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Just before NXT this week, WWE honored the late Shad Gaspard, who sadly passed away over the weekend. Our prayers go out to his family, friends, and all of those whose lives he touched over the years.
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This week's edition of NXT featured two more Cruiserweight Tournament matches. Drake Maverick had the match of his life tonight, as he faced Kushida. Akira Tozawa would also take on El Hijo del Fantasma. Maverick and Fantasma are both 1-1, while Tozawa and Kushida sit at 2-0.
Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai also looked to settle a score tonight. Both women have their eyes set on Charlotte Flair's NXT Women's Championship. However, there can only be one #1 contender, and neither Superstar is willing to give up their spot.
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
We kicked off the night with Karrion Kross and Scarlett, as they decimated yet another poor soul.
Karrion Kross w/Scarlett vs Liam
Karrion Kross caught his opponent running in, dumping him on his head with an exploder suplex. A second exploder set up for the Doomsday Saito. Kross finished him off with the Kross Jacket, quickly picking up another dominant victory.
Results: Karrion Kross defeated Liam via pinfall.
Grade: D
Following the match, Tommaso Ciampa entered the arena, making his first appearance in NXT since Kross attacked him last month. Ciampa said that this is his home, and Kross knew that, attacking him to prove a point.
The Psycho Killer said he appreciated the aura of the monster that he's staring at. His intensity, his ability, even his entrance, it all proves that Karrion Kross is special. However, Tommaso Ciampa is also special. At NXT TakeOver: In Your House, he'll be taking on Kross.
Ciampa welcomed his assailant to the "main event. before walking away, never taking his eyes off of Kross.
Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Match: El Hijo del Fantasma (1-1) vs Akira Tozawa (2-0)
El Hijo del Fantasma rolled up Akira Tozawa in the opening seconds for a near fall on NXT. The cruiserweights locked up, jockeying for position. Tozawa pressed Fantasma to the mat but was unable to secure the pin.
Fantasma brought Tozawa down with a float over suplex for another close call. Both men traded arm drags, but the former NXT Cruiserweight Champion failed to connect with a dropkick. Fantasma seemed to be in the Stamina Monster's head.
Tozawa and Fantasma traded chops, leading to Tozawa catching Fantasma with a flash jab. Fantasma, unlike most of Tozawa's opponents, stayed on his feet, but he was sent to the floor where Tozawa took him down with a hurricanrana off the apron.
After a commercial break, we came back to Fantasma, who had taken over at some point, losing the upper hand on Tozawa. Dodging a hurricane kick, Fantasma was still caught with a German suplex. Tozawa moved to the top for his Senton Splash, but was met by his opponent on the second rope.
Fantasma blocked a springboard Spanish Fly and dropped Tozawa with a top rope gutbuster, tossing him gut first on the ring post. Tozawa, struggling to get any breath in, managed to drop Fantasma with a wheelbarrow bulldog before hitting the Senton. Still, Fantasma rolled way, managing to give himself enough time to recover before kicking out of a pinfall.
Tozawa found himself on the floor, where he was hit by Fantasma's Arrow from the Depths of Hell. Back inside, Tozawa countered and locked in the Iron Octopus. Still, Fantasma broke away before driving Tozawa into the mat with the Thrill of the Hunt.
Results: El Hijo del Fantasma defeated Akira Tozawa via pinfall.
Grade: B-
After the bout, we got some highlights of the breakdown between the BroserWeights 2.0. Last week, Timothy Thatcher left Matt Riddle high and dry in an NXT Tag Team Title bout, forcing Riddle to drop the belts to Imperium.
Later on in the night, Riddle defeated Thatcher, but Thatcher tore at his arm with an armbar in a post match beatdown. Tonight, Timothy Thatcher challenged Riddle to a fight with only knockouts and submissions. Should be pretty intense
We saw a Shotzi Blackheart vignette on NXT, and the punk rock star gave us some insight into what makes her tick.
