By NOLAN HOWELL – SLAM Wrestling
This week on NXT, “The Original Bro” Matt Riddle returns to the cage, or the NXT Fight Pit, as he takes on new rival and former short-lived tag partner Timothy Thatcher in the main event! Plus, Kushida, Drake Maverick, and Jake Atlas face in a triple-threat Group A final to determine who goes on to the NXT Cruiserweight tournament finals. All that and more on this week’s NXT!
We are LIVE from Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla. Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, and Tom Phillips have the call for this week.
NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Group A Triple-Threat Final: Drake Maverick vs. Kushida vs. Jake Atlas: Drake Maverick wins by pinfall on Jake Atlas after covering Atlas while Kushida had him in a cross armbreaker.
Post-match, El Hijo del Fantasma and Drake Maverick shake hands in front of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship pedestal.
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will defend her title against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in a triple-threat title match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
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(Commercials)
Special guest referee Kurt Angle goes over the rules with Timothy Thatcher before his Cage Fight against Matt Riddle.
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae make their way out. Gargano says the Gargano Way is about getting people opportunities that deserve them and that’s how he got his break. Gargano announces this is the Johnny Gargano Invitational and the lucky opportunity goes to Adrian Alanis.
Johnny Gargano Inviational: Johnny Gargano (w/Candice LeRae) vs. Adrian Alanis: Johnny Gargano wins by submission with the GargaNo Escape after Alanis runs into a superkick in a squash match.
Post-match, NXT North American Champion Keith Lee and Mia Yim mock the Dinner with the Garganos segment on the screen.
Drake Maverick interviewed backstage and he is informed Jake Atlas tapped during the pinfall, but Maverick says he wants to win fairly. Kushida comes up and tells Maverick to go on to the finals and make sure he wins. Maverick says he respects Kushida and will give him the first title shot when he wins the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. They shake hands and Maverick celebrates that he is in the finals.
(Commercials)
Video prom from NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium features Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel call Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan disgraces and welcome us to the era of Imperium.
Shotzi Blackheart (w/Tegan Nox) vs. Raquel Gonzalez (w/Dakota Kai): Raquel Gonzalez wins by pinfall with a stalling uranage after Candice LeRae comes to ringside to shove Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai interferes.
Video promo from Finn Balor calls out Damian Priest before their TakeOver match.
Rhea Ripley & Io Shirai vs. Charlotte Flair & Chelsea Green (w/Robert Stone): Charlotte Flair & Chelsea Green win by pinfall via a roll-up with Flair’s feet on the ropes against Shirai after Shirai was thrown into Ripley and knocked Ripley off the apron and into the plexiglass.
Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae interviewed backstage and Gargano says what NXT North American Champion Keith Lee and Mia Yim did was unacceptable and unprofessional. Gargano says he will take the title from Lee at TakeOver and LeRae says she won’t wait for TakeOver because she wants Mia Yim next week. LeRae says Tegan Nox should be ashamed of herself after their ringside fight.
Special guest referee gives Matt Riddle the rules before the Cage Fight.
(Commercials)
Tom Phillips takes us to a video call negotiation between NXT General Manager William Regal and NXT Champion Adam Cole. Cole complains about Velveteen Dream and wants him to never be in NXT again. Regal says Dream deserves another title shot and says it will probably happen at TakeOver. Regal says both Cole and Dream crave the spotlight and Cole gets offended at the comparison. Cole says Undisputed Era has made Regal look very good over the years. Cole wants Regal to make sure Dream never gets a shot at the NXT Championship while he is champion at TakeOver. Regal agrees and says he will find a location worth of the spotlight. Cole says it is a deal.
(Commercials)
Video package for Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan.
Leon Ruff vs. Tommaso Ciampa: Ciampa wins by pinfall via Fairy Tale Ending in a squash match with Scarlett watching at ringside.
Karrion Kross in a video post-match says he agrees Ciampa and TakeOver: In Your House are both special, but he promises to make Ciampa to feel something he has never felt in his life at In Your House.
(Commercials)
NXT Fight Pit Cage Fight (w/special guest referee Kurt Angle): Timothy Thatcher vs. “The Original Bro” Matt Riddle: Timothy Thatcher wins by submission via rear-naked choke.
Nolan Howell can be reached at nth993@gmail.com for any questions or comments.