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Tonight, NXT continued the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. With only four teams left, the War Raiders continue to watch closely to see who will face them at NXT TakeOver: New York. DIY, Forgotten Sons, Moustache Mountain, and Ricochet & Aleister Black, who have been on an incredible run on the main roster.
Also, Bianca Belair and Io Shirai finally settle their differences, as they faced one another to determine who would challenge the Queen of Spades and NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler at TakeOver.
Moustache Mountain vs Forgotten Sons
Tyler Bate started the match off with Wesley Blake, looking to outmaneuver the big man. Black slammed Bate and tagged in Steve Cutler who was met but a snap suplex from the former NXT UK Champion. Cuter eventually took over after a nasty elbow to the face and tagged Blake back in, who continued to keep the pressure on Bate with a slam followed by a Cobra Clutch of sorts.
Bate escaped and managed to tag in Trent Seven, who dealt with both Blake and Cutler at the same time, chopping both men before planting Cutler into the middle of the mat with a DDT. Seven countered a DDT from Blake into a side slam, but Cutler took out his left leg with a chop block, allowing Blake to take advantage of his injury that plagued him throughout 2018.
The Sons cut the ring off completely, keeping Seven in the corner where they punished his leg even more. Blake looked for a submission victory with a spinning toe hold, striking Seven in the gut while torqing his leg. Seven turned it into an inside cradle, but Blake imediately kicked out and trapped Seven in the Figure-4-Leglock. Seven turned it around, but Blake's strength allowed him to drag himself and Seven into his corner where he tagged in Cuter.
Cutler prevented Seven from tagging Bate yet again, but both met in the middle with a clothesline. They tagged in their respective partners and Tyler Bate went to work.
Bate sent them into a corner, connecting with a running uppercut before picking them both up for an airplane spin. He sent the Sons outside with a dual hurricanrana. He attempted a shooting star press to the outside, but crashed and burned.
He recovered quickly, sending Blake into Cutler with an exploder suplex, then bringing Blake back in for a Senton Bomb from the top rope. Cutler broke up the pin but was tossed out to the ramp for his troubles.
Seven tagged in and locked Blake in the full nelson while Bate connected with a rebound lariat, sending Blake onto his head with a dragon suplex.
Jaxson Ryker put Blake's foot on the ropes and distracted the ref, allowing the Forgotten Sons to take out Moustache Mountain with The Lost and Damned for the win.
Results: The Forgotten Sons defeated Moustache Mountain via pinfall.
Backstage, Matt Riddle was discussing the NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream. However, he was interrupted by Adam Cole, who is still looking to reclaim the title. Riddle said if he wanted to prove that, they should meet in the ring.
Shayna Baszler joined the NXT commentary team for the #1 contender's match. Io Shirai picked up a victory over Baszler a few months ago in a six-woman tag match. Bianca Belair took the champion to the limits at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, but would ultimately pass out to the Kirafude Clutch.
Belair and Shirai have butted heads lately, with both women feeling they're the rightful challengers for Baszler. Tonight they left it all in the ring, hoping to earn a title bout in New York.
Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair - NXT Women's Championship #1 Contender's Match
Belair shoved Shirai at the beginning, proving that this match isn't about respect for the EST of NXT. Belair dropped Shirai with a shoulder block but missed a dropkick. Shirai avoided another attack and sent Belair to the outside with a dropkick of her own.
Belair caught Shirai, who went for a hurricanrana from the apron, dropping her from the powerbomb position alley oop style into the steel steps. Shirai landed face first and was sent back inside for a cover, but kicked out.
Shirai countered a slam with a roll-up, but Belair kicked out and leveled her with a shoulder block and a standing moonsault. Shirai escaped a submission move, rolling Belair up and sending her into the ropes for a Tiger Feint Kick. A springboard dropkick forced her into the corner where she connected with a running double knee strike.
Belair cut her off as she went up top, sending her crashing to the mat. Belair then went up herself, but Shirai chased her, flipping her off the top with a hurricanrana. Shirai looked for the moonsault, but Belair put her knees up, then crushed Shirai with a spear.
At this point, Shayna Baszler interfered, attacking both competitors.
