Welcome to the first of two NXT shows to be on the SyFy Network, at least for those in America, due to the Olympics. Tonight Bronson Reed will take on Adam Cole in our Main Event.
We began NXT by seeing Samoa Joe ’s promo and interaction with William Regal from last week. Then of course we saw Karrion Kross take out Regal. After we went ringside where Vic Joesph, Beth Phoenix, and Wade Barrett gave us a short rundown of things to come tonight.
Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher then made their way to the ring for their match. Their opponents, Oney Lorcan and Pete Dunne made their entrance shortly after.
Pete Dunne and Oney Lorcan defeated Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa via Pinfall (Bitter End)
Thatcher and Dunne began the match. As expected, Dunne and Thatcher went hold for hold to begin the match and came to a bit of a stalemate. Then came the test of strength! Dunne got Thatcher into a triangle choke, but Thatcher was able to counter into a single leg crab!
Ciampa was then tagged into the match, as well as Lorcan. The two exchanged some pretty hard hits, a big knee sent Lorcan to the outside. After giving a look to Dunne, Ciampa went to bring Lorcan back to the ring. Of course Ciampa gave a shrug and a wave to Dunne as he got back into the ring with Lorcan. From here, Ciampa and Thatcher were able to keep control of Lorcan and utilize some quick tags.
Ciampa basically welcomed Lorcan to tag in Dunne to the match though. We soon got a synchronized beat down from Ciampa and Thatcher to Dunne and Lorcan. Ciampa and Thatcher were able to take a moment on the announcers table to give themselves a pat on the back. We went to picture in picture soon after. When we came back Dunne and Lorcan were in control of the match. Ciampa got caught by Dunne soon, but as Dunne went for the Bitter End, Ciampa countered.
Eventually Ridge Holland made his presence known, much to the satisfaction of Dunne and Lorcan. With the help of Holland, Lorcan and Dunne were able to put away Ciampa.
After the match Holland absolutely destroyed Thatcher while Ciampa was being held back by Dunne and Lorcan.
Then we get a hype video for Carmelo Hayes. In it he said he doesn’t wait for opportunities. Case in point, he took Kushida to the limit. Hell he even slapped Adam Cole in the face. Once the NXT Breakout Tournament is over one man will be standing tall and Hayes says it will be him.
Then we saw Samoa Joe arriving to the building before we went to commercial break.
Returning from break, we heard from Hit Row. Isaiah Swerve Scott said he had been meaning to get his hands on Santos Escobar for awhile now. It’s a Hit Row Summer. Top Dolla said they were the new kings of the jungle. We also got to showcase some of the bilingual abilities within Hit Row.
Ringside? TIME FOR SAMOA JOE!
Samoa Joe immediately went under the ring and grabbed a table and chair to throw into the ring. There appeared to be a notebook or something of the likes that Samoa Joe set upon the table.
Samoa Joe then yelled at Karrion Kross and said he knew he was too much of a coward to be in the building right now. Instead, Samoa Joe decided to be proactive and asked for William Regal to join him in the ring. Regal made his way down to the ring with no music.
Once Regal got into the ring, Joe said he didn’t need Regal to say anything because he saw the rage behind his eyes. Samoa Joe said what Kross did to Regal last night was wrong and he knows Regal is going to fire Kross tonight. Joe said he had a much better solution and satisfy everyone’s needs with three steps.
Step number one? Joe handed his resignation to NXT Management effective immediately. The next piece of paper? Regal reactivates Samoa Joe as a part of the active roster. Regal does it.
Step Three? Samoa Joe pulls out another paper for Regal to make Kross versus Joe for the NXT Title official at TakeOver 36. DONE DEAL. Regal gave some words to Joe and then spoke his hand. Samoa Joe is back for real now and the clock may be running out on Kross.
Then we got a hype video for Josh Briggs. Briggs said Carmelo Hayes is standing in the way of his destiny. At the end of this tournament, two things will be left broken: bodies and dreams.
Then we took another commercial break.
