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The final episode of WWE NXT before TakeOver: In Your House was expected to be a big one. Ember Moon was scheduled to take on Dakota Kai in a match days before her shot at Raquel Gonzalez’s NXT Women’s Championship.
Legado del Fantasma laid out a huge challenge for the NXT Tag Team Champions and North American Champion. Mercedes Martinez made quick work of Camron Branae to make a statement.
Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa made their presence felt during the match between The Grizzled Young Veterans and the team of August Grey and Ikemen Jiro. Thatcher and Ciampa will get a Tornado Tag Team match against GYV next week on NXT.
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'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase was in attendance to make a huge announcement for TakeOver on NXT this Tuesday.
Poppy made an appearance on NXT and helped bring back a former champion to the brand. Karrion Kross and his challengers for TakeOver continued to brawl throughout the night.
Take a look at the five things WWE got right on NXT this week.
#5 Oney Lorcan and Austin Theory put on a solid match on WWE NXT
The first match of WWE NXT was scheduled between Oney Lorcan and Austin Theory. The two superstars got into a backstage argument last week that led to the contest. They got in a tangle along with Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano backstage before NXT once again later on.
Lorcan’s solid technical offense grounded the young member of The Way. Theory gained momentum a little while later, but his overconfidence cost him dearly.
Dunne and Gargano showed up to back up their partners and it did not take long for The Bruiserweight and Johnny Wrestling to start brawling. The distraction allowed Lorcan to plant the young superstar with a half-nelson slam to pick up the win.
Both NXT Superstars put on a good show. They showed their strengths throughout the contest and kept the action ticking.
It’s good to see that NXT has continued with the alliance between Dunne and Lorcan after Danny Burch’s injury.
#4 Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott made his mark on WWE NXT
Hit Row were looking to establish their dominance in NXT as Isaiah 'Swerve' Scott looked to take down Killian Dain in singles action.
The Beast of Belfast used his power advantage to keep his opponent down. However, constant distractions from Hit Row allowed Swerve to come back into the match.
Swerve escaped a Samoan Drop attempt just in time and then went on the offense. The House Call rocked Dain for a two-count as Drake Maverick pumped his partner up.
The two superstars kept going at each other before Maverick decided to join in the action. He took out Ashante "Thee" Adonis with a dive, following which Hit Row unloaded on him.
The distraction allowed Swerve to take out Dain with a running single leg dropkick in the corner for the win. The match was good and allowed Swerve and his new faction to grow and get more heat.
#3 Ted DiBiase brought back the Million Dollar Championship; Poppy brought back Io Shirai on WWE NXT
On this week's NXT, LA Knight and Cameron Grimes tried to show off their wealth and lifestyle to The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase in order to impress him.
DiBiase did not seem impressed and revealed that the match between the two NXT Superstars at TakeOver: In Your House would be a ladder match. A gold ladder was lowered from above and covered in dollar signs as it was revealed that the match would be for the new WWE Million Dollar Champion.
WWE has done well to build a good side mid-card storyline between two talented superstars. Grimes has turned into a babyface thanks to Knight’s work on the mic.
Later on, Poppy released her new EP album on NXT. She spoke with Triple H and William Regal before Dexter Lumis arrived to show a picture of the pop star. Lumis and Poppy hugged just as Indi Hartwell came in.
Candice LeRae came out to the ring and called out Poppy for hurting Hartwell’s feelings. Poppy arrived and made clear that she did not wrestle, but knew someone who did. She announced the return of Io Shirai, who immediately took out The Poison Pixie.
It was another good segment that allowed the former NXT Women’s Champion to return in style. Shirai did not stay away from the action for too long, and she will likely get in a rivalry with Franky Monet sooner rather than later.
#2 Ember Moon overcame Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez on WWE NXT
Dakota Kai and Ember Moon were scheduled for a contest on WWE NXT. The two superstars have been involved in some brawls over the past few weeks. A match was booked to set the stage for a bigger match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
The captain of Team Kick took the fight to Moon early and kept her at bay. She used some of her best moves to nearly end the match early on.
The former NXT Women’s Champion bounced back and hit Kai with a powerbomb. Raquel Gonzalez tried to attack Moon outside the ring, but The War Goddess took her and Kai out with a suicide dive.
She looked set to pick up victory with an Eclipse before Gonzalez ruined her plans. She attacked her challenger and caused Kai's disqualification in the process.
Afterward, The Shenom continued to have the upper hand. She dodged a single-arm powerbomb into Stunner, followed by an Eclipse to Gonzalez.
NXT has done well to build Moon as a threat to Gonzalez after just one match. Fans can expect a competitive match between the two top superstars on Sunday.
#1 Adam Cole stood tall to end WWE NXT this
WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross was shown brawling with his four challengers for TakeOver backstage. He walked out at the end of the night and offered his four challengers the chance to knock him out before Sunday’s event.
William Regal reminded the NXT Champion that he was in charge of the show and was the only one who’d dictate what would go down on Tuesday nights. However, Kross told Regal that he had taken control of the show instead.
Kyle O’Reilly was the first man to come out and mock Kross. Johnny Gargano and Pete Dunne followed. Adam Cole appeared on the big screen and taunted everyone remotely.
A brawl broke out after he disappeared from the ring. The Herald of Doomsday easily took down everyone in his sight and stood tall to end the night.
However, Cole came out of nowhere and attacked the NXT Champion. He hit a couple of Superkicks before knocking Kross out with the Last Shot. It was a great way to build The Panama City Playbout before Sunday’s big event.
Kross has been overexposed by the NXT creative over the past few weeks. However, he will likely retain his title at TakeOver: In Your House.
