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The NXT Cruiserweight Champion found his challenger backstage and was livid about what happened a few minutes ago. Next week, Santos Escobar said he will embarrass Curt Stallion and expose him for what he really is.
NXT Fight Pit: Tommaso Ciampa vs Timothy Thatcher
Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher stood on the top of the Fight Pit for their introductions and the reading of the rules. No pinfalls, no rope breaks, you can only win by knockout or submission. Timothy Thatcher won the only Fight Pit in NXT history, forcing Matt Riddle to submit in the summer of 2020.
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The match started with both men still at the top. Ciampa and Thatcher came to blows, and Ciampa attempted to launch Thatcher over the rails all the way down 20ft to the floor. Thatcher fought back and suplexed Ciampa on the unforgiving structure.
The NXT Champion traded blows with the Thatch-as-Thatch-Can instructor, with neither man ever getting a real advantage for quite some time. Ciampa got the upper hand finally as he sent Thatcher's throat upwards into the railing. Thatcher fell to the ring below, and Ciampa took his time to admire the opponent gasping for air and attempting to escape.
However, the mat was where Thatcher felt at home, and he managed to use his ground game to turn things around for a moment. Ciampa eventually broke away from the mat and bounced Thatcher's head off the steel structure several times before hitting a running knee that left Thatcher struggling to get up. The ref's count began, but Ciampa didn't let him finish.
Thatcher blocked the Fairy Tale Ending, sending Ciampa shoulder first into the steel. Thatcher then tried to snap Ciampa's fingers off in the post, but a kick to the knee forced Thatcher to lose his grip. A belly-to-belly suplex, though, brought Ciampa back down to the mat.
A few elbows nearly knocked The Psycho Killer of NXT out cold. Thatcher took the opportunity to smash his fingers, bent backwards, into the mat, seemingly breaking them. Ciampa used his good hand to send Thatcher into the steel again, giving him enough time to shake some feeling back into his fingers.
A slingshot into the steel set Thatcher up for a single leg Boston Crab. Thatcher refused to submit. A sleeper from Thatcher would've worked, but since this match was No DQ, Ciampa kicked Thatcher low to break the hold. The ref knelt down to check on Thatcher, and Ciampa used the ref as a fulcrum for Willow's Bell. Thatcher got to his feet just before the ten counts.
Thatcher blocked another Fairy Tale Ending, leading to these two men bashing one another with forearms. Ciampa bounced Thatcher's head on the steel post holding the cage up, then spiked him with the Fairy Tail Ending.
That wasn't enough, and Thatcher was even able to escape a chokehold. Another sleeper was locked in, and this time Ciampa tried to climb away. Thatcher placed his leg in between the cage walls and nearly snapped his other leg with a stretch muffler. With nowhere to go, Tommaso Ciampa was forced to submit.
Results: Timothy Thatcher defeated Tommaso Ciampa via submission on NXT.
Grade: A
Timothy Thatcher is undefeated in the Fight Pit. After the match, Thatcher and Ciampa stared each other down, and it seemed that they'd earned one another's respect.
