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Last week on NXT, both Johnny Gargano and Roderick Strong were eliminated from the NXT North American Ladder Match when they fell to Bronson Reed. Tonight, they faced off in singles competition.
Johnny Gargano vs Roderick Strong on NXT
Johnny Gargano and Roderick Strong took it to the mat early, with both men avoiding each other's submissions. Strong picked the ankle and tried to transition to a crossface, but was blocked.
Strong maintained a dominant position, getting two pin attempts on the first-ever NXT Triple Crown Champion. Strong took Gargano to the floor but was bounced shoulder-first off the ground with an arm wrench.
Back from the break, Strong broke away from an abdominal stretch in the middle of the ring and drove his knee into the spine of Gargano with a pendulum backbreaker. Strong continued to work over the back with forearms. Gargano escaped a Fireman's Carry position and set up for the One Final Beat, but another backbreaker caught him in mid-air.
Gargano broke away and was able to hit a diving spinning flatliner. Thanks to Gargano focusing on the arm, Strong was unable to get a lock on the Stronghold. They lit one another up with a series of strikes, leading to Strong's fireman's carry backbreaker getting turned into a hurricanrana. A kick to the face sent Strong to the floor.
Gargano followed up, sending him face-first into the barricade, ring post, and plexiglass. One Final Beat connected on the inside, giving Gargano a much-needed win.
Results: Johnny Gargano defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: B+
Dakota Kai was backstage and said that she was tired of the battle royals and multi-person matches to determine a No.1 contender.
She knew that she was next in line for Io Shirai. However, Rhea Ripley disagreed.
