NXT 1/8 began with all eyes on the NXT Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley, who thanks the Full Sail faithful for going with her on the journey from NXT UK to NXT to defeating Shayna Baszler to end a 416-day reign.
Rhea says she is gearing up for Worlds Collide but she’s not the only fighting Aussie in the house tonight: Toni Storm is here! Toni gets face-to-face with Rhea and congratulates her for her big win but reminds her who beat her for the NXT UK women’s title. Toni says that, after she wins back her UK title, she’s coming for Rhea again. Rhea accepts any future challenge. Cue current NXT UK champ, Kay Lee Ray, who starts to run down Toni. That’s until Io Shirai slaps her mic down on the ramp, gets in the ring, and cuts a promo in Japanese before pointing at the title around Rhea’s waist and declares it “mine!” Good moment but not the best and definitely not the EST. Bianca Belair says she’s better than Kay Lee, better than Io, Toni Storm doesn’t even go to this school(!) and better than the champ. Candice LeRae’s music hits and the pint-sized pixie comes out to add a little sugar to all the spice in the ring. If everybody wants a fight, so does Rhea and she starts a brawl! If there’s anything NXT general manager, William Regal, hates, it’s wild brawls not being made into matches. Six-woman tag match. Right. Now!
Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, & Candice LeRae defeated Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, & Kay Lee Ray via pinfall
Big match with lots of big spots. Rhea and Bianca really played up their physical strength and stature with everything Rhea did looking like it was intended to knock the wind out of the other wrestler. The commentators point out how even Rhea’s teammates would love to tangle with her but it’s the heel side that breaks down with Bianca getting bossy and Io Shirai dropkicking her and leaving her to take a Riptide.
Tomasso Ciampa talks about his climb to the top of the mountain, the neck injury that forced him to give up “Goldie,” and how Adam Cole took his whole life. He’s taking it all back.
Keith Lee is readying himself in the locker room for his fatal four way main event match. He vows to win and to go on to win the North American Championship from Roderick Strong.
Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner defeat Steve Cutler & Wesley Blake (w/ Jaxson Ryker) via pinfall
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is underway and i’s Imperium vs The Forgotten Sons in this first round match up. Lots of tandem offense and hybrid style in this one. Each one of these “carpenters” (to steal a term from Arn Anderson) is as likely to attempt an Asai moonsault as they are to turn someone inside out with a clothesline. Imperium has The Sons well-scouted and, when Cutler goes up top, he’s dropped on top of Ryker. Wesley Blake is all alone to face the European Bomb and Imperium advances.
Also in the tournament is the team of Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne. Cathy Kelly asks how “The Bro-serweights” were born and Matt explains how it just happened.
Austin Theory defeats Joaquin Wilde via pinfall
Wilde, the former DJ Z of TNA’s X-Division, does a great job of putting over the promising 22-year-old. He plays the agile cat, getting caught from time-to-time by the stronger, heavier upstart. Theory catches him with a dropkick as he comes off the ropes and a damn fine-looking TKO ends the match.
Damian Priest is in his dressing room with two lovely ladies, explaining to them how he cements his place in NXT with a win tonight and lives forever by beating Roderick Strong after earning the title shot.
Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish (w/ Adam Cole & Roderick Strong) defeat Mark Coffey & Wolfgang via pinfall
O’rReilly & Fish represent Undisputed Era and NXT as tag champions. Coffey & Wolfgang represent their stable, Gallus, as the NXT UK champs. The savage Scots are a pair of brawlers while Fish & O’Reilly, the former ReDragon, carry an MMA and UWF/strong-style influence. They’re even-matched but Adam Cole ends up tipping the scales. An enziguri on Wolfgang between the ropes staggers him and he’s easy prey for a Total Elimination. Undisputed Era advances in the Dusty Classic.
Mauro Ranallo uses the first Dusty Classic to segue Finn Balor’s win with Samoa Joe and Nigel McGuinness reminds us that it was a very different Finn Balor. A video package details the attack by Finn that put Johnny Gargano on the shelf for three months.
