The CW and Netflix will air a new episode of WWE NXT tonight, with Vic Joseph and Booker T at the commentary table, live from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The show will feature several matches and segments of interest, highlighting the start of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic with the first two tournament matches.
Additionally, La Catalina and Thea Hail will face Kelani Jordan and Zaria in a tag team match. On the other hand, Zilla Fatu will team up with Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux to face BirthRight. As always, we invite you to comment on the article to give your opinion on what happened on the show.
WWE NXT starts on Netflix!
Cody Rhodes stars in the introduction video for the new edition of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. "The American Nightmare" confirms that he will be presenting the trophy to the winning team.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic - First Round
Los Americanos (Bravo Americano and Rayo Americano) vs. Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno
Rayo and Noam start the match. The Scotsman catches Rayo in a wristlock. Rayo stylishly frees himself to tag in Bravo. Dar, in turn, tags in Moreno. He surprises his opponent with a Dropkick. Bravo responds with an Electric Chair before unleashing a flurry of attacks on the Spaniard. Los Americanos combine perfectly against Romeo.
Dar receives the tag to team up with Moreno. Together they take down Rayo. Noam kicks Rayo repeatedly, who responds with several chops. Dar catches Rayo in a Guillotine Choke. Bravo tries to intervene, but Romeo dives onto him (using Rayo's back as a springboard) to catch him in another Guillotine Choke. Bravo frees himself from the Spaniard to slam him onto Noam and Rayo, thus freeing the latter.
Los Americanos expel their rivals from the ring. Bravo dives onto both with a twisting tope. Rayo brings Noam back into the ring. Rayo kicks the Scotsman. He responds with a lightning-fast right hand. As a result, Rayo collapses on the canvas. 1..2..NO. Moreno receives the tag to continue the offense on Rayo. He escapes the clutches of the Spaniard to tag in Bravo. Together, they take down Moreno with a flying shoulder tackle in stereo.
Bravo executes a clothesline on Romeo before setting him up with his partner. Rayo crushes the Spaniard's back with a double foot stomp. Bravo tries to execute a superplex on Romeo, but he frees himself to respond with a powerbomb. Both men are left lying on the mat. Moreno escapes his rivals to tag in Noam, who enters with full force.
Dar catches Bravo in an Ankle Lock. Bravo frees himself, only to receive a right hand. Noam and Moreno combine to execute a neckbreaker + double foot stomp combo on Bravo. The Spaniard covers the masked man. 1..2..NO. Bravo recovers to carry his opponents on his shoulders. Bravo performs a double airplane spin. Bravo and Rayo seek height on opposite corners to execute a diving headbutt in parallel on their two opponents. Bravo covers Dar. 1..2..NO.
Bravo and Rayo try to combine on Dar. Moreno prevents it by surprising Bravo with a superkick. Rayo executes a Bitter End on Noam. 1..2..NO. Moreno interrupts the count. Los Americanos unleash a flurry of punches on Noam. Furious, Romeo comes to his partner's aid. Bravo surprises the Spaniard with a Bop and Bang. Now it's Noam who surprises Rayo with a cheap shot. Los Americanos execute a German suplex + clothesline combo on Dar.
Moreno expels Rayo from the ring, only to be kicked by Bravo. As a result, the Spaniard ends up at ringside. Bravo surprises Dar with a kick. Meanwhile, Rayo dives onto Moreno with a moonsault. We return to the ring, where Dar catches Bravo in a ground Ankle Lock. Bravo escapes the Scotsman's clutches to execute a German suplex. "This is amazing!" chant the fans.
Moreno seeks height to jump on Rayo, but he receives a right hand. Rayo returns to the ring. Bravo performs a scoop powerslam on Noam before finishing him with a frog splash. 1..2..NO. Rayo catches Moreno's fingers to apply a finger snap. With the Spaniard temporarily out of action, Rayo crushes Dar's elbow on the canvas. Noam responds with a cheap shot. Dar crouches so Moreno can use his back as a springboard. The Spaniard jumps towards Bravo's position to slam him to the canvas with a Death Valley Driver. After that, Noam and Romeo finish him off with a sweeping kick + cheap shot combo. 1..2..3.
Winners: Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno
We see a video recap of last week's main event.
