Roderick Strong continued building his case for championship contention after a rugged showdown with Tyler Breeze, although The Messiah of the Backbreaker didn’t exactly get past the NXT O.G. on his own. Plus, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Cameron Grimes wowed in the NXT Breakout Tournament, William Regal made a huge NXT Tag Team Title announcement, and more.
Mia Yim defeated Aliyah (with Vanessa Borne).
Having suffered Aliyah and Vanessa Borne’s insults for weeks on end, Mia Yim didn’t waste her opportunity to make Aliyah pay the piper. The threat of an angry Yim was enough to make Aliyah quake in her boots, and once she got within arm’s reach of The Head Baddie in Charge, she appeared all but ready to ask for forgiveness. However, a timely assist by Borne, who accompanied Aliyah to the ring, swung things in the favor of the Boujee Superstar, who was suddenly emboldened once again.
Even though NXT’s self-proclaimed “Highers” took the low road, Yim remained mission focused. The HBIC torpedoed Aliyah and Borne with a two-for-one topé suicida, then flattened Aliyah with a fallaway slam before connecting with a match-ending Protect Ya Neck.
Following her triumph, Yim took a victory lap past the NXT announce desk, where she laid out a crystal-clear message to NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, promising to not only take The Queen of Spades’ title, but to also deliver a whooping that Baszler won’t soon forget. (Via WWE.com)
Even though NXT’s self-proclaimed “Highers” took the low road, Yim remained mission focused. The HBIC torpedoed Aliyah and Borne with a two-for-one topé suicida, then flattened Aliyah with a fallaway slam before connecting with a match-ending Protect Ya Neck.
Following her triumph, Yim took a victory lap past the NXT announce desk, where she laid out a crystal-clear message to NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, promising to not only take The Queen of Spades’ title, but to also deliver a whooping that Baszler won’t soon forget. (Via WWE.com)
William Regal revealed NXT Tag Team Champions The Street Profits’ next challengers.
Cathy Kelley entered NXT General Manager William Regal’s office seeking an update on Candice LeRae’s condition after Io Shirai’s vicious attack last week, but she wound up with a scoop of a different kind.
Before Regal could delve into the details of LeRae’s situation, beyond saying it was “week to week,” The Forgotten Sons barged in and demanded a title match with NXT Tag Team Champions and new Raw Superstars The Street Profits. Regal reminded the grizzled brawlers that they blew their opportunity by getting themselves disqualified against Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins last week, and informed The Forgotten Sons that they’re now at the back of the line of contenders, causing The Savages of NXT to storm out of his office in a fit of rage.
Regal then revealed that the Profits will defend their titles next week against Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan, the very team that saved Ford & Dawkins from the Sons’ three-on-two ambush, in a match suggested by The Sultans of Swag. (Via WWE.com)
Before Regal could delve into the details of LeRae’s situation, beyond saying it was “week to week,” The Forgotten Sons barged in and demanded a title match with NXT Tag Team Champions and new Raw Superstars The Street Profits. Regal reminded the grizzled brawlers that they blew their opportunity by getting themselves disqualified against Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins last week, and informed The Forgotten Sons that they’re now at the back of the line of contenders, causing The Savages of NXT to storm out of his office in a fit of rage.
Regal then revealed that the Profits will defend their titles next week against Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan, the very team that saved Ford & Dawkins from the Sons’ three-on-two ambush, in a match suggested by The Sultans of Swag. (Via WWE.com)
The Bay Bay Championship Celebration Tour rolled into Johnny Gargano’s hometown of Cleveland.
The NXT Championship is around Adam Cole’s waist, but that doesn’t mean The Panama City Playboy is done antagonizing Johnny Gargano. Yet, even by Undisputed ERA’s diabolical standards, Cole’s latest taunts may have crossed the line.
On the second installment of Cole’s Bay Bay Championship Celebration Tour, the NXT Champion visited Gargano’s hometown of Cleveland. His first stop was the restaurant owned by Johnny Wrestling’s father, Frank. As the elder Gargano warily eyed his son’s rival, Cole picked up an order of pizzas and left a keepsake for the restaurant, tacking an autographed photo of himself onto the wall, between photos of Gargano and Candice LeRae. Cole’s inscription underscored his malicious intent: “To Gargano’s, A champion you can be proud of!”
