Pete Dunne vs Johnny Gargano vs Kyle O’Reilly for the #1 Contender spot for the NXT Championship
Yes, this guaranteed banger of a triple threat match is how we start NXT 6/1. Kyle O’Reilly establishes himself as the babyface fighting adversity, Dunne as the violent badass with malice for both his opponents, and Gargano as the opportunist picking his spots to win any which way he can. A lot of good three-man spots including Dunne putting O’Reilly in an armbar to break up a heel hook on Gargano, Gargano kicking off Dunne to DDT O’Reilly, and O’Reilly hitting rolling butterfly suplexes on Dunne but finishing with Gargano.
Gargano reverses Dunne’s Bitter End finisher into a satellite DDT and then lawn darts him into O’Reilly in the corner! A finger break keeps Dunne from tapping out to Garga-No Escape. The ending (unfortunately, because it was all killer no filler up until now) comes when Adam Cole interjects himself by giving chairshots to all three men and smashes the referee between Dunne and the barricades.
Result: No Contest
As William Regal and security push Cole to the back, Ember Moon calls out NXT Women’s champ, Raquel Gonzalez for nearly turning Ember’s tag team partner, Shotzi Blackheart, into smithereens last week. As Regal and security scramble to separate yet another dust up, Dakota Kai sneaks in behind Ember and does her best to kick her head off. Regal tends to Ember as the champ and her partner in crime are dismissed through the curtain.
Legado del Fantasma give some insight to their mindset going into tonight’s match against tag champs, MSK.
LA Knight, however, tells us everything on his mind. He’s already touting his status as “the natural choice” to be the nest Million Dollar Champion and that he’s going to prove against the man who beat Cameron Grimes two weeks back: Jake Atlas.
Drake Maverick was asked about recently finding himself between star-crossed lovers, Dexter Lumis and Indi Hartwell, as he arrived at Capitol Wrestling Center earlier today. Before he can answer, Ever Rise interjects but Hit Row pulls up to joke on all three. Drake starts laughing and claps back about Swerve’s teeth. They’re chest-to-chest when Killian Dain appears to back Swerve off. Hit Row dismisses the duo to go “get that money” as Ever Rise watches while sipping that tea.
LA Knight vs Jake Atlas
Jake Atlas brings Knight’s attention to the chants at ringside. LA Knight hits a deep arm drag but celebrates a bit too much. Jake almost gets him with a school boy roll up and the former Impact World Champion is playing defense for the next few minutes. A stun gun and a neckbreaker turns the tide in Knight’s favor. Just as he did two weeks ago during Cameron Grimes’ match against Atlas, “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase makes his way out the aisleway. Instead of being frustrated, LA Knight is ready to show off… and almost pays for his lack of focus a few times before reasserting his control with a snap bodyslam and slingshot shoulder tackle. LA Knight signals for The Million Dollar Dream but it gets fought off by Atlas before he’s thrown out to ringside by Knight. Atlas is nearly counted out but starts building momentum as Cameron Grimes comes out to make his case DiBiase. A cartwheel DVD and standing moonsault can’t keep Knight down. A moment of Knight jawing with Grimes before executing a superplex allows Jake Atlas to send him crotch-first onto the top rope. Cartwheel DDT and the kid wins it to Cameron Grimes’ delight.
Winner: Jake Atlas
In the training room, Oney Lorcan backs up the cameraman, saying that Adam Cole prevented Pete Dunne from being #1 contender tonight. Austin Theory argues that Johnny Gargano would have and those two get into a shoving match broken up by trainers and security.
Ted DiBiase is telling McKenzie Mitchell that LA Knight really dropped the ball tonight whereas Cameron Grimes has proved that you need both brains and brawn. While they talk, Adam Cole walks right past them and out to the ring… and the mic. He says that he’s the real #1 contender. Nobody has lived up to his legacy and he just took out three top stars in one night. He says that Karrion Kross is an overrated musclehead that doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring with him. Kross and Scarlett come out to let Cole know that he stopped being special the moment Kross came to NXT. Cole taunts Kross with claims of being above his level. William Regal tries to prevent Cole from jumping the line for a title shot. Kross doesn’t care he wants all four top contenders at Takeover: In Your House! Adam Cole backs out of the ring but stands on the announce table to challenge Kross further and even tosses a water bottle at him on his way out!