NXT's own Tank Girl claimed that she would roll through the Black and Gold's Women's Division. Her first targets? Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez.
Mia Yim vs Santana Garrett
Mia Yim struggled to get her hands on Santana Garrett out the gate, with Garrett managing to one-up the HBIC for a while. A handspring back elbow in the corner and a float-over suplex earned her a two-count. However, Yim responded with a dragon suplex before repeatedly kicking Garrett in the face. Protect Ya Neck finished off Garrett.
Results: Mia Yim defeated Santana Garrett via pinfall.
Grade: D
After the match, Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae came out. The Power Couple claimed that Yim constantly gets handed opportunity. Yim failed to capture the NXT Women's Championship from Charlotte Flair recently, and LeRae believed that had she been in the match, she would've walked away the new champion.
The Gargano family assaulted Yim, leading to NXT North American Champion Keith Lee coming to her aid. Yim and Lee rushed the ring, forcing Gargano and LeRae to high tail it back up the ramp.
We got some highlights of the Finn Balor/Cameron Grimes match last week. Damian Priest caught Balor with a nightstick to the back of the leg, allowing Grimes to hit Balor with the Cave In. Grimes cut a promo on his victory, claiming it was "Grime Time."
Drake Maverick was interviewed backstage on NXT and said that his back's against the wall. He's against one of, if not the best professional wrestler in the world tonight. He only has two options, beat Kushida by pinfall, or beat Kushida by submission. Either way, it's not going to be easy. However, Maverick is done feeling sorry for himself. Tonight, we'll get the best of Drake Maverick.
The Undisputed Era accompanied Roderick Strong to the ring tonight, with Adam Cole stating that they'd be celebrating his one year as champion next week.
Roderick Strong vs Dexter Lumis
Roderick Strong was quickly overpowered by Dexter Lumis, who didn't seem to care about Strong's mat prowess. In fact, Lumis seemed to have an answer for everything Strong threw at him.
Strong connected with a series of strikes, but they didn't seem to phase his opponent at all. However, running him face-first into the steel steps definitely did some damage. A backbreaker to the apron left Lumis writhing on the floor as we cut to commercial.
Back from the break, Strong continued to pelt Lumis with right hands. Lumis, though, just continued to stare into the soul of Roderick Strong. After trading some strikes, Strong dropped Lumis with an Olympic Slam. Lumis kicked out at two and continued to stare on, terrifying Strong.
A second Olympic Slam was countered, and Lumis took down the Messiah of the Backbreaker with a Thesz Press. After a back body drop, a slingshot suplex nearly put Strong away. Strong fought back to his feet and rocked Lumis with a series of kicks.
Lumis shook off the pain and planted Strong with a Double A spinebuster. However, Strong managed to roll up Strong for a surprise victory.
Results: Roderick Strong defeated Dexter Lumis via pinfall.
Grade: B
Roderick Strong had no time to celebrate, as he was immediately caught in the Anaconda Vice. Fish and Cole ran down to break it up, but Lumis never let go of the hold. He just...stared into the eyes of the Undisputed Era.
Velveteen Dream joined in the fight, taking out Bobby Fish before hitting a Purple Rainmaker on Cole, driving his elbow through the NXT Champion and the cement floor.
During the break, El Hijo del Fantasma rolled up to thank Akira Tozawa for the match on NXT. As Fantasma was about to leave, the masked assailants attacked Tozawa, seemingly looking to kidnap him. Fantasma made the save again, sending them away.
Can we please get security for the parking lot?
One-Two (Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch) vs Ever-Rise (Matt Martel & Chase Parker)
Oney Lorcan and Burch absolutely annihilate Parker, leading to Martel tagging in. It didn't help much, as Oney Lorcan ran through Martel with vicious uppercuts.
Parker was back in, but was met with the absolute blind rage of Oney "Star Destroyer" Lorcan. Burch rolled in and trapped Martel in a crossface while Lorcan locked in the single leg Boston Crab on Parker. Double tap-out, an easy and absolutely devastating win for the Brit-Am Brawlers.
