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NXT rolls on serving us dollops of great sports entertainment. This has been a pretty good week of wrestling thus far, with two good main roster shows. And NXT was no different, with one genuine surprise. It was a very easy show to watch, much like always.
We're headed for the TakeOver event on WrestleMania 35 weekend next. And the Dusty Rhodes Memorial Tag Team Classic tournament kicks off on NXT TV very soon. It looks like we're in for some great wrestling in the weeks that follow.
As always, I've identified 5 points from this show that I found particularly interesting with long term implications. I invite you, folks, to leave a comment and let me know your thoughts on the current NXT product.
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#5 Everybody has unfinished business with the Undisputed ERA
Ricochet and Aleister Black are both main roster superstars now. They made their debuts as singles competitors but have been teaming on RAW and SmackDown Live in the weeks past. In fact, both men teamed up to defeat not just the formidable team of Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev this week, but also the RAW Tag Team Champions, The Revival.
Carrying forward this momentum, they are now teaming up in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament too. But more importantly, they have maintained that they have unfinished business with The Undisputed ERA. And they weren't the only team to have a problem with the quartet that rules NXT right now.
The Velveteen Dream had a showdown with Cole, Fish, Strong and O'Reilly in the parking lot. It is clear that Adam Cole is next in line for a shot at the WWE NXT North American Championship.
#4 Huge Number 1 contender match confirmed
Cathy Kelley was standing outside William Regal's office when she heard a commotion. She found out that it was Bianca Belair and Io Shirai engaging in a heated war of words. It is clear that both women believe that they deserve a shot at the title that Shayna Baszler now holds in her possession.
William Regal determined that the two women will slug it out in two weeks, to find out who challenges the NXT Women's Champion next. Belair has received an opportunity at Baszler's title in the past but she came up short on that occasion. As for Io Shirai, this could potentially be the first time she gets to tussle with the Queen of Spades for the big prize.
Who do you think will step up to the Champion next? I'll be sure to cover it when the match goes down, so do stay tuned.
#3 Shayna Baszler proves her sheer dominance
Some of you may think that with so many new faces coming into NXT, Shayna Baszler will be a thing of the past soon. But the fact of the matter is that she still is a dominant force in the black and yellow brand, as she proved in this week's main event.
Baszler took on Mia Yim in a contest that was very unlike every other main event we've seen in NXT traditionally. Instead of an aerial high flying contest, this was a ground-based match that made use of psychology to tell a compelling story between two supremely talented competitors.
It was the story of Shayna Baszler's injured fingers vs. Mia Yim's injured leg, culminating in a short but interesting main event match, which wasn't for the title. As one would expect, the Champ came out on top in this encounter.
Is there anyone who can take Shayna Baszler down?
#2 Sasha Banks and Bayley return to NXT
Many experts claim that the Women's Evolution actually began when Sasha Banks and Bayley had their match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. And soon after that, Sasha Banks went on to create history with Bayley again, in the amazing Iron Man match. The two women have a strong bond with NXT.
Well, the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions invaded the black and yellow brand this week and issued a challenge. They are ready to take on just about any team at all in the back. They don't care if their challengers are on RAW, SmackDown Live or even NXT!
I wonder if the two remaining horsewomen, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke, will rise up to the challenge. This could help kick start a feud that leads all the way to the main roster, with Ronda Rousey involved with Lynch and Charlotte Flair as well.
#1 A deal with the devil
Listen, you can tell that NXT is a brand on its own, not allied to the main roster, with these segments. While Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano are a cohesive unit on the main roster, Gargano still had his doubts about Ciampa in NXT. But then he decided to make a deal. This is when he realized that he was very successful back when #DIY was a thing.
Ciampa and Gargano have their sights set on the Tag Team titles, through the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament next. I wonder what this means for Ciampa's NXT Championship. This is because nobody has stepped up to challenge the big man yet.
Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano's wife is obviously not very happy with this alliance at the moment. This is because Ciampa is the devil, quite literally for her, having terrorized her family for so long indeed.
Do you think we'll get a Ciampa vs. Gargano clash again?
