Leon Ruff & Kushida vs Johnny Gargano & Austin Theory (aka The Way)
“Styles make fights.” One of the things NXT does best is let their wrestlers do what they do in order to show you who they are. Austin Theory is a straight up truck in this match but Leon Ruff learns that he must be agile and savvy enough to elude him. Kushida has the submission skills to wrench Theory’s massive limbs but, once he powers out to tag Gargano, Johnny Wrestling’s rapid-fire offense batters the former Time Splitter. The Way is wily in cutting off the tag over and over again but Leon Ruff has no quit in his heart. All killer no filler tonight as Kushida pins the North American Champion with a hammerlock Northern Lights suplex.
Winners: Kushida & Leon Ruff
Promo package by Pete Dunne highlights the parallels and similar origins he has with NXT Champion, Finn Balor. Their futures, however, diverge starkly according to Dunne.
Malcolm Bivens is going to present his newest signee, Tyler Rust, to NXT general manager, William Regal. Except, Tyler Rust got there early and already arranged for a match tonight… against Bronson Reed! Bivens is a little frustrated but maintains that his “Diamond in the Rust” is still upward bound.
Ashante Adonis vs Karrion Kross
Adonis tries to catch Kross in a quick guillotine choke. Big risk, no reward. Kross ragdolls him with Saito suplexes, prompting the referee to consider calling the match. Kross makes the decision for her with a vicious shot to the back of the neck. After the match, Adonis’ tag partner, Desmond Troy, gets dragged into the ring by Kross and choked out with the straitjacket hold.
Winner: Karrion Kross
MSK’s Wes Lee & Nash Carter are hyped by their NXT peers and highlights from their recent matches.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter get told to enjoy their first round exit from the women’s Dusty Classic by sour sisters, Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm.
Lucha House Party vs Imperium
This match immediately gets extra points thanks to continuity as the commentators bring up Lince Dorado’s recent thrashing by The Hurt Business on Monday Night RAW. Ralph Macchio (the Marvel Comics editor, not the other one) would be proud. Lucha House Party does what they do best, quick tags and even quicker offense, in order to make up for the size and power disadvantage. It works well for a while until Fabian Aichner catches Lince Dorado like a rugby ball and drills him into the ring apron. Imperium makes good with the strategic tags and tandem offense as well as their opposition. For every dropkick-assisted sunset flip, there’s a tossing suplex. Imperium has no answer for Lince Dorado’s Shooting Star Press, though. Afterwards, Alexander Wolfe of Imperium greets his Imperium teammates with a salute and look of disappointment.
Winners: Lucha House Party
Timothy Thatcher and Tommasso Ciampa get a little pushy with each other at their official weigh-in for tonight’s main event.
William Regal and Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix announce the beginning of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, highlighting the history of women’s wrestling in NXT.
Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs Mercedes Martinez & Toni Storm
Team KC look like a pair of middle schoolers in the ring against Storm and Martinez. They’re also giving up a lot of experience with their opponents having over thirty years in the business combined! Their saving grace is their familiarity with each other, having worked as an established team for some time now. Kacy is five feet tall wearing every pair of socks that she owns and gets womanhandled throughout the commercial break. Hot tag for Kayden and she is a ball of lightning! Shades of the late Hector Garza with a corkscrew plancha by Catanzaro! Toni gets her in a single leg crab, though and it doesn’t look good. Out of nowhere, Io Shirai shows up to exact revenge on Mercedes Martinez! With the distraction, Kayden Carter spins Toni Storm around with some sort of diving Grasshopper grapevine hold and Kacy Catanzro spins through the air like a maple seed in a hurricane! A corkscrew 720? Whatever you call it, it does the trick.
Winners: Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
Finn Balor wants Pete Dunne and he wants to take away his advantages first by taking out Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan. Regal tells him to get a partner.
Bronson Reed is headed to the ring when he’s told by Isaiah “Swerve” Scott to “stay out of his business.” Tommasso Ciampa is in the locker room, readying for his trip to The Fight Pit against Timothy Thatcher.
McKenzie Mitchell updates us on Ashante Adonis, stating that he is too injured to compete in his Dusty Cup match this coming Friday. Team KC isn’t too broken up about it or maybe just didn’t hear her over their own hooting and hollering. They promise to go all the way to the cup in the women’s bracket.
