A former ROH star joins NXT, we see the in ring return of Johnny Gargano, and a moment we’ve all been waiting for with two prominent female wrestlers. Let’s take a look what happened This Week on NXT!

MATCH 1: Johnny Gargano (Winner) vs Raul Mendoza

The first thing to note about the start of the match off, Gargano revealed his new theme song to signal his decision to move on. It’s a remixed and more techno version of the DIY theme, I enjoyed it but I will miss the classic song.

A very technical, acrobatic, and even hard hitting opening match from these two. With the fear of repeating myself once again, Gargano always seems to give everything he’s got in the ring and put on the best shows that he can. Mendoza equally matched his pace and what we got was a pretty entertaining 5-minute match. Gargano finished the match with his signature “GargaNo Escape” and left victorious. A great way to open up the show and we get a taste of what Mendoza can add to the NXT Roster.

MEANWHILE…

– Paul Ellering delivered a message to SAnitY underneath a leaky faucet saying Monsters are real and that they will write the chapter at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn.

– Bobby Roode was interviewed on his behaviour towards Roderick Strong and his family. He stated he proved he was the bigger man and that Rodrick Strong doesn’t belong in his NXT. He was also asked about his new opponent Drew McIntyre where he announced that there will be a sit-down conversation with them both next week. The interview was broken up by an agitated Rodrick Strong and Roode got the hell out of there. Strong got calmed down thanks to William Regal but cannot give him the match that he desires. It would seem that we are still having this feud between them both and we will probably not see Drew McIntyre come out victorious in the championship match.

– The Street Profits were seen hanging out with fans and having a good time. They will be in action next week, whether they’ll be good is unknown. But hey, let’s be optimistic.

ASUKA SPEAKS!

To the NXT universe. Asuka stated that she’s beaten Ember before, and she’ll beat her again. Once again she said that “No one is ready for Asuka”. Ember decided to come down to the ring to tell her that she was, in fact, ready for her. Ember confronted Asuka with the “truth” that it is actually her that’s not ready for Ember Moon.

Things got tense after an offer to share hands was denied last second by Asuka, but once she had slapped Ember across the face, the tension finally reached a breaking point. A brawl ensued as the two woman fought it out. Most shockingly of all, as Asuka had her back turned. Ember moon leapt from the top turnbuckle and actually hit the Total Eclipse.

The narrative of this feud has progressed so well to this point. The arrogance of Asuka has led her to get cocky and let her guard down. If we’re building to Ember winning the belt, we’re definitely on the right track.

MATCH 2: Sonya Deville (Winner) vs Jenna Van Bemel

Oh, we had a squash match on our hands. Sonya loosened up to get things started and toyed with Jenna, having fun with the advantage she knew she had. Jenna did start to get some offence but unfortunately succumbed to a reversal into an arm triangle lock and made her tap. Sonya even took a bow in her victory, her character is becoming more defined as we progress and I’m happy with how it’s going so far.

ITAMI SPEAKS!

Hideo Itami was questioned on his violent actions last week. He replied saying that he deserves respect and he should deserve better. So why should he show respect to any one else? He took the mic to the ring claiming to deserve respect from the NXT crowd. Aleister Black interrupted Itami, but just as Itami had thought he could sneak attack. Black hit the black mass leaving Itami on the floor out cold. Seems like we’ll be getting an Itami vs Black feud? I’m okay with this although, I feel like the story isn’t finished with Itami and Kassius Ohno.

MATCH 3: Aleister Black (Winner) vs Kyle O’Reilly

Holy crap, former ROH star Kyle O’Reilly debuted against Aleister Black. The match opened up with some martial art techniques and worked in some technical skill as well.  O’Reilly was raring to go and the chemistry between these two was entertaining to see. Almost like they were trying to one up each other. O’Reilly did manage to dominate Black for a significant amount of time, a rare sight in recent weeks, after keeping him down through many submission holds and strong kicks. This was a great showcase by Black and O’Reilly as they both came out looking strong, especially O’Reilly who presented himself as resilient and even intelligent as he dodged Black’s well-known moves. But all it took was one Black Mass for the tides to change and Aleister Black came out the winner. Happy to see Kyle O’Reilly in NXT and I hope he does well on the brand. He’s obviously got the talent to stand out from the crowd, let’s hope that NXT knows how to use him correctly.

This was a great showcase by Black and O’Reilly as they both came out looking strong, especially O’Reilly who presented himself as resilient and even intelligent as he dodged Black’s well-known moves. But all it took was one Black Mass for the tides to change and Aleister Black came out the winner. Happy to see Kyle O’Reilly in NXT and I hope he does well on the brand. He’s obviously got the talent to stand out from the crowd, let’s hope that NXT knows how to use him correctly.