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This week's edition of NXT kicked off with a highlight package surrounding the No DQ Match between Karrion Kross and NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar. Months ago, Escobar verbally ran down past and present champions on the Black and Gold Brand, including Kross.
Obviously, that was a stupid decision. Kross promised that Escobar would pay the price, and though Escobar dodged Kross last week, the match was made official tonight. If Escobar didn't show, he'd be stripped of his Cruiserweight championship.
Also, Adam Cole promised to explain himself tonight. Why did he attack Kyle O'Reilly? What does that mean for The Undisputed Era?
We kicked the night off with Dexter Lumis facing off against the NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano. With The Way by his side, Gargano felt that there was no way he could lose tonight.
Dexter Lumis vs Johnny Gargano w/The Way on NXT
Johnny Gargano rushed Dexter Lumis, but a raised fist was enough to send Gargano backing to the floor. Lumis caught Gargano going for a springboard, rocking him with a right hand.
Lumis dropped onto Gargano with a Thesz Press on the inside, following up with more strikes for an early two-count. A delayed suplex planted Gargano square in the middle of the ring.
On the floor, The Way attempted to disorient the Tortured Artist of NXT, but Lumis was able to keep his eye on the prize. A flapjack saw Gargano land face-first on the apron. Candice LeRae, in front of the referee, went for a hurricanrana. Lumis caught her, but a baseball slide sent Lumis down.
It was all Johnny TakeOver during the break. While Austin Theory and LeRae continued to try and get in the head of Lumis, Indi Hartwell seemed rather infatuated with him. Lumis caught Gargano with a backbreaker, following that with a slingshot suplex and a belly-to-belly suplex.
The leaping leg drop earned Lumis another two-count over the NXT NA Champ. Lumis ducked Gargano's schoolboy roundhouse, and easily turned a Gargano Escape into the Silence. Gargano broke away but a rolling spinebuster put him back down into the mat.
Gargano avoided a double stomp off the top and broke away from The Silence once again. A rebounding superkick leveled Lumis, nearly putting him away. A distraction by Gargano set up Theory to hit Lumis with a steel chair. When Lumis turned, though, Theory couldn't do it. It seemed that he felt they had a connection.
Lumis sent Gargano into Theory and choked out the NXT Triple Crown Champion with The Silence.
Results: Dexter Lumis defeated Johnny Gargano via submission on NXT.
Grade: B
After the match, NXT's GM William Regal looked for Santos Escobar in the parking lot.
Backstage, the NXT Men's Dusty Cup Winners MSK were set to deliver a message to the WWE Universe. However, they were brutally attacked by the Grizzled Young Veterans, the duo that has been Dusty Cup runner-ups for two years in a row.
Tyler Rust vs Leon Ruff on NXT
Prior to his match with Tyler Rust, Leon Ruff was waylayed by Isaiah "Swerve" Scott with a running boot. Scott was tired of Ruff getting handouts when NXT had a star-like Swerve on their roster. Swerve launched Ruff's spine first into the apron with a fireman's carry slam.
Malcolm Bivens raised the hand of his associate Tyler Rust, awarding him the victory tonight.
Result: DNF
Backstage, Cameron Grimes tried to pull a "Million Dollar Man" on a backstage employee. In a classic moment, Ted Dibiase promised to hand a child a large sum of money if he could dribble a basketball ten times. Grimes didn't finish watching the video and missed the most important part. He didn't kick the ball out of the guy's hand.
Zoey Stark vs Io Shirai on NXT
Zoey Stark impressed early, taking the NXT Women's Champion to the mat. However, it wasn't long until Io Shirai turned things around, hitting a basement dropkick that caught Stark on the jaw.
Stark countered a 619 attempt with a roundhouse and sent Shirai off the top to the floor with another big strike. Back inside the ring, Stark rocked Shirai with a basement single-leg dropkick, leaving Shirai dazed. Stark moved up for a 450 Splash, but the champ avoided it.
They met in the middle with a pair of running crossbody splashes, leaving them both out on the mat. Shirai fired up here, dropping Stark with a flapjack. A missile dropkick connected for a two-count. A super hurricanrana and double underhook backbreaker nearly put Stark away.
Stark dropped Shirai with a German, but it wasn't enough to put the NXT Women's Champion away. Shirai countered a second, sending Stark face-first into the bottom turnbuckle. The running knee strike and diving moonsault finally put Stark away.
Results: Io Shirai defeated Zoey Stark via pinfall.
Grade: B+
As Io Shirai and Zoey Stark shook hands, they were interrupted by Toni Storm, who said the NXT Women's Champion was incapable of defeating her.
The Way appeared backstage next, with Johnny Gargano asking why Austin Theory refused to hit Dexter Lumis with the chair. Theory said that he wasn't that bad of a guy. Indi Hartwell backed him up, claiming that Lumis was "hot."
Gargano and Candice LeRae were frustrated, but the NXT NA Champion had an idea. Austin' Theory would be heading to therapy. Maybe Indi Hartwell, too.
The Thousand Dollar Man of NXT, Cameron Grimes, found some folks outside the building, looking to pull off the Million Dollar Man basketball trick. He offered $1,000 for ten dribbles. This time around he went to kick the ball away, but the competitor was former WNBA star Anriel Howard, a recent signing to the Performance Center. Pretty obvious that Grimes was down another $1,000.
Kacy Catanzaro w/Kayden Carter vs Xia Li w/Boa on NXT
Xia Li rushed Kacy Catanzaro, but the Ninja Warrior of NXT was able to avoid her offensive flurry. That was until Xia caught Catanzaro attempting to fly, dropping her chest first on the top rope.
