakeOver 31, KUSHIDA was booked for another big match, this time against former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, this week on NXT.
Ciampa had been working on and off for some time against mid-card talent. It seems like WWE creative team don’t have a long-term plan for him, unlike Johnny Gargano. The two NXT Superstars got into a fight backstage, and their match was first-up on the card for the night.
Ciampa used his strength against KUSHIDA, but the Japanese Superstar was able to use his submission manoeuvers to his advantage. He worked on weakening Ciampa’s left arm and continued to keep the pressure on.
KUSHIDA’s new-found attitude was on display as he stomped down on his opponent a-la Daniel Bryan. Just when it seemed like KUSHIDA was to pick up the victory, Dream returned to try and attack KUSHIDA. The Japanese Superstar threatened to injure him again, but a strike by Dream to The Blackheart ended the match via disqualification.
This was a good showing by KUSHIDA once again, who seems to be finally climbing up the ladder at NXT. Ciampa needs to be booked better and could fit into the NXT North American Championship picture perfectly in the coming months.
#3 Killian Dain partners with Drake Maverick on WWE NXT
Drake Maverick and Killian Dain were paired together for a match on WWE NXT against Ever-Rise. Maverick revealed that he had found a new entrance music to arrive to the ring with Dain, but the big man wasn’t too happy with it.
Ever-Rise dominated Maverick early on, but Matt Martel made the rookie mistake of taunting The Beast of Belfast. Dain quickly set himself up for the Vader Bomb on Chase Parker.
Maverick tagged himself in, but Dain wasn’t too happy with his partner’s actions. He ended up powerbombing Maverick onto Parker to pick up the victory.
Following the match, Maverick tried to celebrate his win, but his partner laid him out before taking him out of the arena.
WWE are masters of building unlikely tag teams, and while some have failed miserably, others have done remarkably well. Dain’s career was down in the dumps, and him teaming with Maverick could work in his favor.
The two men are poles apart, yet they have shown signs of good chemistry. This pairing could turn out to be fun and interesting, and we could soon watch them challenge for the NXT Tag Team Championships.
#2 Ridge Holland finds some competition on WWE NXT
At NXT TakeOver 31, Kyle O’Reilly and Finn Balor gave fans a Match of the Year candidate before Ridge Holland came out to make a statement. He deposited Adam Cole’s limp body at ringside after the match, giving The Undisputed ERA a lot to think about.
Cole was shown backstage on NXT nursing his injuries and he sent a warning to Holland. Holland explained that he had a Mercedes thanks to the hit.
Holland then competed with Danny Burch later in the night and tried to impress the WWE Universe with his performance. However, Burch was a good match for the mighty Holland and gave him a tough fight. Holland planted Burch with the Northen Grit to pick up the victory. After the match, Holland mocked Burch and beat him down repeatedly.
This brought out Oney Lorcan who made the save and started a vicious brawl with Holland. The NXT officials had to break the two men up, and it seemed like Holland picked up a legitimate injury during the fight.
Holland had to be stretchered away as Lorcan stood tall, showing that he’s always up for a fight. Holland has managed to make a huge impact, while Lorcan seems to have gotten himself into a fight with another brawler after Timothy Thatcher.
We hope that Holland’s injury is not too severe and that he will be back soon to continue his rivalry with Cole.
#1 Ember Moon impresses on WWE NXT
Ember Moon made the save on Rhea Ripley early on in the night when Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez ambushed her. WWE NXT General Manager William Regal booked this tag team match to main event the show, where none of the Champions of the brand came out to compete.
Moon made her return to the ring after 14 months of rehab and began right from where she had left off. Even the powerful Gonzalez was no match for Moon’s speed and experience.
Kai and Gonzalez then isolated Ripley and worked on her to get back control of the match. The Nightmare tried to fight out and kicked out of a somersault backbreaker to make a tag to Moon.
Moon powerbombed Captain Kota and then connected with the Eclipse on Kai to pick up the victory. This was a good return match for Moon who showed the WWE Universe why she’s a former NXT Women’s Champion.
Returning to the squared circle on NXT could prove to be beneficial for the Superstar as she wasn’t doing much on the main roster.