Johnny Gargano comes out to the ring and cuts a promo on Balor about how he left and Johnny stayed because he loves it in NXT. When Finn left the NXT flag on the ground, Johnny Wrestling picked it up and brought higher than Finn ever did and Finn can’t stand it. Finn Balor’s music hits and The Prince comes out to congratulate Gargano on the promo… as that’s all the doctors will clear him to do! He’s angry about Johnny costing him his NXT title opportunity and he elts Johnny know that a reckoning is coming.
Cameron Grimes is psyching himself up and ranting about what he deserves in a storage room but gets it together for the top hat to go on.
Kushida has recently been active in NXT and is slated to compete in the Dusty Classic with a mystery partner. The mystery is solved as Kushida’s partner will be none other than tag team legend Alex Shelley! The Time Splitters have reformed in NXT! They’ll be taking on The Grizzled Young Veterans next week.
Mia Yim defeats Kayden Carter via pinfall
Both of these women are know for rapidly improving over recent months. Mia Yim is not known as a powerhouse but is able to play one against the diminutive Carter. Carter is on the offensive, looking for her first NXT win despite impressive showings against top talent. She escapes a sit-out power bomb but risks too much one too many times. Like Inspectah Deck, Mia says to Protect Ya Neck but it’s too late for Kayden Carter. A show of respect to Carter after the match by a Mia Yim who knows she’s been in a fight but both get laid out by Chelsea Green from behind! She slithers back out to the ramp with her new representation and we’re told that The Robert Stone Brand will take over NXT in 2020.
Dominick Dijakovic is shadow boxing and confident that he will be the next North American Champion once he wins the main event and goes on to face Roderick Strong.
Another package from Ciampa shows that he still considers the title his and has been holding onto his side plates in anticipation of winning it back.
Keith Lee defeats Damian Priest, Dominick Dijakovic, and Cameron Grimes in a Fatal Four Way
Cameron Grimes is regular medium-sized dude and *wow* does he seem tiny in this crowd. He is, however, an ace hand and definitely gets his $#!+ in throughout. Keith Lee and Dijakovic make each other better every time they’re in the ring together and any skepticism about Double D’s ability to improve beyond your “everyday hoss” should be snuffed by now. The 6’5” Damian Priest hits dives that would surprise those who never saw him in Ring of Honor. Those that did see him as Punishment Martinez in RoH would be surprised to see a match where he gets tossed between two other competitors like a football! Dijakovic can’t pin Keith Lee off a moonsault. Grimes can’t hold Dijakovic down on a bridging German suplex. Priest covers Lee after The Reckoning but DD makes the save with a big boot. Cameron Grimes hits the Collision Course but Lee kicks out. He goes for the Cave In but gets planted by Keith Lee with a Spirit Bomb! Keith Lee is the #1 contender for the North American Championship!
Five Takeaways From the NXT 1/8 Episode on USA
- The overwhelming consensus was that 2020 would be the year of both Rhea Ripley and Keith Lee. While that certainly looks to still be the case, keep an eye on Cameron Grimes, Bianca Belair, Dijakovic, and others that seem right at the gates and breathing heavy to get in.
- Everyone in creative on every show with every promotion should look at Io Shirai as a shining example of what fans need. She has edge. She’s not smiling and talking about how much she loves Orlando. She’s pointing at the belt and letting the champ know she’s coming. She’s the heel but she’s cheered because she looks cool and comes off strong. It’s that easy.
- Very excited to see Alex Shelley and Kushida together again. A different chemistry than The Motor City Machine Guns but really good stuff. Up until now, Alex Shelley was on that list of “best that’s never been” but he’s scratched off next week.
- I came very close to saying that the NXT and NXT UK should just combine rosters already but, if they can keep the crossover limited (like WCW and RoH did with New Japan) it can stay special and give two complete rosters TV time and regular work.
- Up there at #2? What I said about Io Shirai? It goes double for Tommaso Ciampa. Right now, he’s running the same gimmick he did as a white hot heel and the same storyline as Shawn Michaels did when he came back after finding his smile. Adam Cole is the champ but he didn’t beat Ciampa for the title. Cole is being hunted like Cape Fear… and Tommaso Ciampa is the most over person on the NXT roster because of it.