Catanzaro responded with a dropkick that sent Li into the corner, following that with a running clothesline. A rolling double kick rocked Li for a two-count. Li rolled to the floor and managed to catch Catanzaro and sling her into the steps. Catanzaro cried out in pain and wasn't able to continue. Her knee seemed to be blown out.
The referee eventually called the match off.
Results: Xia Li defeated Kacy Catanzaro via TKO on NXT.
Grade: D
Kayden Karter tried to go after Tian Sha, but that left Kacy Catanzaro vulnerable for another nasty kick from Xia Li.
Cameron Grimes finally made his trick work in the NXT parking lot. Okay... maybe "work" is a strong word. The final player dribbled once and got punched in the mouth. Still, a win is a win, eh?
Killian Dain and Drake Maverick vs The Grizzled Young Veterans on NXT
Killian Dain rushed James Drake, hitting a massive running dropkick. Drake Maverick tagged in, with the duo working over the former NXT UK Tag Team Champion.
Zack Gibson tagged in, but GYV was unable to hit the Doomsday Device on Drake Maverick as Killian Dain ran in for the save. He tossed them both to the floor before throwing Drake onto their opponents.
Back in the ring, Dain ran roughshod over the NXT Dusty Cup runner-ups. An overhead belly-to-belly suplex dumped Drake in the corner, and Gibson was launched into his partner by the big man.
NXT's Beast of Belfast dropped the Grizzled Young Veterans with a nasty Samoan drop/fallaway slam combination. A double suplex took the team over, and Dain tagged in his partner for a massive diving crossbody.
Drake Maverick pelted James Drake with strikes and tripped him up with a basement dropkick to the knee. The clothesline/bulldog combo was blocked, with GYV hitting the dropkick/flatliner combination on Maverick. Dain broke the pin up, but ate a suicide dive for his trouble.
With Maverick all alone, the Ticket To Mayhem was all she wrote for the former 205 Live GM.
Results: Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Drake Maverick via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: B
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar finally arrived, as a black SUV pulled up in the parking lot. Legado Del Fantasma stood at his door, awaiting the champion.
In the earlier days of NXT, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe worked side-by-side in Sanity. The group even held the NXT Tag Team Titles together. Wolfe met Dain as he was carrying Drake Maverick around, asking what happened to the former monster of SaNitY.
NXT No DQ Match: Karrion Kross vs Santos Escobar w/Legado Del Fantasma
Karrion Kross attacked Legado Del Fantasma before the match began, which allowed Santos Escobar to attack him from behind. Kross chased Escobar into a truck, where the door was slammed onto Kross' arm. Kross easily shook it off but was attacked by Legado Del Fantasma.
Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza were launched into the truck, giving the NXT Cruiserweight Champion enough time to hit Kross with a trash can. LDF held Kross up while Escobar directed traffic. They finally left the most dangerous parking lot in the country, giving Kross the chance to take out the duo.
Kross launched Wilde and Mendoza through the plexiglass before focusing on Escobar, who stared in stunned silence. They finally made it to the ring where a boot laid out Escobar. Kross ate a few shots from a chair and was sent into the steel steps. Has anyone ever given Kross this much trouble?
Throughout the break, LDF kept up the numbers game, and when we returned, the former NXT Champion was in serious trouble. Escobar tied his arm around a steel chair and drove it into the ring post.
Escobar hit the Arrow from the Depths of Hell, nearly knocking Kross completely out. Kross was dragged into the ring where Escobar attempted to weaken the already-injured arm.
Escobar wrapped Kross' arm around the ring post, looking to dislocate his shoulder again. Kross pulled Escobar back and launched a chair into Mendoza's face with a big boot. From here, Kross fired up, and Wilde saved his boss from a chair to the head. Unfortunately, Legado Del Fantasma were forced to pay the toll, as they were both slammed into the plexiglass again.
Kross dragged Escobar to the table for a destructive Doomsday Saito, completely demolishing the announcer's desk. Another Doomsday Saito in the ring left Escobar dazed and ready for the running elbow to the back of the head.
Results: Karrion Kross defeated Santos Escobar via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: A
Karrion Kross left only destruction in his wake. Broken tables, barricades, and bodies. What is next for the former NXT Champion?
Adam Cole explains his attack on Kyle O'Reilly last week on NXT
In the final moments of NXT, Adam Cole came out to explain his actions. At NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day and on NXT last week, The Panama City Playboy attacked both Finn Balor and his own buddy Kyle O'Reilly.
The former NXT Champion said he planned on explaining all of this, but after seeing the footage from last week he was sick to his stomach. Cole stated that he hated who he'd become in recent weeks. He was furious that Kyle O'Reilly continued to get opportunity after opportunity at the gold despite his failures.
Regardless of th, Cole was ashamed of himself. He looked into the camera, hoping to reach out to Kyle O'Reilly. He wanted this conversation to happen face-to-face, but that wasn't possible. O'Reilly knew Cole better than anyone and knew that Cole hated to admit he was wrong.
Cole apologized and vowed to fix this as best he could. At this point, Roderick Strong came out, and the Messiah of the Backbreakers demanded answers. It's Cole's fault that The Undisputed Era fell apart. Kyle would heal, and afterward Strong didn't know if he could save Cole from his wrath.
Finn Balor rushed the ring, with the NXT Champion hungry for vengeance. Conflicted, Strong decided to help out his "friend." Balor and Strong brawled to the floor, allowing Cole to catch Balor with a superkick.
Cole then apologized to Strong, begging for things to return to the way they were. Strong initially clotheslined him, but couldn't do anymore. Cole broke down in tears, and Strong apologized for hitting him. They embraced in the middle of the ring, and it looked like the healing of the Undisputed Era had finally begun.
Or not. Cole dropped Strong with a low blow before tearing off his dog tags. A superkick left the former NXT NA Champion out on the mat.
Episode Rating: A
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