Finn and Dunne go FACE TO FACE with TakeOver just days away.
We began NXT with the entrance of MSK.
MSK defeated Legado del Fantasma via Pinfall
Wes Lee and Nash Carter began the match off quick and confident. Eventually Carter and Raul Mendoza clashed in a bit of one ups manship, or attempts at it. The match feature some pretty fantastic technical wrestling and double team moves. MSK and Legado del Fantasma worked a quick pace and had quick tags. Those quick tags helped Legado del Fantasma to be able to gain some control before a commercial break, but Lee and Carter were able to stop them upon returning. Joaquin Wilde took his eyes off the prize for a moment and thats all MSK needed.
After the match we got a video hyping up Xia Li being in action after we return from commercial break.
Returning from break we heard from Mercedes Martinez on her upcoming title opportunity at TakeOver. Martinez said this is the moment she has been working towards for the past twenty years. This Sunday we’ll see the real Mercedes Martinez. This is her destiny and goal: the NXT Women’s Championship.
Martinez said Toni Storm isn’t ready. As for Io Shirai? Martinez said she’s going to have to do a lot more than try and take her out. Shirai’s championship reign has an expiration date of Sunday. Bet on that.
Back at ringside Xia Li made her entrance and of course the mysterious woman and Boa were not far behind her. While she was entering the ring, Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter were questioning what is going on with Li. They kept saying that who she has become isn’t the true Xia Li and they were worried about her.
Xia Li defeated Cora Jade via Pinfall
Not a long match. Jade tried to get the advantage while Li was yelling at Catanzaro and Carter. That lasted only for a few moments. The match was over after a striking combination by Li.
After the match, Li kept on the attack of Jade until she rolled out of the ring. Boa made sure Catanzaro and Carter didn’t enter the ring to help Jade. When Li turned back to the tag team, Carter decided to go confront the mysterious woman on top of the stage.
When Carter got close she kept asking the woman who she was and what she did to Li. She wanted answers, but the woman of course said nothing. Li came up from behind and tossed her off the ramp. Then Li tried to apologize to the mysterious woman, but the woman seemed to want more destruction. Li went back to the ring to attack Catanzaro, while the woman had a mandible claw on Boa.
McKenzie Mitchell caught up with William Regal as he was walking to his office. Regal said he was very much looking forward to the other matches in the Dusty Classic tonight. He also spoke very highly of MSK, who moved on at the beginning of the show.
When Regal opened the door of his office, Scarlett was sitting on his desk. Scarlett told Regal she was there because if he (Karrion Kross) came, well it wouldn’t be good. Then she said that Santos Escobar’s time was up and that Kross wanted him next week. Regal seemed to like the idea and said Kross had the match.
Before heading to a commercial break we saw The Way walking, well except Johnny Gargano who was in a wheelchair for whatever reason.
When we returned from break Gargano was being carried into the ring by Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell. Wade Barrett on commentary said it was very brave of Gargano to be out there…ya know with his broken arm that requires a wheelchair.
When Gargano got the mic, he said his condition was the result of Kushida’s attack last week. He tried to explain that he was just minding his business while trying to get Not-McKenzie fired when the crowd interrupted him with chants of “Johnny Wheelchair.” According to Gargano, Kushida broke his arm in the attack. We then got a replay of said attack.
After the replay, Gargano said he has four fractures in his arm, which is unfortunate for the well known power walker. Of course Johnny brings up that he is in a wheelchair and hates wheels, so everything is bad. Then he says because of his condition he won’t be able to face Kushida on Sunday. Gargano then said Kushida should be suspended indefinitely for injuring the beloved NXT Superstar.
Enter William Regal.
Regal said the NXT Medical Team cleared Gargano yesterday afternoon. He asked Gargano to give up the charade. Then Gargano pulled up an x-ray on the tron, saying Kushida broke the longest and strongest bone in his arm. When asked what that bone is called, Johnny Wrestling had no idea. Regal called him out for showing him an x-ray that showed a right arm, when Gargano clearly got his left arm hurt.
Then Regal gave Gargano two options: have Austin Theory be his stand in and the North American Championship be defended tonight or give up his title now. Gargano wasn’t for either option and asked for a few weeks (or a few months). Regal said he would need to consult Kushida. Good thing Kushida strolled up behind The Way in the ring!
Of course all hell broke loose! Kushida took out Theory and then played tug of war with Gargano over the North American Championship. During their tug of war, Gargano was pulled from his wheelchair and seemed to be just fine! Candice LeRae had to be held back by Indi Hartwell from going after Kushida.
Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon made their entrance as we went to commercial break.
Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon defeated Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae via Pinfall (Senton by Blackheart)
Nothing went right for The Way tonight. Hartwell put on a rather impressive showing. LeRae and Hartwell had great chemistry and attempted to get quick pins on Blackheart, but Blackheart was ever resilient. LeRae then got frustrated, which left room for Blackheart to make the tag to Moon. The match was entertaining. In the end Blackheart hit her top rope senton on Hartwell and LeRae (Hartwell was attempting to save LeRae).
