NXT Tapings are always big moments for spoiler fans, and last night’s events had a lot big moments. The tapings will cover the tapings heading into NXT Takeover: Philadelphia in January on Royal Rumble weekend (although one more round of tapings will be held prior, on January 4th at Center Stage Studios in Atlanta, the original studio home of NWA/WCW Saturday Night). Here’s a recap of the big ones.
NEW #1 CONTENDER FOR THE NXT CHAMPIONSHIP
With former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre out for months now with a confirmed torn bicep, he won’t be getting his rematch anytime soon, so they announced a tournament to name the new #1 contender to Andrade “Cien” Almas’ NXT Championship. It featured eight men, who competed in a knock out tournament expected to run weekly, with the #1 Contender facing Almas at NXT Takeover: Philadelphia. The opening round of the tournament featured these match-ups: Trent Seven vs. Killian Dain, Kassius Ohno vs. Johnny Gargano, Roderick Strong vs. Lars Sullivan and Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole. We won’t spoil the results of the tournament though, so you can at least have some fun watching it play out (but the #1 contender was crowned and further spoilers can be found elsewhere online)
KONA REEVES GETS HIS NXT GIMMICK
Well, he’s been working it at NXT Live Events for a few months now, but he had a match against Wolfgang from the WWE’s UK contingent so he may be close to his TV debut soon (reports weren’t sure if this was being taped or simply a dark match). Kona Reeves has gone from a Ricky Steamboat look (as Noah Kekoa) to a Rocky Maivia look (Noah Potjes) over his two year stint working NXT Live Events, but the cockier swagger of Kona Reeves is developing nicely and his pairing with the 6’8″, 260 lbs. Ming from China adds an aura of menace. Ming, real name Gu Guangming, is an amateur boxing champion from China, winning the National Men’s Championship in 2014.
KAIRI SANE FIRST FEUD REVEALED
Following Ember Moon‘s match, Kairi Sane came out to the top of the ramp to stare down with Moon, but out of nowhere, Sane’s Mae Young Classic finals opponent, former MMA star Shayna Baszler emerged from the back and choked her out. While Shayna would go on to stare down Ember Moon, it’s more likely that Kairi comes back for her revenge first.
https://twitter.com/nerdyjordy/status/936054659474690048
NEW NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS
Much like many title changes at NXT tapings or Live Events, WWE actually “spoiled” this one themselves, so you may have already read that Undisputed Era’s tag team of Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly – formerly reDRagon in NJPW and ROH – defeated SaNiTy last night to win the NXT Tag Team Championship and give Undisputed Era their first taste of gold in the WWE Universe. With SaNiTy’s loss, it could lend in to our prediction of possibly becoming Matt Hardy’s “platoon” he’s assembling for his Broken/Woken “Great War”.