We returned from break to see the shenanigans that LA Knight is putting Cameron Grimes through. They happened to be on the golf course and Grimes was Knight’s caddy, it was not going that well. When Knight was trying to concentrate Grimes kept trying to bet him that he would hit the golf ball into the trees. (He did of course)
Carmelo Hayes defeated Josh Briggs via Pinfall (Legdrop from the Top Rope)
Briggs definitely had a significant size and weight edge over Hayes. Hayes tried to chop down Briggs, but the strength of Briggs was a lot to overcome. Anytime it seemed like Hayes had a chance at control of the match, Briggs came back with a hard hit and the crowd was not a fan.
Eventually Duke Hudson joined commentary for the match because he was scouting his next opponent. Briggs was still in control of the match as Hudson was on commentary. Hayes countered a chokeslam attempt by Briggs with some innovative offense. Briggs did turn Hayes inside out with a kick and followed it up with a chokeslam, but Hayes was able to kick out of the pin attempt!
After some fun takedowns from Hayes, he went to the top rope. Leg Drop and the win!
Hudson said he was looking forward to facing Hayes and that it would be a breeze to beat him. Beth Phoenix said the leg drop could be in Duke Hudson’s future though!
After we saw a WWE Network Exclsive from last week, in which Franky Monet explained the possibilities there are with the Robert Stone brand. She said she could join them, er merge with them and make the brand bigger than ever, or she could help rebuild them from the ground up. Monet also said there was a possibility that she could begin teaming with Jessi Kamea and go for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships.
This is when Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro interrupted. Kacy said you can’t just throw together their kind of chemistry because they are a unit in and out of the ring. They told Money and Jessi to get their ass to the back of the line. Then we took a commercial break.
Returning from break we went to check in on Cameron Grimes and LA Knight. It’s still not going well. Grimes was trying to be a commentator, which Knight had no appreciation for. Knight’s shot went right into the water, which Grimes took pleasure in. Knight then told Grimes to go get his ball. After Grimes found it Ted DiBiase pulled up. DiBiase told him he looked like a mess and said guys like Knight will just leave him to hang out and dry. DiBiase questioned why Grimes was evening following through with the butler thing.
Grimes said he was a man of his word and though DiBiase would appreciate that. DiBiase said he wasn’t born to be a butler, but to be a champion. Don’t lose your pride and keep fighting.
We went back to the tag team match from earlier in the night. Then NXT cameras caught up with Ridge Holland, Oney Lorcan, and Pete Dunne. Holland said it was none of their business why he smashed up Timothy Thatcher. Thatcher wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. I wonder if Pat McAfee is happy seeing Holland join his boys?
Back at ringside Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez made their entrance to the ring. Gonzalez said she crushed one of the most feared superstars in the women’s division last week, Xia Li. She has dominated everyone who has stepped up to the plate. Who’s next? All Gonzalez has to say is keep em coming.
Kai said ever since Gonzalez debuted 18 months ago she has been unstoppable. She tells people that her best friend is the most dominate woman in NXT history. Kai then listed the former champions Gonzalez has defeated and said the list will continue to grow. The NXT Women’s division is the greatest because of one woman. With TakeOver four weeks away, Kai questions who is woman enough to challenge Raquel. No one is coming. Kai said there is no one. She then looked at Gonzalez and said they have been through so much together. “As long as I have your back you will always be champion.”
All is well right? Nah. As Gonzalez begins to show off her championship to the crowd, Kai nails her with a huge kick! The Captain of Team Kick then picked up the NXT Women’s Championship. “I’m woman enough.”
Backstage we caught Adam Cole. Cole said lately everyone has been trying to attach themselves to him. Last week, Kyle O’Reilly screamed his name like a maniac and Bronson Reed said he would be his rebound. Cole said he didn’t give a damn about Reed’s journey. Tonight another sad chapter will be added because of Cole.
Then we took a commercial break.
When we came back from break, Io Shirai was finishing a training session when Zoey Stark showed up. Stark said Shirai didn’t have to train alone since they are the tag team champions. Shirai is still adamant that she doesn’t like Stark. Stark asks her to give it a chance and that they would have a great time hanging out.
