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NXT spoiled the WWE Universe tonight with two major championship bouts. In the main event, Santos Escobar looked to regain what he felt was rightfully his, battling Kushida for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship in a 2-Out-Of-3-Falls Match.
Raquel Gonzalez was looking to finally get rid of Mercedes Martinez should she retain the title in their match-up tonight.
Cool Kyle O'Reilly was left in a bad way this week, but found a friend in a former Undisputed Era member. Who came to O'Reilly's rescue tonight? Read on to find out.
All that, plus the debut of a brand new faction following Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. We kicked off with NXT Champion Karrion Kross fighting The Way's Austin Theory.
Austin Theory w/Johnny Gargano vs Karrion Kross w/Scarlett on NXT
The bravado Austin Theory felt last week was completely gone once the NXT Champion made his entrance. Theory was hesitant but threw a few shots the way of Karrion Kross. A beautiful standing dropkick only made Kross angry, and the champ delivered a hellacious big boot in the corner.
NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano stared on as Kross dominated Austin. As Theory's clothesline ran into a brick wall, Kross responded with one that turned him inside out.
Karrion Kross brought out a classic Mean Mark Callous style Heart Punch, followed by another boot to the jaw.
A Saito Suplex launched Theory high and planted him right on his neck. As Karrion went for the Doomsday Saito, Gargano distracted the referee and allowed Theory to scratch at the eyes of the NXT Champion.
On the floor, a DDT spiked Kross and nearly cost him the match. Back in the ring, a knee to the jaw leveled him, allowing Mr. All Day of NXT to pound him into the mat.
Austin Theory showed off his incredible power, launching Kross overhead with a fallaway slam. However, Kross stood right up out of it, hitting Theory with back-to-back Doomsday Saitos. After that, the Running Elbow to the back of the neck knocked Theory out.
As Gargano stared on, Kross looked him dead in the eyes and locked in the Kross Jacket.
Results: Karrion Kross defeated Austin Theory via submission.
Grade: B
It was a submission victory but it may as well have been a knockout. Theory was done before the Kross Jacket was locked in. As Kross stared on at Gargano, former NXT Champion Finn Balor appeared behind him.
Balor stated he wanted his rematch, and Kross agreed with The Prince of NXT. Looks like Kross's first defense will be against the man he beat for gold.
Leon Ruff was with NXT GM William Regal backstage, demanding a match tonight. Regal refused, stating that he needed to take a week off after what happened during his match with Isaiah "Swerve" Scott on the previous NXT. Ruff was furious, throwing a temper tantrum like a child.
Breezango vs MSK on NXT
The NXT Tag Team Champions were in action against veteran fan favorites Breezango in our next match-up. Prince Pretty faced off against Wes Lee early on, hitting his iconic pose in the corner to taunt the champ.
Both men threw superkicks but wound up hitting each other's legs. It was a complete stalemate, leading to Fandango and Nash Carter tagging in.
Fandango was rocked with a dropkick, and Carter was able to duck a freshly tagged-in Breeze as Breezango ran into each other headfirst.
The ref failed to move, leaving him having to drop to the floor and leapfrog over Breeze as Carter hit the NXT veteran with a dropkick.
Back from a commercial break, Fandango launched Lee into the corner with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. A Falcon Arrow nearly earned Breezango a win over the NXT Tag Team Champions. Lee escaped the backbreaker/slingshot elbow combination, and MSK brought Tyler Breeze in for the Hot Fire Flame.
Fandango broke up the pin and was taken up top for a superplex. He fought Carter off but was knocked to the floor with a flash knee strike. Carter hit a moonsault onto Breezango and tagged out to Wes Lee.
Lee launched Carter at Fandango with a dropkick. Breeze tagged in for the Unprettier but was stunned with a kick to the gut. MSK hit their finish for the win.
Result: MSK defeated Breezango via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: A-
Backstage, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano rushed into William Regal's office to demand he call the title bout against Bronson Reed off next week. Regal denied it.
