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We had a jam-packed episode of NXT tonight with the main event being Karrion Kross vs Johnny Gargano.
Ember Moon was close to capturing the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: In Your House last month. However, the constant distractions and interference from Dakota Kai took away her opportunity.
Tonight, Moon looked for a bit of revenge. However, with not Shotzi Blackheart in her corner, could she overcome the clear numbers disadvantage?
Ember Moon vs Dakota Kai w/Raquel González on NXT
Dakota Kai got the better of Ember Moon in the early moments of the match. After bringing Moon down to the mat, Kai caught her opponent with a nasty pump kick to the jaw.
Moon got back into the match when she sent Kai to the floor. A suicide dive, a rope rebound kick and an enzuigiri off the apron laid out the Captain of Team Kick, with the NXT Women's Champion staring on in disbelief.
During the break, Kai was able to swing things back in her favor thanks to a hellacious pump kick in the ring post.
The former NXT Women's Champion sprang up out of a suplex, firing up with a clothesline, spinning back kick, roundhouse and step-up enzuigiri. A running boot set up for the backbreaker/double underhook suplex combination. A springboard crossbody earned her a nearfall.
Kai caught Moon in the corner with the running boot, and spiked her with an inverted spin-out facebuster. Moon kicked out. Kai went to the top but was caught by a flying single-leg dropkick. A super hurricanrana took Kai across the ring for the near fall.
Moon ended up falling to Go 2 Kick, though, after a valiant effort.
Results: Dakota Kai defeated Ember Moon via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: B+
Immediately after the match, Xia Li stormed the ring. Li walked right past Kai and stepped up to Raquel González. The NXT Women's Champion did not back down from Tian Sha's ace. Dakota Kai did not look happy.
At NXT Great American Bash, Cameron Grimes lost to LA Knight and became the Million Dollar Champion's butler. We saw Grimes show up at Knight's house, where Knight brought in a barber and some more help to make him look professional. Grimes was surprisingly happy with his new appearance, which aggravated Knight.
Tyler Rust w/Diamond Mine vs Bobby Fish on NXT
Tyler Rust got the better of the former NXT Tag Team Champion early on. Hideki Suzuki and Roderick Strong shouted instructions to Rust throughout the match. Fish eventually got the better of Rust, sending him overhead and into the ropes with an exploder suplex.
Roddy Strong distracted Fish, allowing Rust to take out the leg of Fish with a chop block. Rush shot the half, and the injured leg prevented him from kicking out.
Results: Tyler Rust defeated Bobby Fish via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: D
Diamond Mine circled the veteran, but NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida rushed to the ring to make the save. Strong said that Kushida was on his time right now, inching closer and closer to the gold.
Samoa Joe met the NXT Champion backstage to go over the rules. Karrion Kross threatened Joe should he screw him out of the championship tonight.
Joe wasn't worried, as the two behemoths stared each other down ahead of the main event match.
We saw The Way show up to NXT earlier in the day. Beth Phoenix gave Indi Hartwell some advice on Dexter Lumis, telling her to take a chance.
Gigi Dolin vs Sarray on NXT
Sarray originally challenged former NXT UK Women's Champion Toni Storm to a match. However, with Storm moving to SmackDown, she needed a new opponent. Gigi Dolin stepped up earlier today, setting up this match.
They shook hands before starting, with Sarray moving around Dolin with ease. A snapmare seemingly dropped Dolin on her head. Just as she got to her feet, Mandy Rose appeared on the ramp.
Sarray ducked a clothesline and took Dolin down with a schoolboy. She followed up with the Muta Lock in the center of the ring. Dolin refused to tap out, leading to Sarray breaking the hold to go for some more strikes.
Dolin caught Sarray with a series of pinfall attempts. Sarray kicked out and was taken out with a running STO. The Japanese star responded with a running dropkick in the ropes, as well as a running basement dropkick.
Sarray planted Dolin on her head with a Tazzplex of sorts.
Results: Sarray defeated Gigi Dolin via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: C
Mandy Rose walked off after the match, seemingly impressed with Sarray.
NXT's Legado Del Fantasma was backstage insulting a lot of the NXT locker room, including Hit Row. Joaquin Wilde claimed that their cypher last week caused his ears to bleed. Santos Escobar agreed and moved onto Dexter Lumis, who he called a flat-out loser. He'd prove that in their match tonight.
