Last week’s NXT featured just three matches – only two of which were promoted beforehand. Io Shirai was crowned number one contender for Charlotte‘s NXT Women’s Championship. Johnny Gargano overcame long-time friend-and-foe, Tommaso Ciampa, to end their legendary feud with a victory. This week features the beginnings of a tournament to crown an interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion. The billed main event features Finn Balor squaring off with Imperium member, Fabian Aichner. Whether more matches get added to the show is anyone’s guess. Of course, with the COVID-19 epidemic raging on, this is another behind-closed-doors episode of NXT. Without further ado, let us dive right in!
Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Begins
Current NXT Cruiserweight Champion, Jordan Devlin, is currently affected by the COVID travel ban. Therefore, an interim champion is needed and WWE have announced eight possible replacements. Kushida, Drake Maverick*, Tony Nese and Jake Atlas make up Group A. Group B consists of Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, El Hijo del Fantasma, Akira Tozawa and Gentleman Jack Gallagher. Only Tony Nese has captured the title before, though Tozawa and Gallagher share the distinction of being “originals” of the division. El Hijo del Fantasma is an exciting, second-generation luchador – formerly King Cuerno of Lucha Underground fame. Fantasma will be making his debut in the tournament and will be looking to make an immediate impact. Overall, this is an exciting looking tournament loaded with talent. Who wins is anyone’s guess, but expect Fantasma and Kushida to go the distance.
*It has recently been announced that Drake Maverick has been released. Stay tuned for more on this story.
Fabian Aichner vs Finn Balor
The advertised main event sees Finn Balor come face-to-face with Fabian Aichner in an inter-European match. The Italian Aichner versus the Irish Balor. Aichner recently spoke with PWInsider and was clearly excited about the prospect of facing a star of Balor’s caliber.
Fabian on Balor
“To me it’s… Finn is among the biggest names that I’ve ever wrestled, with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens when we did Raw last year.”
Balor, of course, will be looking to continue his strong run of form. In recent weeks, he has defeated Kenny Williams, Alexander Wolfe and NXT North American Champion, Keith Lee, albeit via disqualification. Finn has been nothing short of unstoppable since returning to the NXT brand last year, with an angrier, vicious version of his character. Balor’s feud with WALTER and Imperium has given us a new, refreshing feud and this week’s match should be another exciting chapter of a pretty great story. Whether Balor can score another win on his road to a potential NXT UK Championship run remains to be seen. The only way to find out if he can do it is by tuning into NXT on USA Network tonight.
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. WWE fan? You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE and NXT content on the WWE Network.
