With shake-ups on the main roster, in terms of behind the scenes, let’s not forget that for the longest time NXT is consistently putting out an entertaining product under the WWE banner. But will they be able to continue the streak of entertaining programming? Let’s find out as we check out what happened this week on NXT!
Io Shirai opened the show this week to a chorus of hate. Boos poured in before she uttered a word on the mic. “I don’t need any friends, I don’t need any of you,” she responded and walked right back up the ramp. The turn seems to be working well as Io garnered a big reaction, how long she can keep the hate going will be a factor for the future. For now, she’s well on her way on becoming the most hated women by the NXT fanbase, and anyone sensitive to epilepsy.
What happened in between?
• Velveteen Dream held a personal press conference and knocked away inklings of a next challenger, particularly Roderick Strong.
• Shayna Baszler responds to Mia Yim by saying she needs a better reason to come after the Championship as she’s heard them all.
• Keith Lee vows to make his second year in the WWE more impactful than ever before.
• William Regal announced Apollo Crews will arrive next week to take on Kushida
Damien Priest vs Blanco Loco
It’s a squash match baby! Though not the smoothest it could’ve been. Damien Priest didn’t quite get the reaction he needed, mostly due to some slip-ups during the match. A strong clothesline from priest looked weak as Blanco didn’t seem to make contact on the right side which led them to try the move again, it didn’t have the same impact.
Then, Priest hit his final moves didn’t catch a reaction from the fans, and led to a standard “he’s the bad guy, boo him just cause” stuff. Not a great match, but an experience for both men to learn from.
NXT BREAKOUT TOURNAMENT ROUND ONE: Boa vs Jordan Myles
Jordan Myles, not sure if I find his smile charming or disturbing. Either way, the story with his smile throughout the match was interesting. Jordan tried to gain an advantage but was beat down multiple times, until Jordan’s smile went away that’s when he unleashed hell. Jordan’s character could suffer if his character doesn’t get past the smiling stage, we saw what happened with Apollo Crews when he hit the main roster.
Despite its best efforts. this match didn’t manage to capture any kind of magic and will not make it as my match of the evening, that particular award went to well-executed tag team title match…
NXT Tag Team Championship: Street Profits (c) vs Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
Street Profits had been looking for some worthy opponents to challenge them for their tag team championships and tonight they found them. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch have been on my radar ever since I started watching NXT and I can tell you now, they rarely fail to disappoint. This match was no different.
Street Profits dominated throughout the first half, shining like the best of them and even scoring decent momentum, but soon the grit and determination by Oney and Danny arose and they were a force to be reckoned with. As the match drew to a close, Street Profits came back and proved once again that they deserved the championships by defeating Oney & Danny.
As they celebrated over their win, two familiar foes poked their heads to make their intentions clear. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish of Undisputed Era are coming for the titles, but will they succeed if given the chance?