Tyler Rust vs Bronson Reed
Bronson Reed has been on a tear as of late but he learns quickly that Tyler’s technical acumen will not make tonight’s match light work. Rust shows heart after a pair of avalanches and a chokeslam can’t hold him down past a two count. Rust even manages to hit a Samoan Drop on Bronson! He gets ahead of himself, though. A senton and a 330lb Tsunami from the top rope keep Reed’s streak rolling. Malcolm Bivins tells Tyler that “They say to pick your battles. Let me pick yours.” Rust agrees.
Winner: Bronson Reed
Io Shirai and Toni Storm & Mercedes Martinez have to be pulled apart in the locker room. Finn Balor needs a partner and he says that some people owe him a favor and the time has come to call in those chips. He goes to Undisputed Era and recruits Kyle O’Reilly ever so diplomatically for his crusade against Pete Dunne, Oney & Lorcan, and [reserve podcaster.]
NXT Cruiserweight champ, Santos Escobar, says that a true champion that can make multiple defenses (unlike Johnny Gargano, Finn Balor, and *gulp* Karrion Kross!) Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde are praised by him for their success thus far in the Dusty Classic but Lucha House Party rush the ring. They’re getting the worse in a 3-on-2 but 205 Live’s Curt Stallion comes in to lend a hand! Legado del Fantasma are sent reeling and sent packing.
McKenzie Mitchell asks Killian Dain how he’s feeling after last week’s win. Drake Maverick answers for him, hyping their upcoming success in the Dusty Classic. Dain is impressed with the rhetoric… but still hasn’t given Drake his number.
McKenzie Mitchell is with Curt Stallion and Lucha House Party when Santos Escobar interrupts, telling Stallion that he has his attention and setting up for a match next week.
Timothy Thatcher vs Tommasso Ciampa in The Fight Pit
Despite the rules dictating that the match must be finished inside the pit, Ciampa makes an early attempt to send Thatcher over the railing and out to the floor. He does manage to jam Thatcher’s shoulder under one of the railings and takes it down to the pit. Thatcher takes control with submissions but a running knee almost puts him down for the ten count. Thatcher sends Ciampa shoulder first into the corner and works some small joint manipulation. Big belly-to-belly and Ciampa may have to tap to a hammerlock or a kimura! He grits it out and sends Thatcher into the chain link. Ciampa uses the referee as fulcrum to hit the Willow’s Bell on Thatcher! Thatcher is able to get to his feet at 9 and 17/18ths. They go slugfest and Thatcher can’t even get his hands up to defend. Fairy Tale Ending drives Thatcher head first into the floor! Ciampa won’t give him a chance to stand and dives onto him, locking in a rear naked choke. That’s Thatcher’s wheelhouse, though. He gets to his feet and wedges Ciampa legs first into the corner gap. The surgically repaired knee is trapped as Thatcher wraps the other around his neck in a modified stretch muffler. Ciampa has to tap out and have the referee help extract him from the cage. Timothy Thatcher remains undefeated in The Fight Pit and their series is evening out.
Winner: Timothy Thatcher
5 Takeaways from NXT 1/20:
- I was thinking about the old Lion’s Den matches when I saw The Fight Pit for the first time and happy to hear the commentary team compare the two. My opinion? Fight Pit > Lion’s Den (up until the point that they try to build a PPV around it.)
- The Dusty Classic is already shaping up to be one of my favorites as it doesn’t look like two otherwise feuding top-of-the-card wrestlers thrown together randomly will be going over a field of established tag teams. Just remembered that Ashante Adonis is out for the rest of the tournament. *sigh* Another week of anxiety.
- Congratulations to the new signees added to the Women’s Dusty Classic. Is this an indicator that the female ranks are thinning, though? They signed an 18-year-old Elayna Black (now “Cora Jade”) and barely had time to change her name before putting her in front of the cameras. They all do have experience, though, especially Gigi “formerly known as Priscilla Kelly” Dolin. Remember when Hell’s Favorite Harlot was the most controversial figure in pro wrestling? Oh, to return to that simpler time.
- Lucha House Party over Imperium. Catanzaro & Carter over Martinez & Storm. Is your Dusty Classic bracket busted already? It’s okay to admit it.
- It will be a good match but this idea that Finn Balor has to take out Lorcan & Burch to get at Dunne? Finn’s the champion. He doesn’t have to earn his way up the ladder. He never said so, either. He said that he wanted to “cut the arms off” before going for the “head.” He has to absolutely brutalize the tag team champs with his most recent nemesis in order for that to make any sense.