Then we saw Mandy Rose talking with Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne. Rose saw the cameras and told them to get out of here.
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated Franky Monet and Jessi Kamea via Pinfall
Kamea and Carter began the match. We saw Kamea try to use her height to her advantage in a test of strength, but that didn’t workout so well. Carter and Catanzaro began to utilize quick tags and fun double team moves to keep control of the match.
Monet was able to tag herself into the match and hit a huge DDT on Carter. Knees to the corner and a tag. Carter tried to fight back, but it was actually Stone throwing in his man purse that led to Carter and Catanzaro’s win. Monet seemed to have the momentum and was furious with Stone in the end.
After the match we saw a video where Wade Barrett interviewed Malcom Bivens and Roderick Strong. Barrett asked how Strong got into contact with Bivens after quitting NXT. Strong said that when you compete at the level he does, the game is 90% mental and 10% physical. Everyone knows Strong’s 10% is better than everyone else’s 100%. Everything with Undisputed Era was hard to breakthrough until a call from Bivens. Apparently that call reminded Strong who he was.
Bivens said that Strong is one of the greatest performers of his generation. No one would have predicted Bivens to bring Strong back to NXT. Is the next big money match up Strong versus Bobby Fish? Bivens said that whoever said money can’t buy happiness is a liar. Fish versus Strong is a big money match. Strong said when he finishes Fish next week, this is over.
Then we went to yet another commercial break.
Returning from break we get the official NXT announcement that Regal, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels have made a deal with NXT UK to have WALTER defend his championship against Ilja Dragonov at TakeOver 36.
Imperium defeated Hit Row via Pinfall (Assisted Power Bomb)
B-Fab did try to distract and throw Imperium off their game at one point by jumping on the apron. She was able to save Ashante Thee Adonis from suffering more damage while in the tree of woe though.
When Imperium went to put the match away, Adonis was able to fight his way out of trouble, at least for a moment. Adonis was not able to make a tag to Top Dolla though. He took a pretty good beating from Imperium during this match honestly.
Finally, Adonis was able to make the tag and Top Dolla went crazy. Top Dolla looked to have the match put away, but Marcel Barthel interfered. After Top Dolla tagged Adonis back into the match, Legado del Fantasma made their presence known. Top Dolla went after Santos Escobar and Imperium took advantage.
After the match Legado del Fantasma looked to take out Top Dolla. Swerve found his way back to the ring with a steel chair and chased off Legado del Fantasma.
Backstage we saw The Way and they were discussing who’s fault it was that Austin Theory ran away. Candice LeRae tried to place the blame on Johnny Gargano. While Indi Hartwell thought it was LeRae’s fault. Then a knock came at their door.
A crew member dropped off a gift for Harwell, it was a Dexter Lumis drawing! Lumis drew himself, Indi, Gargano, and LeRae! Gargano and LeRae were not thrilled with the drawing and said Lumis would never be apart of the family. Hartwell just wanted them to give Lumis a chance. She came up with the idea for a match. If Gargano defeats Lumis, then Lumis is no more (as in no more talk of him). If Lumis wins, they have to give him a chance. Apparently it will be called a love her or lose her match.
Adam Cole defeated Bronson Reed via Pinfall (Last Shot)
For the main event, it definitely did not seem like there was enough time set aside for this one. Reed made his entrance when it seemed there were only 8 minutes left in TV time. This was Reed’s first match since losing the North American Championship to Swerve.
Reed swatted down Cole and then picked him up only to end up squashing him. We saw a lot of the match through picture in picture, where Cole focused on trying to take out Reed’s left leg. Reed was able to block a superkick attempt and really start bringing it to Cole. With a slight distraction, Cole hit Panama Sunrise. REED KICKED OUT!
Then the knee pad came down, Reed saw the Last Shot coming and blocked it. Reed went to the top rope, but Cole avoided the Tsunami attempt.
After the match, as Cole was attempting to leave Kyle O’Reilly attacked him from behind with a steel chair! KOR then took apart the steel steps! Deja vu! Suplex to Cole on the steel steps! And thats the end of the show folks!