After the match, Moon and Blackheart celebrated near the Dusty Cup. Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai than came out and the two teams talked a bit of trash at each other. William Regal came out and informed them the winner of the finals will receive an opportunity at the Women’s Tag Team Championships.
Then we heard from Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa. Thatcher said they went to war with the Undisputed Era and it was brutal, but thats the way they like it. Ciampa called their opponents tonight some tough dudes, but Toothless Timmy and Old Man Ciampa are gonna whoop their asses.
We then took another commercial break.
Returning from break McKenzie Mitchell caught up with Santos Escobar. Escobar didn’t seem very worried about having to face Karrion Kross next week. He said Kross gave him the gift of time, but time is all relative to a person. Escobar was going to continue when Mendoza and Wilde walked into the locker room. They apologized for losing their match and Escobar said there was something they could do to make it up to him: make sure Kross doesn’t make it to next week.
Then we got a video featuring Finn Balor and Pete Dunne. In it Dunne said he had no respect for Balor. He never wanted to follow in Balor’s footsteps like everyone else in Europe. When he looks at Balor he sees a glass jaw.
As for Balor, he’s heard what Dunne has been saying and he doesn’t respect him either. Balor said he respects Dunne’s abilities and he is proven championship material, just not against him. It’s not a passing of the torch, but a burning of the bridges.
Kushida defeated Austin Theory via DQ
In the beginning of the match, Gargano proved to be a distraction that helped Theory. That didn’t last long though, as Kushida took control and looked to tie up Theory’s arm. In the end, Gargano hit Kushida with a superkick resulting in the end of the match.
After the match, Gargano finally got rid of his sling (a miracle) and continued his attack on Kushida. As he was kicking Kushida, with the help of Theory, Gargano told Kushida he would never get the North American Championship. Theory then suggested they get a chair and break Kushida’s arm.
After tossing Kushida back into the ring, Theory was dragged under the ring. Gargano went to help him, but pulled Dexter Lumis out! Gargano and Lumis had a stare down as Theory crawled out from under the ring. Theory got spooked by Lumis and backed up into the ring, where he was caught by Kushida! Eventually Lumis and Kushida had the two members of the way locked up in their respective submissions.
Then we got a video on how Toni Storm sees this Sunday going. Five months ago Storm predicted where she would be. She told Martinez that its rude to involve oneself in someone else’s business. Storm then said based on the past, she has Io Shirai’s number. Sunday? It’s Toni Time.
After hearing from Storm we took another commercial break.
Returning from break we got a video from Imperium.
Then cameras showed us Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza laid out backstage. They had pieces of the backstage area on top of them. Cameras then showed us Karrion Kross. “When you want something done right, outta do it you.” That’s what Kross said Santos Escobar should have done. Next week he said he is going to do exactly what he did to Wilde and Mendoza to Escobar.
Back at ringside we heard a car horn, which is odd but it was apparently coming from backstage. When cameras went outside we saw a Lamborghini! Coming out of the car? Cameron Grimes.
As Grimes made his way into the building he was just passing out 100 dollar bills. When Grimes made it to the ring he explained that while he had been away, he started playing video games. Once he ran out of video games, he went to a place…Game Stop of course! Grimes decided to invest in Game Stop and took it to the moon.
Apparently Grimes is richer than Elon Musk and no one can tell him what to do.
Backstage Johnny Gargano was being interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell. Gargano got right to the point, this Sunday is his opportunity to remind everyone who the hell he is. Johnny Freakin TakeOver.
As we went to commercial break we saw the Grizzled Young Veterans, Tommaso Ciampa, and Timothy Thatcher making their way to the ring.
When we returned from commercial we got to hear from the NXT Women’s Champion, Io Shirai. Shirai is not scared of the triple threat match, she’s actually looking forward to it. Shirai. has changed a lot since losing to Storm in the Mae Young Classic. As for Martinez, her path to championship gold won’t be fulfilled Sunday because Shirai’s reign will last forever.
Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher via Pinfall (Ticket To Mayhem)
A quick start to the match for Thatcher and Ciampa. They actually started the match early by attacking GYV before the bell. Once the match actually began, Timo had control of Gibson. Soon though GYV used their tag team experience to gain the upper hand. The match was hard hitting and as Timo would say, a war. In the end GYV was able to halt the newly formed tag team.
Ciampa went for Willow’s Bell on Drake, but Gibson held his tag team partner’s legs. Not long after? Ticket to Mayhem.
After the match we got a stare down between GYV and MSK while up by the Dusty Cup. Then Wade Barrett, Vic Joesph, and Beth Phoenix gave us a run through of the matches to come on Sunday.
We ended NXT with Finn Balor and Pete Dunne staring each other down in the ring.