The NXT Breakout Tournament returned tonight. The former Brendan Vink, now Duke Hudson, claimed that he'd punch Ikemen Jiro in the mouth during their match.
Dexter Lumis vs Santos Escobar w/Legado Del Fantasma on NXT
Santos Escobar taunted Dexter Lumis, which was pretty unwise. Lumis sent the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion to the floor with a clothesline. Escobar ran to his allies, telling them to "get him." When they turned around, Lumis was nowhere to be seen.
Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza rushed to the other side but couldn't find him. Lumis was under the ring and nearly pulled Escobar into the darkness as well. When we came back from a commercial break, Escobar had taken over. A double running knee strike in the corner set up for an avalanche hurricanrana.
Escobar followed with a running basement knee to the jaw. In the corner, a series of clotheslines pelted the Tortured Artist of NXT. Escobar hit two of the Three Amigos, with Lumis getting out of the third. However, he couldn't avoid the backstabber.
It wasn't enough to put Lumis away, and Dexter fired up with a series of rights and uppercuts. The clothesline bulldog combination connected, and Lumis went for the Silence. Joaquin Wilde distracted the NXT official, allowing Raul Mendoza to pull Santos Escobar to the floor.
As the ref checked on Mendoza and Escobar, Wilde pulled Lumis into the ring post. Back in the ring, Escobar planted Lumis with the Phantom Driver.
Results: Santos Escobar defeated Dexter Lumis via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: B
After the match, Hit Row met Legado Del Fantasma on the ramp, with the NXT North American Champion and his group forcing Legado to the back.
We returned to NXT Million Dollar Champion LA Knight and his butler Cameron Grimes. Knight had a massive plot of land that he expected Grimes to mow. He assumed Grimes would hate it, but Grimes wasn't bothered whatsoever.
During the break, Indi Hartwell came to the ring to pick Dexter Lumis up and carry him off. They didn't get far as Hartwell fell to the ground. However, they still nearly ended up with a kiss. Candice LeRae ran down to ringside, barely breaking them up before they could lock lips.
NXT Breakout Tournament Opening Round: Duke Hudson vs Ikemen Jiro
Duke Hudson planted Ikemen Jiro early on, and it seemed that he was going to walk into the next round with his size advantage. Jiro managed to avoid Hudson's bear paws several times. However, he was caught by Hudson and lifted on his shoulders for a nasty kick to the face. A running double ax handle turned Jiro inside out.
Jiro nearly caught Hudson with a sunset flip and battered his opponent with a series of punches. The tarantula was locked in for a few seconds, and Jiro looked ready to advance in the NXT Breakout Tournament. However, a springboard maneuver was countered with a belly-to-belly suplex. A nasty uppercut laid Jiro out for a two-count.
Jiro countered the Razor's Edge with a hurricanrana into the ring post. A diving blockbuster took Hudson down, forcing him to the floor. He couldn't escape Jiro, who landed on him with a springboard moonsault. A kicking combination pelted Hudson, but the big man responded with the Boss Man Slam for the win.
Results: Duke Hudson defeated Ikemen Jiro via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: B
Backstage, Pete Dunne was asked by McKenzie who he wanted to win the NXT Championship match tonight. Dunne said it didn't matter. He's the best technician and the baddest man on NXT.
Timothy Thatcher came in, asking if he was a great technician or a bad man, leading to a four-way brawl between Dunne and Oney Lorcan, and Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa.
The Robert Stone Brand w/Robert Stone vs Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter on NXT
Kacy Catanzaro was in a rough spot against NXT's Robert Stone Brand. Jessi Kamea and Aliyah took turns tearing Catanzaro apart as Robert Stone grinned on from the floor.
Catanzaro finally managed to shove Aliyah away and make it to Kayden Carter, who ran in with a series of clotheslines. Robert Stone gave his shoe to Aliyah, but it allowed their opponents to get the upper hand. After sending Kamea to the floor, Carter and Catanzaro hit a neckbreaker/450 Splash combination for the win.
Results: Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated The Robert Stone Brand via pinfall.
Grade: C
After the match, Aliyah slapped the taste out of Robert Stone's mouth. Aliyah battered Stone in the corner. She left Stone in the ring and walked up the ramp while Jessi Kamea watched on.
However, Franky Monet came to the ring, seemingly joining the Robert Stone Brand.