Former NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne was looking for a match tonight. With Karrion Kross accepting Finn Balor's challenge, Dunne needed to release some steam. He got a response to his challenge as he was attacked by Leon Ruff.
Pete Dunne w/Oney Lorcan vs Leon Ruff on NXT
Leon Ruff shocked Pete Dunne with his unorthodox offense. A kip-up enzuigiri stunned Pete, but he managed to catch Ruff bouncing off the ropes into a nasty web of submissions. Ruff broke away but a clothesline nearly took the jaw off the former NXT North American Champion.
A rebound clothesline hit Dunne, but he countered the springboard cutter with a forearm that knocked Ruff out in mid-air. After that, a modified triangle choke and a series of elbows to the back of the head forced the ref to call for the bell.
Result: Pete Dunne defeated Leon Ruff via ref stoppage on NXT.
Grade: B-
After the match, Dunne sent a message to Leon Ruff and anybody else thinking of stepping up to the Bruiserweight. Maybe Ruff should've listened to William Regal earlier...
NXT Women's Championship Match: Mercedes Martinez vs Raquel Gonzalez (c) w/Dakota Kai
The NXT Women's Champion was dropped to the floor, and after chasing Dakota Kai off, Mercedes Martinez drove Raquel Gonzalez into the barricade with a flying knee strike. Back in the ring, the champion and challenger traded clubbing blows.
During the break, Gonzalez took over the bout and wore down the veteran with heavy shots and headlocks. After taking a terrible beating for minutes, Martinez managed to bowl over Raquel and trap her in a sleeper hold. Gonzalez drove her challenger into the corner several times, finally breaking the hold for a slingshot attempt over the ropes.
Martinez escaped and hit a rebounding NXT Women's Champion with a forearm. Draped over the top turnbuckle, Raquel was dropped with a rolling neckbreaker. Still, Mercedes Martinez couldn't get the win. A spear on the apron followed up.
Gonzalez tossed Martinez into the ring post with snake eyes but was stunned with a jawbreaker on the inside. A clothesline took Martinez down, and the NXT Women's Champ followed up with a backbreaker.
A series of knees stunned Gonzalez, but she battled back with a devastating boot. The one-armed powerbomb nearly drove Martinez through the mat and finally put her down for the three-count.
Result: Raquel Gonzalez defeated Mercedes Martinez via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: B
Backstage on NXT, Bronson Reed was attacked in the locker room. Austin Theory and North American Champion Johnny Gargano were escorted out as Reed was inspected.
Isaiah "Swerve" Scott introduced Hit Row to the NXT Universe
Last week, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott defeated Leon Ruff thanks to some backup. Swerve admitted tonight that he'd made a lot of mistakes in NXT, the biggest one being that he wasn't trying to be himself. Swerve is disrespectful and dangerous.
Therefore, it was time to recruit those that followed his same path. We got to hear from Ashante "Thee" Adonis, B-FAB, and Top Dolla. Swerve's new group produces nothing but hits, he said, leading to the name Hit Row.
Ted Dibiase trumps Cameron Grimes once again
NXT's Thousand Dollar Man Cameron Grimes crashed an auction for a house. The initial bid was $2,000,000, but Grimes took it all the way to $8,000,000. Unfortunately for Grimes, The Million Dollar Man was there, raising it all the way to $20,000,000. Ted Dibiase continued to taunt Grimes, stating that the NXT star was no Million Dollar Man.
What does Cameron Grimes have to do to get Ted Dibiase off of his back?
Oney Lorcan w/Pete Dunne vs Kyle O'Reilly on NXT
Prior to this week's NXT, Oney Lorcan claimed that Kyle O'Reilly couldn't hope to beat him. Unfortunately, Lorcan forgot the several defeats he suffered at the hands of Cool Kyle in the past few years.
Lorcan blocked a high kick from O'Reilly, bringing the multi-time NXT Tag Team Champion down to the mat. Kyle escaped, locking in a crossface. Lorcan broke his arm away, managing to stand up and take his opponent to the corner.
O'Reilly was cut down with an elbow straight to the throat. Lorcan followed up by launching his opponent spine-first into the turnbuckle.
