This week’s NXT saw another triple threat to decide who would be the next entrant in the ladder match at NXT TakeOver: XXX for the North American Championship. Undisputed Era were back, and the main event saw Kyle O’ Reilly and Bobby Fish challenge Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Keith Lee was in action against Cameron Grimes, Bronson Reed faced Shane Thorne, and Tegan Nox took on Indi Hartwell. First up, though, was the number one contender match for the NXT Women’s Championship between Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai.

NXT Women’s Championship Number One Contenders Match: Rhea Ripley vs Dakota Kai

Rhea Ripley started off strong by hitting multiple clotheslines on Kai and a dropkick. She continued to dominate with chops to Kai, then dropped her with a hanging suplex. Kai couldn’t get any kind of offence in at all. Ripley landed a slam which drove Kai’s face hard into the mat, then locked in body scissors that sucked the life out of her. Kai tried to turn it into a pin, but Ripley broke it up and hit Kai’s back hard multiple times.

Kai tried her hardest to attack Ripley, but she just couldn’t manage it. Ripley hit an electric chair on Kai which saw her face bounce off of the apron. It looked really bad, but Kai seemed OK. Finally, Kai managed to land some strikes and locked up Ripley on the second rope. She landed a couple of running knees into Ripley as she leaned into the turnbuckle, then went for the pin. Ripley kicked out, so Kai continued to beat her down with a big kick and a choke submission.

Kai took control for a while, but Ripley fought back. She hit a sit-down Electric Chair, then a basement dropkick, but couldn’t put Kai away. Kai hit a scorpion kick, then Ripley hit a flapjack slam. Ripley went for the Riptide, but Kai nailed her with a reverse DDT. Ripley hit a big boot to Kai’s chest, then locked in the Prism Hold. Kai broke out, and as the referee was distracted, Mercedes Martinez booted Rhea Ripley from out of nowhere. Kai then hit the Go To Kick for the win. After the match, Martinez hit the Air Raid Crash on Ripley. Ripley’s nose was busted open. A Ripley vs Martinez match seems to be on the cards, and I am all for watching things unfold over the next few weeks.

Winner: Dakota Kai Rating: 8/10

Bronson Reed vs Shane Thorne

Thorne took a big strike to the face but landed a big dropkick which sent Reed outside. He then hit a tope con hilo into an elbow, but Reed kept fighting back. Back in the ring, Thorne was on fire, hitting a cannonball on Reed as he hanged on the turnbuckle, then a huge knee strike. Reed hit a standing senton, but couldn’t get the win. After a huge clothesline and a Death Valley Driver, Reed went to the top turnbuckle and landed a big splash which was enough to pin Thorne. It wasn’t a particularly long match, but Reed did enough to continue his dominance on NXT with a convincing victory.

Winner: Bronson Reed Rating: 6.5/10

Damian Priest vs Oney Lorcan vs Ridge Holland

Priest did a great job of attacking both men early on, but it didn’t last. Lorcan jumped over the rope and landed on Holland and Priest outside. In the ring, Holland showed just how powerful he is by wiping out Lorcan with a suplex, then sent Priest outside. After the break, Priest and Holland traded blows in the ring, when Lorcan took both men out by flipping off the top turnbuckle. He then delivered a double blockbuster and tried to pin Holland, but only managed a two-count. Lorcan continued to beat down his opponents, but as he went to attack Priest outside, Holland charged right into him and sent him high in the air.

Holland dropped Priest with a powerbomb, but the pin attempt was broken up by Lorcan. Lorcan hit a couple of European uppercuts on Holland, but Priest came in like a wrecking ball and hit a falling chokeslam on Holland, then The Reckoning on Lorcan for the win. Yet another great triple threat match. I would’ve liked to have seen Holland go through, but Priest deserved it. He ended with a nasty bump next to his right eye, but Priest has set aside his place in the ladder match at NXT TakeOver: XXX.

Winner: Damian Priest Rating: 7.5/10

Cameron Grimes vs Keith Lee

Keith Lee was still angered by what happened to his close friend Dominik Dijakovic, and there was no way Grimes was going to win. Lee was in no mood for Grimes, and he proved it tonight. The coward Grimes kept escaping Lee’s wrath. When he stopped being a little baby, Lee hit a couple of shoulder tackles that knocked him to the mat. Lee picked him apart, with an Irish whip so hard it sent Grimes over the turnbuckle to the outside. Grimes was sneaky, attacking him outside and throwing him into the steel steps. He then climbed the turnbuckle and landed a moonsault that took Lee down.

It didn’t take long for Lee to get the upper hand. He hit some solid strikes and a flying crossbody on Grimes. Grimes almost got upset. He tried to hit the Cave In, but Lee caught him. He hit a double chest slap, took some strikes, then hit another. Lee hit a succession of clotheslines without letting go of Grimes’ right hand, then ended then match by dropping Grimes with a Spirit Bomb.