Results: No Contest
Kairi Sane attempted to make the save but Baszler put her to sleep. Shirai came back in and stunned the champion with an uppercut. The Queen of the Skies sent her outside, and assumed things were over. As she went to check on Sane, Baszler ran back in and choked her out.
Baszler stood standing after the chaos, leaving all three of her potential challengers unconscious around her.
Next week, Dominik Dijakovic will once again battle Keith Lee.
Cathy Kelly caught up with Shayna Baszler backstage and told her that because of her actions, she'd be facing Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, and Kairi Sane in a Fatal-4-Way match at NXT TakeOver: New York.
Aleister Black & Ricochet vs DIY
The NXT Champion began the match with his last challenger, former champion Aleister Black. Ciampa was in Black's head but eventually was met by Black's knee and a kick to the jaw. Black brought Ciampa into his corner, tagging in Ricochet.
Ricochet worked over Ciampa's shoulder with an armbar, but Ciampa rolled out and rocked him with a big boot. Johnny Gargano tagged in and connected with a dropkick to the back of Ricochet's head.
Ricochet landed on his feet after a running hurricanrana from Gargano. They traded back in forth in a series, but Ricochet eventually connected with a dropkick, sending Gargano to the outside. Ciampa pushed Gargano out of the way of a Ricochet dive, but the One and Only noticed in time and flipped back to the middle of the ring. Gargano did the same when Black looked for a dive, with Black mirroring Ricochet.
Back in the ring, Gargano caught Ricochet with a DDT while Ciampa took out Black. In DIY's corner, they began tearing apart the former NXT North American Champion. Ciampa and Gargano snapped Ricochet's legs like a wishbone, hoping to limit his high-flying move set.
Ciampa dropped Ricochet with a neckbreaker and taunted Black. Tagging Gargano back in, he drove Ricochet's head into his partner's feet. Gargano bent Ricochet's arm backwards and stomped on the elbow before tagging Ciampa back in, who continued to weaken Ricochet with a side headlock.
Ricochet fought out but Ciampa held onto his arm, preventing a tag to the Dutch Destroyer. A step up enziguri on the apron set up the slingshot DDT, but Ricochet caught him. He went for Ciampa instead of focusing on Gargano or tagging Black, allowing Gargano to bring him back into their corner. A running knee to a seated Ricochet nearly put him away.
Ricochet managed to take out both members of DIY and tagged in Black, dropping Gargano with repeated forearms and a low sweep, followed by a kick to the head. Ciampa ran in but Black took both men out with a springboard moonsault. Gargano got back on top for a second but as he went for the slingshot spear, Black caught him in the air with a knee to the head.
Gargano was barely standing in his corner, but Ciampa tagged in and stunned Black with a knee of his own. Ciampa hit a Tower of London on the apron and Gargano followed up with the slingshot DDT. Black kicked out and Gargano didn't give him any time to recover, locking in the Garga-No escape while Ciampa set Ricochet up in the Fujiwara Armbar.
Ricochet overpowered Ciampa and dropped him onto Gargano with the Death Valley Driver. Ricochet's move seemed to injure Gargano's left knee, and he rolled to the outside. Ciampa, concerned, checked on him before getting back inside the ring.
He and Ricochet were the only two left standing, but that didn't last long as they traded some pretty heavy blows, leaving them down on the mat.
Ricochet taqged out to Black, but Ciampa didn't have that luxory. Black escaped the Fairy Tale Ending and rocked Ciampa with the Black Mass, tagging Ricochet in for the 630 Splash.
Results: Ricochet & Aleister Black defeated DIY via pinfall.
The finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic will see Black and Ricochet take on the Forgotten Sons, with one of them moving on to New York to challenge the unstoppable War Raiders.
Candice LeRae and Tommaso Ciampa checked on Johnny Gargano, helping him back up the ramp. Ciampa comforted Gargano, letting him know that he wasn't upset. They left to a big ovation from the Full Sail Crowd. Ciampa then tried to send Gargano into the screen at the top of the ramp, but Gargano saw it coming, and had been faking the knee injury the whole time.
Gargano threw him into the screen instead and finished Ciampa off with a superkick to end the show.
