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While NXT Superstars weren’t present at the Money of the Bank pay-per-view, the hard workers of the brand looked to deliver a great episode to make sure that the WWE Universe had all eyes on them this Wednesday.
A big NXT Tag Team Championship match was announced for the show as Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher were all set to defend their titles against Imperium's Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.
Finn Balor also had a match booked for the night after he confronted and took down Cameron Grimes last week to send a message to the entire NXT locker room.
The Interim Cruiserweight Championship saw Jake Atlas get the better of Tony Nese, while help from Nese allowed Jack Gallagher to put down Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and take him out of the tournament too.
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Without further ado, we will look at the five things NXT got right in this week’s episode.
#5 NXT TakeOver: In Your House
Triple H and Shawn Michaels were ready to appear on NXT this week to make a huge announcement as fans could not help but speculate, and crack a few jokes, on what to expect from the two men.
The members of DX kicked off the segment in their signature DX way and poked fun at each other after which they were joined by Road Dogg. Triple H then mentioned that since everyone was trapped in their homes and NXT was holding shows behind closed doors, they’d be bringing in something different for the fans.
He announced the NXT TakeOver: In Your House event that will be the first TakeOver without a crowd in attenance. NXT had to cancel their previous TakeOver event which was scheduled to take place the night before WrestleMania as The Show of Shows was held on two nights.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House will take place on June 7 and provide the Superstars of NXT a bigger stage to perform on with bigger matches on the line. In case you didn’t know, this won’t be the first time that WWE will be hosting an In Your House event.
The first In Your House event took place in 1995 while the final one was held in 1999. NXT has decided to revive the event and take it under their wing which could prove to be beneficial for the brand.
#4 Cameron Grimes scores the biggest win of his NXT career
It was Grimes Time on NXT this week as Cameron Grimes was set to take on his most accomplished opponent to date, Finn Balor. The Prince of NXT wasn’t happy with how Grimes had spoken about him in a promo last week and was looking to teach the Superstar a lesson.
As usual, Grimes tried to take down his opponent with his finisher right after the opening bell but Balor was smart enough to dodge it and take him down with a headlock instead.
The two traded some blows after which Grimes managed to take control of the match for some time until Balor sparked a comeback with a double stomp.
The Prince continued to stomp down on Grimes and took the action outside the ring before Damian Priest appeared out of nowhere. Balor took out Priest and went back to assaulting Grimes but The Archer of Infamy recovered to attack Balor’s leg with the nightstick, allowing Grimes to hit the Cave In on the former Universal Champion.
The result protected Balor while allowing Grimes to pick up the biggest victory of his career over a man who was getting in contention for the NXT United Kingdom Championship not too long ago.
Grimes is a great performer in the ring, and a change in gimmick could take him a long way as he looks to become a major mid-card player after taking some big losses earlier this year.
#3 The Prince of NXT gets an unpleasant surprise
After Damian Priest hit Finn Balor with the nightstick to allow Cameron Grimes to pick up the victory on NXT, the night wasn’t over for The Prince. Priest threw a steel chair into the ring where Balor was trying to get up on his feet and then entered the ring himself.
He grabbed hold of The Prince of NXT and delivered The Reckoning to the already injured Superstar onto the steel chair. He then revealed that he was the attacker from three weeks ago, shocking everyone in the NXT Universe.
This was a great way to reestablish Priest after he fell out of the NXT North American Championship picture with a few losses. Rather than allowing him to sit back for some weeks, NXT has allowed him to enter another major feud with a top Superstar who can give him the rub without losing value himself.
Priest is future NXT Championship material, while Balor is desperate for a top rivalry at a time when his quest for the NXT United Kingdom Championship has been halted.
This will likely be a top rivalry that could give fans an extremely entertaining match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. One thing to wonder is whether The Prince of NXT will turn face soon as he has been taking on villainous characters lately.
#2 The new NXT Tag Team Champions
The Stallions of NXT were all set to defend their NXT Tag Team Championships against the heel team that attacked them a couple of weeks ago, Imperium. Matt Riddle had won the NXT Tag Team titles along with Pete Dunne after defeating former Champions The Undisputed Era. However, Dunne has been away from NXT due to travel restrictions, which led to The Bruiserweight picking Timothy Thatcher to replace him in the team.
Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel represented Imperium in the match as the NXT UK duo looked to win their first NXT Tag Team Championships together.
Barthel and Thatcher started the match and both men looked strong right from the opening bell. Thatcher showed why he could be the future of NXT with some great strikes to keep his opponent down.
While the action was breaking down in the middle of the ring, Riddle accidentally knocked Thatcher off the apron while attempting to make a tag. This pissed off the newcomer who walked away from the fight and left his Newly-Bro to fight for himself.
Barthel and Aichner hit their finisher to put Riddle down and claim their first NXT Tag Team Championships to surprise the entire NXT Universe. Imperium has been a dominant team over the past year, and their victory over Undisputed Era at Worlds Collide showed that the company holds them in high regard.
A change of titles will help the brand deal with Dunne’s travel issues and not rush into anything that can hurt the value of the titles while increasing Imperium’s value on the Black and Gold brand.
#1 Bros-no-more on NXT
Matt Riddle did not take Timothy Thatcher abandoning him lightly and confronted him backstage after the match. The two men got into a brawl and had to be separated by the NXT officials.
Riddle was looking for retribution as the two men faced off in the main event on the same night they lost their NXT Tag Team Championships.
The Original Bro hit Thatcher with all he’d got as he looked to make him pay for his actions. However, Thatcher is no pushover and the big man was able to counter Riddle’s strikes fairly well.
The match was an absolute brawl in the ring, and Thatcher took the advantage by stomping on Riddle’s bare feet to show that the heel in him had awakened. After Thatcher applied a knee lock late in the match, Riddle took advantage and rolled him over for the three-count.
Thatcher was not pleased with the loss as he decided to try and rip Riddle’s arm off with the Fujiwara Armbar to close out the show. This was a great match that did everything possible to ignite one of the biggest non-title rivalries on the brand.
The two men have great chemistry in the ring and their style complements one another’s. It’ll be great to see how the new heel Thatcher takes down the seasoned babyface, and whether they will have an epic showdown at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. Will Pete Dunne's return down the line affect the two men's rivalry?