Samoa Joe already confronted NXT Champion Karrion Kross backstage, with Kross and Joe both giving each other warnings. He followed up with Gargano telling him to obey all of his commands at all times. When he left, Pete Dunne was there to stare him down again.
Cameron Grimes may be a great NXT Superstar, but he was a terrible butler. LA Knight returned to see Grimes relaxing poolside while a kid was mowing the lawn and raking the leaves. Grimes said he's a butler but he's also a millionaire and wasn't going to do any of that work.
Knight told him when he asked for something to be done, he expected Grimes himself to do it. Grimes would then accidentally send Knight into the pool with a rake.
Adam Cole addresses his NXT Great American Bash win
Former NXT Champion Adam Cole came to the ring to brag about his win from the week before. He said he was 1-0 against Kyle O'Reilly, as unsanctioned matches didn't count. He beat O'Reilly last week and was ready to move on.
Cole called out Samoa Joe, calling him an overpaid security guard in a suit. There was nobody man enough to go toe-to-toe with Adam Cole. However, as soon as he said that, Bronson Reed appeared.
The former NXT North American Champion said that Cole was great at manipulating those with something to lose. Reed? He had nothing left to lose, so this wasn't a risk. He considered Cole a golden opportunity.
Cole threw a superkick, but Reed blocked it. Cole was mowed down by Reed just as Samoa Joe's music hit. Joe came down and stared Cole right in the eyes before moving to the ring. The special guest referee looked Reed up and down as well before we cut to break.
NXT Championship Match: Johnny Gargano vs Karrion Kross (c) w/Scarlett with Samoa Joe as Special Guest Referee
The NXT Champion took some punches early but forced his challenger into the corner before hitting an exploder suplex. Karrion Kross was demolishing Johnny Gargano, choking him out and hitting a suplex with ease.
Gargano escaped Kross' grasp for a dropkick through the ropes. Another one knocked Kross off the apron, and Gargano hit a rolling senton to bring the champion down. However, the NXT Champion was right back to his feet, and the second Gargano turned around he was met with a big boot.
The first-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion took advantage of Kross eying Samoa Joe to send him into the ring steps. Kross shook it off, picking Gargano up with a choke bomb into the announcer's desk.
After Gargano crawled back inside the ring, Kross hammered him with more heavy-handed strikes. Kross whipped Gargano into the corner for a nasty tumble. Gargano avoided an attack in the corner, though, sending Kross shoulder first into the ring post.
A series of clotheslines were shrugged off by the NXT Champion, but Gargano rocked him with a step-up enzuigiri. Kross bounced off the ropes and was met with the slingshot spear. He rolled to the floor after kicking out and was sent into the barricade with a suicide dive.
One Final Beat was countered into a pair of suplexes, earning Kross a near fall over the Heart and Soul of NXT. Kross took Gargano to the top for the Doomsday Saito. Gargano turned it into a crossbody mid-air and followed with a series of roundhouse kicks.
The third was countered with a lariat, and Kross ran him into the corner. Gargano countered a power slam with a tilt-a-whirl DDT. Kross kicked out and hit a chokeslam. Bouncing off the ropes for a clothesline, Gargano countered with a superkick.
Gargano went for Garga-No Escape, locking it in after avoiding the Kross Jacket. The NXT Champion stood up out of the submission and locked in the Kross Jacket. Gargano just barely got to the ropes. Kross refused to break the hold and was launched across the ring by Joe.
Kross and Joe stared each other down, but the NXT Champion managed to keep his temper in check. On the floor, Kross bounced Gargano's head off the plexiglass several times. He went to use the steel steps but was stopped by Joe.
Gargano used the distraction to hit a tilt-a-whirl DDT on Kross. One Final Beat planted Kross for the closest two-count we've seen in months. Kross countered the superkick with his Doomsday Forearm. A trio of powerbombs and a Doomsday Saito left Gargano out on the mat.
Kross stared at Joe before hitting one final Doomsday Forearm on Gargano.
Results: Karrion Kross defeated Johnny Gargano via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: A
Karrion Kross got back in Samoa Joe's face. Joe said all Kross had to do was make a move, but Kross was held back by Scarlett. As soon as Joe turned to walk away, though, Kross synched in the Kross Jacket.
Kross provoked Joe, it's happening! Are we getting Kross vs Joe in NXT? Guess we will have to tune in next week to find out!
