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This week on NXT, Johnny Gargano faced off with Tony Nese, Candice LeRae faced off with Lacey Evans in the night's opening matchup, & EC3 faced off with his rival Lars Sullivan in the main event. The Forgotten Sons were in-action as well. Kona Reeves vs Keith Lee and Ricochet vs Pete Dunne vs Adam Cole for the NXT North American Championship were both announced for next week's edition of NXT.
#4 Candice LeRae vs Lacey Evans
Result: Lacey Evans defeated Candice LeRae via pinfall with the Woman's Right.
Grade: B
Analysis: This was a pretty decent match. Both women took each other to the limit and looked great against each other. Candice LeRae was great as the aggressive face that wanted to put Lacey Evans in her place. She showed off her wrestling style and proved why she deserves a more prominent role in the NXT women's division. Lacey Evans looked great as she was able to hang in there with one of NXT's best performers. Her mind games are also what got her the win. This was good as this feud has potential and can catapult Lacey Evans to a title match against Kairi Sane in the future.
#3 The Forgotten Sons In-Action
Result: The Forgotten Sons defeated Vinny Mixon, Cesar Rise, and Torrey Korsh via pinfall with the Slingshot Powerbomb.
Grade: A-
Analysis: This is how Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake should have debuted a few weeks ago. They were dominant and the trio they faced looked like they were completely out of their league. They quickly defeated their opponents and this made them look like a huge threat to the rest of the NXT roster. Maybe they can feud with the Street Profits next given the fact that they got a cheap victory over them a few weeks ago.
#2 Johnny Gargano vs Tony Nese
Result: Johnny Gargano defeated Tony Nese via submission with the Gargano Escape.
Grade: A
Analysis: This was a great match. Tony Nese is an extremely talented wrestler who does not have a lot of opportunities to prove himself on 205 Live. He showed off his athleticism and raw power. He really deserves a push as he is really talented and can steal the show if given the chance. It is great to see Johnny Gargano back as himself on NXT. He has been going through an identity crisis lately but it was Johnny Wrestling that took on Tony Nese. He got a much-needed victory and will move on and potentially face Tommaso Ciampa at NXT Takeover: War Games 2.
#1 EC3 vs Lars Sullivan
Result: Lars Sullivan defeated EC3 via pinfall with a Diving Headbutt.
Grade: B+
Analysis: EC3 put up a good fight. This is one of the best matches that he has had since joining NXT and the WWE Universe was completely behind him for the first time in a while. He looked great against Lars Sullivan and showed immense strength when hitting him with moves such as the German Suplex.
Lars Sullivan has also really improved his in-ring game since last year. He is starting to become a really good wrestler and when he gets everything together, he will be a star. It is questionable that this feud ended early. While Lars Sullivan can easily move on to a feud with someone like Keith Lee, it is not easy to see what EC3 will do. Maybe he can feud with a debuting Matt Riddle or rekindle his rivalry with the Velveteen Dream.
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