Clever character development and some strong in-ring performances? It’s that time once again guys, time to check out the best WWE Network show… No, not Legends House! Let’s check out what happened This Week on NXT!
First things first, we got a new look at the North American Title this week via the man with three H’s. From a glance, the championship belt looks quite impressive and stands out as its own unique style rather than a cheaper imitation of the NXT Championship. Let’s hope whoever becomes the inaugural champion will lead it to glory and spotlight potential talent that NXT is garnering right now. But with that out of the way, ON WITH THE SHOW!
6 men. 1 chance to make history.
@KillianDain@LarsSWWE@AdamColePro@VelveteenWWE@therealec3@KingRicochetWho will be the first @WWENXT North American Champion?#NXTTakeover: New Orleans is LIVE this Saturday ONLY on @WWENetwork.
#WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/mFnh6HCa99— Triple H (@TripleH) April 3, 2018
DUSTY RHODES TAG TEAM CLASSIC: Final Round
Authors of Pain vs Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne
Initially thought as a disposable tag team, it’s still surprising to see Pete Dunne and Rodrick Strong make it to the final match. But who came out on top? Well, it all seemed to be going to AOP as they dominated the early stages. Pete Dunne tried desperately to escape the clutches of the AOP but they always seemed to keep on top of him. Finally, Dunne managed to gain offence by snapping the fingers of Akam and tagged Strong in to gain a huge wave of momentum.
Strong was on a roll as he seemed to take on everything that was thrown at him. An Olympic slam wasn’t enough to take down the AOP, but the teamwork between Strong and Dunne was working immensely. As the AOP fought for their place, Strong and Dunne fought even harder as a unit with tandem offence until all four men were worn down.
Just before we could see who would become the winner. Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly interfered and led the match to fall on a double DQ. Feeling rather proud of themselves, Cole and O’Reilly began to leave until William Regal blocked their path. Regal announced that due to this result, NXT TakeOver New Orleans will now feature The Undisputed Era vs The Authors of Pain vs Pete Dunne and Rodrick Strong for the Dusty Cup and the NXT Tag Team Championships. A unique way to announce a match for the PPV, though it slightly feels like it’s undercutting the Tag Team classic.
Kairi Sane vs Vanessa Bourne
Bourne took advantage straight away in the tie-up, bullying Sane and treating her with zero respect. Same retaliated by trying to get the quick pin with multiple roll-ups, but this didn’t get past the 2 count. Bourne continued to viscously assault Sane, but Sane built herself back up with a sliding elbow to corner. The elbow drop loomed over Bourne as she resisted multiple attempts, but it came to an end with the Insane Elbow finally landing Sane the victory. A harmless match that keeps Sane in our minds and reminds us that there are plenty of capable women on the NXT roster.
Meanwhile…
– Lacey Evans was interviewed in a press conference where she basically ran down all the women who she believes are worthless, Namely Nikki Cross, Ember Moon, and Kairi Sane.
– Adam Cole complained about having to take part in two matches at NXT Takeover. Regal responded by saying he could either compete in both matches, let O’Reilly compete on his own, or step out of the North American Championship match.
Lars Sullivan vs Killian Dane
The battle of the behemoths started out with a simple tie up but led to an all-out strike fest. While Dane took advantage with a boot to Sullivan onto the outside, Sullivan came back swinging and grounding Dane. The momentum swung back and forth as both men were quick to turn the tides. As both men were down, Velveteen Dream came down to make an appearance. Soon Adam Cole and EC3 made their way down which led to a standoff. Finally, Ricochet appeared and we got a sneak peek of what may go down at NXT Takeover… or we would have if the episode hadn’t just ended abruptly.
Seriously, the bell didn’t even ring. It just stopped. A serviceable episode cut off for seemingly no reason. All I’m asking for is a brawl. Cmon NXT!