Kendal Grey attends a session with his sports psychologist. He asks her how she's feeling. Kendal assures him she's fine. She's still dealing with some vertigo episodes, but she's ready to return to action. "I didn't mean that. How do you feel?" asks the psychologist. Grey admits she feels very bad. Not only did she lose her championship, but she also doesn't have clearance to compete, which is driving her crazy. Kendal recalls that she went through this in her college days. She suffered a Lisfranc injury that kept her out of her team. The difference is that, on that occasion, she knew when she would return. Now she's not so sure. She doesn't know when she'll be able to compete again. Will it be a matter of weeks? Months? Maybe a year? And the most important question: will she maintain her level upon her return? The psychologist proposes a task: to think about "who is Kendal Grey when she's not competing." They will discuss it in the next session.
Kali Armstrong vs. Skylar Raye
Armstrong charges at Raye against one of the corners to unleash a furious offensive. Kali applies several corner spears on her opponent. Raye responds with a series of armdrags. Raye shows off her agility to surprise Armstrong, who she expels from the ring with a hurricanrana. Kali lifts the ring skirt to look for something, but finally decides to return to the ring. Armstrong knocks down Skylar with a clothesline to regain control. Kali knocks down her opponent with a spinning facebuster.
Kali and Raye exchange roll-ups. Skylar surprises Armstrong with a crossbody. Raye continues to attack Kali. She stops an attack in one of the corners to lift her opponent onto one of her shoulders. After that, she applies a running powerslam. Armstrong stomps on Skylar's chest repeatedly. Kali knocks down her opponent with a back elbow. Next, she stands over her to unleash a flurry of punches. Armstrong catches Raye in a crossface. Skylar frees herself by executing a backstabber on Armstrong. Skylar continues to hit her opponent, who she knocks down with a tornado DDT. After that, she finishes her off with a frog splash. 1..2..NO. Kali knocks down Raye with a Black Hole Slam. Next, she executes a spinebuster. 1..2..NO. Armstrong tries to throw Skylar against one of the corners, but it's her opponent who ends up achieving the goal.
Armstrong surprises Raye with a scoop powerslam. After that, she gains momentum on the ropes to execute her Kali Connection, but Skylar moves out of her way. As a result, Armstrong applies the finisher on the referee, who ends up at ringside. At that moment, Reina Volcan appears on the scene to surprise Kali with a scoop powerslam. Reina catches Skylar to apply a Natural Disaster. Raye's arm ends up on Kali. Still sore, the referee returns to make the three count. 1..2..3.
Winner: Skylar Raye
Shiloh Hill and Saquon Shugars converse with Robert Stone in his office. Stone asks Hill if he was really talking to raccoons last week. Shiloh doesn't remember anything about it. What he does know is that Naraku is coming for him. Saquon, on the other hand, wants to get his revenge on Tristan Angels, the man who cost him a title shot last week. Hill has experience with the Brit, so he can tell him a lot about him. Additionally, he could also pass him some red mist to get rid of that problem... permanently. Shugars takes out several bills from his pocket to pay Shiloh for the merchandise. Surprised, Hill doesn't hesitate to take them. Stone scolds them for carrying out these dealings... and in his presence. Hill also has something to help forget things. Maybe he could pass him some. Saquon indicates to Shiloh that he'll be waiting for him in the parking lot to continue with this business. Stone asks him to wait. The General Manager knows that they both want a match against Naraku and Angels, so he asks them to meet with him next week. By then, maybe he will have achieved what they want. Hill and Shugars leave to end the segment.
We see a video recorded outside the venue before the show. In it, Robert Stone and the Performance Center security expel Wren Sinclair from the premises. The former WWE Speed champion was selling her new shirt to fans (In Wren We Trust) without permission due to her suspension.
Tag Team Match
La Catalina and Thea Hail vs. Kelani Jordan and Zaria
Thea and Zaria start the match. Hail dives onto the Australian. She blocks her, at which point Jordan asks for the tag. Kelani surprises Hail with a dropkick. Thea trips Jordan over the ropes. La Catalina receives the tag to execute a running hip attack on Kelani. Thea follows up with a direct meteora. Zaria charges against La Catalina and Hail, but the latter makes her fall to ringside. La Catalina dives onto her two opponents with a suicide dive. Thea is next to jump, this time with Boing. Hail and La Catalina dance at ringside while their opponents remain lying on the ground.
La Catalina brings Kelani back into the ring to continue the fight. Thea receives the tag. La Catalina carries Hail on her shoulders to drop her with a splash on Jordan. 1..2..NO. Thea continues to punish the NXT Champion. She manages to free herself to tag in Zaria. Kelani distracts Thea so the Australian can surprise her with a clothesline. Zaria continues to attack Hail. The Australian tags in Kelani. She and Zaria apply a combined slam on Hail. Jordan covers her. 1..2..NO.