Next up, Cole went to the wrestling school where Gargano used to be a trainer. Addressing the same group of WWE hopefuls that Gargano previously encouraged to follow their dreams on Target: TakeOver XXV, Cole said Gargano was “full of crap” and that he felt pity over Gargano giving the trainees “false hope” that they could one day become champion. The reaction was hostile, and Cole was told to leave, but before he exited, he left the students with the pizzas and some parting advice: “Give up” and “Find yourselves a new hero.” (Via WWE.com)
On the second installment of Cole’s Bay Bay Championship Celebration Tour, the NXT Champion visited Gargano’s hometown of Cleveland. His first stop was the restaurant owned by Johnny Wrestling’s father, Frank. As the elder Gargano warily eyed his son’s rival, Cole picked up an order of pizzas and left a keepsake for the restaurant, tacking an autographed photo of himself onto the wall, between photos of Gargano and Candice LeRae. Cole’s inscription underscored his malicious intent: “To Gargano’s, A champion you can be proud of!”
Next up, Cole went to the wrestling school where Gargano used to be a trainer. Addressing the same group of WWE hopefuls that Gargano previously encouraged to follow their dreams on Target: TakeOver XXV, Cole said Gargano was “full of crap” and that he felt pity over Gargano giving the trainees “false hope” that they could one day become champion. The reaction was hostile, and Cole was told to leave, but before he exited, he left the students with the pizzas and some parting advice: “Give up” and “Find yourselves a new hero.” (Via WWE.com)
KUSHIDA defeated Jeff PArker by submission.
Any Superstar who wishes to test his mettle against Kushida might think twice after this week’s edition of NXT. The Japanese icon — who has declared that he wants to face WWE’s best, regardless of brand affiliation — meticulously dismantled Canada’s Jeff Parker. Whether they were fighting for the position on the mat or exchanging strikes on their feet, Kushida dictated the pace. It wasn’t long before Kushida applied the Sakuraba Lock, the painful double wristlock named after his mentor, UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba. Parker had no choice but to tap out, leaving Kushida’s spotless win-loss record intact. (Via WWE.com)
Cameron Grimes defeated Isaiah "Swerve" Scott. (NXT BREAKOUT TOURNAMENT ROUND ONE)
Cameron Grimes and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott made a jaw-dropping first impression in their NXT TV debuts, but only Grimes emerged with what matters most: passage into the second round of the NXT Breakout Tournament.
In a dazzling see-saw battle that featured a bevy of creative offensive bursts, the gritty North Carolinian lived up to his reputation of being an “absolute opportunist.” Whereas the fleet-footed Scott stunned Grimes and NXT fans alike with his elastic assault (including a breathtaking hurricanrana that saw Scott leap off the mat and onto the shoulders of Grimes, who was sitting on the top turnbuckle), Grimes relied on a more ground-based, hard-hitting approach. He picked his spots carefully, countering one of Swerve’s highlight-reel salvos with a ferocious sit-out powerbomb for a two-count.
Despite the close call, Swerve still had surprises left up his sleeve. He popped Grimes with a blink-and-you-missed-it kick to the face and then took to the skies with a head-over-heels Fosbury Flop to the floor. Upon returning to the ring, however, Scott was turned inside-out by Grimes’ reversal of a crossbody block and then undone by a leaping double foot stomp that nearly caved in Swerve’s sternum. The stomp was enough to put Scott down for the count and move Grimes to the tournament semifinals. (Via WWE.com)
In a dazzling see-saw battle that featured a bevy of creative offensive bursts, the gritty North Carolinian lived up to his reputation of being an “absolute opportunist.” Whereas the fleet-footed Scott stunned Grimes and NXT fans alike with his elastic assault (including a breathtaking hurricanrana that saw Scott leap off the mat and onto the shoulders of Grimes, who was sitting on the top turnbuckle), Grimes relied on a more ground-based, hard-hitting approach. He picked his spots carefully, countering one of Swerve’s highlight-reel salvos with a ferocious sit-out powerbomb for a two-count.
Despite the close call, Swerve still had surprises left up his sleeve. He popped Grimes with a blink-and-you-missed-it kick to the face and then took to the skies with a head-over-heels Fosbury Flop to the floor. Upon returning to the ring, however, Scott was turned inside-out by Grimes’ reversal of a crossbody block and then undone by a leaping double foot stomp that nearly caved in Swerve’s sternum. The stomp was enough to put Scott down for the count and move Grimes to the tournament semifinals. (Via WWE.com)