Oney knocked O'Reilly to the apron but was caught in a cross armbreaker in between the ropes. Pete Dunne distracted Kyle, allowing Lorcan to pick up some steam as we cut to the break.
When we returned, the Star Destroyer of NXT was wearing down O'Reilly with fists and chops. Kyle fought out of the corner and turned Lorcan over with a kitchen sink knee lift. A series of kicks and knees disoriented Oney, leaving him out in the corner.
O'Reilly ran in with the forearm and followed with an armbreaker. A heel hook was nearly synched in, but Lorcan was able to get to the ropes. O'Reilly and Lorcan traded blows, leading to a running knee that almost took the latter's head off. A brainbuster set up for Kyle's diving knee, giving him a great win.
Result: Kyle O'Reilly defeated Oney Lorcan via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: A-
After the match, Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan attacked O'Reilly. However, O'Reilly was saved by his longtime friend and NXT Tag Team partner Bobby Fish. After clearing the ring, they admitted that they were still doing their own thing, but had some scores to settle.
We'll get an NXT North American Championship match next week, and Bronson Reed delivered some terrible news to Johnny Gargano. There will be no Austin Theory, and he'll be getting no other help from The Way, as they'll face off in a steel cage match for the title.
NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Santos Escobar w/Legado Del Fantasma vs Kushida (c) in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida was sent to the floor just as the bell rang. Just as it looked like Legado Del Fantasma was going to lay into the Japanese star, NXT Tag Champions MSK dove onto both Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza. The referee sent both teams to the back, leaving Santos Escobar with no safety net tonight.
During the break, Santos Escobar took over, and we returned to see him holding Kushida in a cloverleaf. On the second rope, Escobar hit a gutbuster as the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion dropped Kushida stomach first on the ring post. Escobar locked in a Boston Crab on the steps, which managed to stretch Kushida's neck against the ring post.
Back in the ring, Escobar trapped the champ in a surfboard stretch. After transitioning to a crossface, Escobar stretched Kushida out in the ropes, working over the back and ribs. The Time Splitter dropped into the corner after the running double knee strike to the chest.
Kushida countered an avalanche hurricanrana, nearly getting a pinfall. The handspring back elbow connected, and Kushida followed that with the arm drag/dropkick. Escobar responded with the pump knee and hit the Phantom Driver for the first fall of the night.
Santos Escobar (1) pinned Kushida (0) on NXT.
After the first fall, Kushida locked in a cross armbreaker right in the middle of the ring. There was nowhere for him to go, forcing Escobar to tap quickly.
Kushida (1) forced Santos Escobar (1) to tap out on NXT.
During the final break of the night, Escobar and Kushida traded the upper hand several times. Santos drove the champ into the barricade to break the Hoverboard Lock, but Kushida didn't loosen his grip.
Escobar finally broke away when he dropped the Japanese star on the ropes. The Arrow from the Depths of Hell connected, giving Escobar a two-count.
Kushida dropped onto Escobar's left arm, leaving him in agonizing pain. A penalty kick to the arm forced Santos to the floor where he was dropped face first with a shoulder dislocating armbreaker.
Back in the ring, and inside cradle nearly gave Escobar the NXT Cruiserweight Championship back. Another Phantom Driver failed, and Kushida looked for a roll-up.
Escobar finally broke away from Kushida who nearly picked up the win after countering a sunset flip. A double clothesline left both men down on the mat.
Escobar stunned Kushida with the enzuigiri at the top and hoped for an avalanche Phantom Driver. Kushida fought out and took his opponent all the way to the mat with a Hoverboard Lock.
Escobar couldn't get to the ropes as Kushida rolled him back to the middle of the ring. The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion fought and crawled to the ropes, somehow.
Another Hoverboard Lock was synched in, but when Kushida couldn't take him off his feet, he dropped his challenger on his head in the corner with a Hoverboard suplex.
A second one in the middle of the ring was enough to put Santos Escobar away once and for all.
Result: Kushida defeated Santos Escobar via pinfall on NXT.
Grade: A+