Thea reverses Zaria's Stalling suplex into a sleeper hold. The Australian frees herself to tag in Jordan. She hits Thea with a big boot before Zaria knocks her down with a body drop. Kelani finishes her off with a springboard moonsault. 1..2..NO. Jordan knocks down Hail with a German suplex. Kelani hits La Catalina to prevent her from rescuing her partner. Meanwhile, Zaria finishes off Thea with a spear. 1..2..NO.
Hail escapes from her rivals to tag in La Catalina, who enters with full force. La Catalina jumps on Zaria with a Missile Dropkick. The Chilean applies a suplex on Kelani before knocking down Zaria with a right hand. La Catalina applies a running hip attack on her opponents in opposite corners. Zaria stops her offense by applying an F5. La Catalina lands on Jordan. Both women end up at ringside. Zaria tries to apply a new F5, this time on Hail, but she reverses it into a roll-up. 1..2..3.
Winners: La Catalina and Thea Hail
We move to the men's locker room, where Sean Legacy informs Zilla Fatu that Dorian Van Dux won't be able to compete with them due to an injury. The brutal assault by BirthRight last week punctured his lung. Zilla asks Legacy if they'll have to face their opponents at a disadvantage. At that moment, Dux appears with his team. Sean seems surprised. The Belgian assures him that he's fine to compete. Legacy disagrees. Sean wants his partner to rest and recover until he receives medical clearance. Additionally, he already has a replacement for him. EK Prosper appears to reveal that he will replace Dorian. Zilla and EK Prosper fist bump and head to the ring. Meanwhile, Sean tries to encourage his partner. "I want you out there, but first you need to get medical clearance," says Legacy before leaving.
Cruz Montana makes his characteristic entrance into the ring descending from the venue's stands. Montana recalls that he made his intentions clear upon arriving at NXT. His goal remains the brand's top championship. Yes, he may have missed some opportunities, but that doesn't mean he hasn't won matches. Now he wants to declare that, whoever ends next week with the gold around their waist, he will be the next to...
DarkState interrupts the promo!
"Hey, Cruz. You're very good at making yourself out to be more important than you are. You love that reputation. No one cares about what you thought you were going to do. DarkState is going to sweep the Dusty Cup. Let them worry about the championships, and you worry about what's in front of you, which is... nothing," says Dion Lennox to mock Montana. He believes Lennox is very brave when he's with his teammates. That's why he proposes that he let them focus on their participation in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Meanwhile, he can go up to the ring and keep talking, this time face to face. Dion accepts his request.
Once in the ring, Lennox gives credit to Cruz for competing around the world winning championships in many promotions. However, having fought in dusty rings doesn't make him a better wrestler than him. Dion assures that Montana can't stand talents that are disciplined like him. Lennox recalls that Cruz said last week that EK Prosper is the future of this brand. And he understands, because both have competed on the independent circuit. However, he will never be like them.
Montana mocks Lennox for being offended by that comment. Cruz points out that he has spent years fighting his own demons and breaking his back while learning from some of the best wrestlers in this business. Dion can ask any of them, and they will tell him that Montana has paid the price for every step he has taken on his path. "I have earned everything I have been blessed with, both inside and outside the ring. You are not on my level, buddy," says Cruz. He recalls that Dion started his wrestling career only because his dream of succeeding in American football didn't work out. Cruz got into this business through effort. Lennox simply received a phone call inviting him to a tryout, like many others.
"Wait a minute. You say 'people like me,' right? Your mother wasn't a drug dealer? Mine wasn't," says Dion to enrage Cruz. Lennox assures that he did the right thing to get to WWE, like becoming an athlete and participating in NFL tryouts. In fact, it was the company practically begging him to sign with them. That's why he doesn't understand why the fans hate him, while they adore Montana. Maybe it's because they identify with the Puerto Rican. "Is it because Dion Lennox wasn't a drug addict like him?," he asks while pointing at Cruz. Lennox points out that Montana keeps patting himself on the back, considering himself some kind of hero, just for becoming the man he should have been from the beginning. "Let me tell you this. You had to lose everything just to become someone. I have been someone all my life," he says. Tired, Montana throws a right hand at Lennox, who falls to ringside. Both men start a fight that can't be stopped by the officials. Thus, we reach the end of this segment.