Results: One-Two defeated Ever-Rise via submission.
After the match, they taunt new NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium with their own pompous post-bout taunt.
Keith Lee is interviewed backstage, and stated that he's tired of the "new" Gargano family. At NXT TakeOver: In Your House, he'll knock some sense back into Johnny Wrestling.
Matt Riddle was backstage on NXT for a response to Timothy Thatcher. The Original Bro said that he'd already defeated Thatcher, stating he's not a true stallion. Thatcher's "Knock out or Tap out" submission works just fine for Riddle.
However, as far as where they'll do it...why not a place they're both familiar? A steel cage.
Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament: Kushida (2-0) vs Drake Maverick (1-1)
Kushida drew first blood, taking Drake Maverick to the floor for a side headlock. Maverick escaped and rolled up Kushida for a nearfall.
Kushida hit a low dropkick to the face, but Maverick shook it off, leading to a trade of strikes between the two. A wrist-trapped arm breaker left Drake Maverick writhing in pain. Several more arm breakers weaken Maverick, who took another dropkick to the face. Jake Atlas moved to ringside as we cut to commercial.
Back from the break, Maverick escaped an attack from Kushida and sent him into the corner with a dropkick to the knee. A single-leg dropkick from the top rocks Kushida, and a Code Red nearly gives Kushida the win.
Kushida responded with a kick to the arm followed by several open palm strikes. A knee drop to the left arm connected, leaving Maverick nursing his arm as he's dumped to the floor. Kushida dropped Maverick with an arm-trapped body slam and followed up with a stomp to the elbow before going for the Hoverboard Lock.
Maverick, luckily, made it to the ropes. As Maverick walked away from the ropes, he was caught in a hammerlock. Still, screaming in pain, Maverick again made it to the ropes. Another open palm strike seemed to wake up Maverick, who took Kushida to the top.
Maverick's victory roll facebuster is countered, with Kushida turning it into a cross arm breaker. Maverick managed to roll up Kushida, getting a huge upset win.
Result: Drake Maverick defeated Kushida via pinfall.
Byron Saxton came out following the bout to reveal that since Jake Atlas, Kushida, and Drake Maverick are all 2-1, they'll face each other in a triple threat next week in order to advance to the finals.
Who will be the one to challenge El Hijo del Fantasma?
Damian Priest addressed his reasoning behind attacking Finn Balor last week on NXT. The Archer of Infamy said that the path to infamy is multiple targets. He's got sights set on gold, but a chance to take out Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver? He couldn't pass that up.
Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley
Io Shirai ran out of the gate with a dropkick. Rhea Ripley absorbed it and caught Shirai in a fireman's carry. Shirai escaped, raking the back of the former NXT Women's Champion.
Ripley responded with a series of short-arm clotheslines and a dropkick. Two wheelbarrow facebusters plant Shirai. However, the third is countered with a victory roll, with Shirai rolling through for a double stomp to the gut.
Shirai rolled through a powerbomb attempt for another roll-up. Ripley kicked out, leading to a crossface from Shirai. Ripley stood up, taking Shirai to the corner for a superplex.
Shirai blocked the first attempt, but a top rope superplex took Shirai all the way across the ring. Ripley brought Shirai to her feet where the Joshi Judas rocked Ripley with a series of strikes. Ripley responded with a massive punch that laid her out.
However, Ripley was tied up in another crossface. She managed to get to the ropes this time, barely breaking it in time. As she crawled up the ropes, a 619 sent Ripley across the ring for a springboard senton. A suicide dive to the outside left both women out on the floor as the match continued on NXT.
Charlotte Flair came out and was immediately taken down with Shirai sent Ripley into her with a tilt-a-whirl head-scissor. Back inside, a tilt-a-whirl DDT spikes Ripley for a nearfall.
As she stood up, a big boot from Charlotte Flair knocked her out. Flair also took down Ripley with a spear on NXT.
Results: No contest.
Grade: B