McKenzie is with Candice LaRae & Indi Hartwell talking about Poppy, Karrion Kross, and their NXT Women’s Tag Team titles. Candice tries to cut the fat out of that interview but instead cuts it short when she notices Indi listening to 80s power ballads on her headphones.
The announce team introduces us via promo package to the former Christian Casanova (by name even!) They say he’s now to be known as Carmelo Hayes. He says that he’s now the hottest thing in NXT.
Xia Li and Boa go over her long history with Mercedes Martinez with Tian Sha looking on.
Dexter Lumis picks up Indi Hartwell’s headphones and gives a listen and it seems that he’s feeling the same kind of way.
Kushida (c) vs Carmello Hayes for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship
Most of this match is a showcase for Carmello Hayes’ notable talents. A lot of springboard maneuvers and technical pinning combinations. He even makes the most out of blocking Kushida’s initial attempt at the Hoverboard Lock. Second time’s the charm though and, in victory, the Time-Splitter (complete with Kazushi Sakuraba tribute trunks) gives the new kid all due propers.
Winner and still champion: Kushida
MSK is hype to defend their championships.
Franky Monet is hype for her press from last week.
Zoey Stark & Zayda Ramier vs Candice LaRae & Indi Hartwell
Beth Phoenix pumps up Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis’ blooming romance as “Ross & Rachel, Brenda & Dylan… Corey & Topanga level!” Pump the breaks there, will ya? Zoey and Zayda are game as anything but, once Indi cuts Zoey out of the equation with a dump out to the ring apron, a Wicked Stepsister and a springboard elbow drop keeps the champs in their winning ways.
Winners: Candice LaRae & Indi Hartwell
Mercedes Martinez says that Tian Sha marking her is nothing new as she’s been a marked woman since day one. She’s not in the way of Xia’s destiny. Xia’s in her way to the NXT Women’s Championship.
A new package for Diamond Mine (whatever it may be!) tells us that it is “opening soon.”
Ember Moon is still nursing Dakota Kai’s cranial tap dance from earlier and none too happy about it. She says that she’s going to take out Dakota Kai next week and then take away Raquel Gonzalez’s title at In Your House.
Legado del Fantasma vs MSK (c) for the NXT Tag Team Championship
Raul Mendoza is wearing a sanctioned Bill Laimbeer mask to protect his damaged nose from Tommaso Ciampa. Wes Lee has an acrobatic answer for everything Wilde has to throw at him in the early goings on until he gets thrown down hard by his man bun. Nash Carter takes a rougher go of it but the champs manage to assert their will in the ringside area and back. Mendoza tries to play the heavy, grinding down Wes Lee. But that goes out the window when Nash Carter comes back in. MSK catches their second wind but a blind tag puts the ball back in Legado’s court. Lee is a fighter and a hurricanrana into a powerbomb still can’t keep him down. This prompts Santos Escobar to send him headfirst into the ring steps on the outside. Dropkick/legsweep by Legado but Wes Lee kicks out again! Bronson Reed bulldozes Escobar out of nowhere! The playing field is leveled and so is the leader of Legado del Fantasma. Spinebuster/Blockbuster on Mendoza and the champs retain.
Winners and still champions: MSK
Five Takeaways from NXT 6/1
- With Legado del Fantasma’s campaign for the tag titles ended, both the search for contenders and Legado’s future seem equally uncertain.
- Cameron Grimes and LA Knight are slated to clash at Takeover: In Your House. As of yet, no “million dollar prize” has been attached to that match. If there is one eventually, it begs the question, why are the two Impact alums in the picture and the man who beat them both, Jake Atlas, not?
- Christian Casanova/Carmello Hayes coming on TV so quickly. MSK’s immediate success. If Diamond Mine is what I think it is, it could show just how committed the third brand is to showing off new and “outside” talents.
- Nobody touched a mic. Nobody got in the ring. But Hit Row got theirs in with about 60 seconds of screen time. They must be taking notes from Ever Rise. “I’m on TV every week and I don’t even have to take any bumps. Why am I supposed to be mad?”-Tyler Breeze (during the Fashion Police Files)
- I’ve said it before. I’m not an Adam Cole guy. He’s very talented but nothing about him sticks out to me even though my all-time #1 is Shawn Michaels and there are distinct similarities. The promo he cut on Karrion Kross was one of the most intense in recent memory even though (or maybe because) it seemed like he went off script. Tossing a water bottle in the ring after calling the unstoppable beast a “punk” probably popped some at home but it will be interesting to see how well the shoot worked.
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