Ladies and gentlemen, it is the night everyone has been waiting for. We get to see how WWE handles their first night of true competition (in the realms of wrestling) since the Attitude Era. They have stacked the deck with three great title matches, and we will start with the NXT Championship.
ADAM COLE OVERCOMES INJURY TO RETAIN TITLE AGAINST RIDDLE…AND FINN BALOR RETURNS TO NXT
I will not be able to do this match justice. This match was a sprint basically the entire time, but it was perfect for the short build these men had to the match-up. The reversal sequences alone are more than enough reason to give this match-up a watch. Absolutely what NXT needed to do in the first night of the Wednesday Night Wars.
The winner was constantly in question, but ultimately Adam Cole landed the last shot for the win. Before Cole even had the chance to celebrate his win, Finn Balor made his return to NXT. Gian smile on his face making his way to the ring, that immediately went away when he came face to face with the Champion. The first WWE universal Champion with mic in hand simply stated, “As of this moment, I am NXT.”
IO SHIRAI AND JOHNNY GARGANO SCORE WINS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE MATCHES
Io Shirai squared off with Mia Yim hoping to launch their respective names to the front of the line for an NXT Women’s Championship Match. This match was in a tough spot since it had to immediately follow the opening match. Shirai picked up the win with a moonsault, most likely setting up a match with Candice Lerae regardless of the outcome later in the night.
Johnny Gargano looked to get revenge against the surging Shane Thorne. This was set up a few weeks ago when Thorne interrupted Gargano trying to address the NXT Universe. Thorne continued his strong run showcasing his Australian strong style. Johnny Wrestling pulled off the victory with a superkick to a kneeling Shane Thorne. Despite the loss, Thorne proved he deserves the spotlight he’s been given.
SHAYNA BASZLER RETAINS TITLE OVER UNDERDOG CANDICE LERAE
Candice LeRae received her first NXT Women’s Championship match against “The Queen of Spades” Shayne Baszler. LeRae, the underdog, proved she belongs in the women’s title picture. Brutal suplex’s and a series of suicide dives helped LeRae keep the Champion on her heels.
Still, Baszler threatened more than once with the Kirifuda Clutch, but LeRae was able to counter every time. In spite of LeRae’s impressive effort, Baszler countered a moonsault attempt into a Kirifuda Clutch for the win.
THE UNDISPUTED ERA RETAIN IN ANOTHER GREAT MATCH WITH STREET PROFITS…..AND TOMMASO CIAMPA RETURNS
The Street Profits and the Undisputed Era once again faced off for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Anytime these four men are in the ring together, everyone looks like a star! O’Reilly’s striking and Fish’s veteran savvy gave them the edge early on, and their underhanded tactics helped them keep it.
Ford is great as the babyface in peril, and did an amazing job making sure Dawkin’s hot tag was highly anticipated. Dawkins exploded into the match, turning the tide seemingly setting the tone for a Street Profits win. The Undisputed Era are two-time champs for a reason, injuring and targeting Dawkins’ left leg. The Era seemed to be on the verge of victory as they had the Profits in simultaneous submissions (Dawkins in a heel hook from O’Reilly and Ford in a guillotine by Fish.) Ford plowed Fish into O’Reilly breaking up the pin.
Ford continued to show off his impressive athleticism leaping onto The Undisputed Era members on the outside. Just when it looked like The Street Profits would regain the gold, Roderick Strong provided the necessary distraction. Fish and O’Reilly hit the High Low, and that was followed by the three count to retain the titles. Strong joined Fish and O’Reilly in the ring, all three hoisting their tiles as Adam Cole made his way to the ramp. Before he could join his friends, Tommaso Ciampa’s music hit as the former NXT Champion made his return. The show closed with Cole and Ciampa staring each other down, as Cole has yet another hurdle to overcome in his title reign.
So ends this week’s NXT recap stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. And make sure to watch NXT every week on the WWE Network or check out NXT when it moves to USA Network