After the match, the lights went out and Scarlett’s voice could be heard. Kross then appeared on the big screen and said he hadn’t seen Regal since he was signed, but Lee could make things happen. We then saw him choke out Oney Lorcan and walk away. Kross continued to toy with Lee, and whilst the match wasn’t anything special, Kross and Scarlett delivered yet another solid promo.

Winner: Keith Lee Rating: 5/10

Tegan Nox vs Indi Hartwell

Hartwell started talking trash to Nox and ended up taking a headbutt to the chest. Hartwell wore Nox down with a couple of headlocks, but Nox fought back, landing some big stomps and a cannonball in the corner. She then hit the Shiniest Wizard for the win.

Winner: Tegan Nox Rating: 3/10

Tag Team Championship Match: Imperium (C) vs Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) W/ Adam Cole & Roderick Strong

Pat McAfee was at ringside with Tom Phillips as the match got underway. It was so good to see all four men come to the ring together, and I hoped UE won back the belts tonight. O’Reilly and Aichner exploded on each other, traded kicks and punches at blistering speed. Fish was tagged in and took a backbreaker, followed by an arm lock. Barthel was tagged in and continued to work on Fish’s left arm. O’Reilly and Fish managed to get in some great teamwork, but so did Imperium. Both teams were evenly matched, with nobody looking like a clear favourite.

As the match went on, Adam Cole was staring down McAfee. O’Reilly took out Aichner and Barthel as if they were amateurs. He hit a flying knee on Barthel, then ripped the left leg with a lock. Fish hit a flying headbutt to deliver more pain. Aichner managed to break it up. Cole walked over to McAfee and told him to chill out. McAfee called him an “angry elf,” and things got very heated. As everyone was distracted, Imperium took advantage and hit their finisher for the win.

Shawn Michaels and HHH tried to break things up along with all the officials. McAfee said that Cole would always be an “itty bitty short little b**ch,” then hit him with a big boot. Cole fell to the ground as Michaels went to check on him. HHH pushed McAfee, and he walked away. I don’t care about McAfee at all, and this whole thing took away the focus of the match. I don’t want to see Pat McAfee vs Adam Cole, but it looks as though that is what we are getting.

Winners: Imperium (Still NXT Tag Team Champions) Rating: 7/10

What Else Went Down?

– Earlier in the day, Breezango were in the parking lot when Legado Del Fantasma drove up and attacked them. They threw them in their car and drove off. Later on, they dragged Fandango into the arena and towards the ring. Escobar said he comes out every week and shows why Lucha Libre isn’t a gimmick or a way to make easy money. Escobar said at Great American Bash, Breezango mocked their culture, and that they spit in the face of his family, and him. Mendoza and Wilde destroyed Breeze and Fandango. As he wrapped up with Breezango lying in a heap, Escobar dared Isaiah “Swerve” Scott to utter his name again.

– Robert Stone was interviewed backstage about why he interfered in the Rhea Ripley and Dakota Kai match. He said that Ripley might be done with the Robert Stone Brand, but they were not done with her.

– William Regal announced that Dexter Lumis sustained an ankle injury in his triple threat match last week and wouldn’t be able to compete in the ladder match at NXT TakeOver: XXX. In light of this, Regal made two singles matches for two weeks time between the men that weren’t pinned or submitted in the qualifiers. Honestly, this is ridiculous. So we’re probably going to see Gargano and Balor in the ladder match instead of guys that don’t get the chances. I feel for Lumis, and I genuinely hope his injury isn’t a rouse because he was the one guy I really wanted to see in the ladder match.

– Priest was asked about the TakeOver picture now that Lumis is injured. Reed interrupted and wished him luck. Priest stood up to him and said it was a fluke that Reed got into the ladder match. They then got into a war of words that resulted in Priest challenging him to a one on one, which was made official for next week.

– The next triple threat match to decide another entrant in the ladder match at NXT TakeOver: XXX was announced between Kushida, Cameron Grimes, and a mystery opponent. Karrion Kross vs Oney Lorcan was also made official for next week.

After The Bell

There were some great matches once again, especially Rhea Ripley vs Dakota Kai. Ridge Holland was great on NXT UK, and it’s good to see him on the main show. Although he didn’t win, I feel like we are going to see much more of him in recent weeks.

I was gutted to find out about Dexter Lumis, and I’m not particularly happy about him not taking part in the ladder match at NXT TakeOver: XXX. I was hoping to see guys that don’t always get the opportunities to be a part of it, but knowing Gargano and Balor will be getting another shot, it seems likely that at least one of them will be involved.

Pat McAfee’s involvement in the main event put a damper on Undisputed Era’s proper return. Kyle O’Reilly was excellent in his first match in months, but McAfee ruined it. He’s an irritating guy, and I hope Adam Cole destroys him. I’d much prefer to see their inevitable match on NXT as opposed to NXT TakeOver: XXX, but it looks as though it will be the latter.

Star of the Show: Kyle O’ Reilly Rating: 7/10

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