Robert Stone congratulates Mason Rook on his victory last week. That's why tonight he wants to give him the opportunity to take a microphone. Rook thanks him for his words, but also admits his concern about having to exchange words with someone as good on the mic as Grayson Waller. Stone asks him if he's nervous about it. Mason replies that he's not, as he has things to say. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger appear on the scene to encourage Rook. The former tag team champions advise him to just be himself tonight. "If you speak from your gut, you'll never go wrong," says Walker as he rubs his belly. Rook thanks them both before leaving. Stone asks Hank and Tank if he can do anything for them. They simply want to thank him for including them in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Hank and Tank acknowledge that their opponents (Shido Ash and Viktor Zanov) have been devouring the EVOLVE tag team division. The question is whether they will have enough hunger to beat them. Ledger adds that they will not only conquer the tournament, but the entire NXT tag team division. Stone wishes them luck. Hank and Tank leave to end this segment.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic - First Round
The Creed Brothers (Julius Creed and Brutus Creed) vs. Harley Riggins and Jax Presley
Julius charges at his opponents before the referee can start the match. The Creed Brothers team up against Presley. He recovers to surprise the former tag team champions, whom he expels from the ring. Jax catches Brutus to bring him back inside, but his opponent makes him stumble over the metal steps. This way, The Creeds regain control. Julius executes a series of corner spears on Jax. He dodges the impact of an elbow drop to tag in Riggins, who enters with full force.
Harley takes down The Creeds with a double dropkick. Riggins continues attacking Julius, hitting him with a rolling senton bomb. Brutus jumps in to interrupt the count, but Riggins moves away, causing him to land on his own brother. Harley throws Brutus out of the ring before tagging in Jax. He carries Julius on his shoulders. Meanwhile, Riggins seeks height in one of the corners. Brutus returns to push Harley, who falls to ringside. After that, he teams up with his brother to finish off Presley with a double uranage. 1..2..3.
Winners: The Creed Brothers
We see a video recap of the recent attack by Myles Borne on Tavion Heights.
Tag Team Match
BirthRight (Lexis King, Uriah Connors, and Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo) (with Arianna Grace) vs. Zilla Fatu, Sean Legacy, and EK Prosper
Legacy and "Stacks" start the match. Sean takes down Channing before kicking him with a Penalty Kick. Legacy finishes him off with a standing moonsault. 1..2..NO. Uriah gets tagged in, as does EK Prosper. He surprises Connors with a dropkick. Uriah recovers to hit EK Prosper in one of the corners. Lexis gets tagged in to kick EK Prosper. Zilla quickly gets tagged in to take control of the situation. King surprises the Samoan with a direct dropkick to the face.
Zilla recovers to regain control. Fatu assists his teammates in attacking their opponents, who end up outside the ring. Zilla, EK Prosper, and Sean dive with a triple dive onto BirthRight. The fans go wild. Legacy brings Connors back into the ring to continue the punishment. Sean throws his opponent against one of the corners before taking him down with an arm drag. Fatu gets tagged in to take down Uriah with a powerslam. He then finishes him off with an elbow drop.
The Samoan tags in Sean. He tries to continue the attack, but Connors surprises him with a dropkick. Uriah brings his opponent to their corner, where he tags in Lexis. He delivers several chops to Legacy. King keeps hitting Sean until he surprises him with a backslide. 1...2...NO. Legacy immobilizes Lexis in an arm drag. EK Prosper gets tagged in to apply a diving foot stomp on King's arm, who screams in pain.
Lexis grabs EK Prosper by the hair to take him down to the mat. After that, he tags in "Stacks". He and Connors combine perfectly against EK Prosper. Channing takes down his opponent with an armdrag for Uriah to kick him with a P.K. Connors applies an arm drag to Lorenzo for him to land on EK Prosper. 1..2..NO. EK Prosper and "Stacks" exchange attacks. The former surprises his opponent with a Slumdog Millionaire.
Channing takes refuge at the top of one of the corners. EK Prosper runs towards him to take him down with a Frankensteiner. EK Prosper finishes him off with an elevated Shining Wizard. 1..2..NO. Lexis interrupts the count. Fatu throws King out of the ring before launching himself with a suicide dive. Meanwhile, "Stacks" and Connors perform a combo suplex + sit-out powerslam on EK Prosper. 1..2..NO. The action continues. Uriah surprises EK Prosper with a tremendous kick to the face before finishing him off with a springboard cutter. 1..2..NO.
Zilla gets tagged in to enter with full force. The Samoan takes care of all his opponents at the same time. Fatu takes down Lexis with a Samoan drop before executing a running hip attack on Uriah. EK Prosper tags in and immediately seeks height in one of the corners. However, the referee is distracted arguing with Grace. The official orders EK Prosper to get down from the corner. Sean then decides to tag in to execute a 450 Splash on Connors. However, he is met with knees, and Connors covers him. 1..2..3.
Winners: BirthRight
Lexis returns to the ring to approach Fatu. "I told you! I told you!" he exclaims before pushing him. Zilla slaps King before setting him up for his Triple Z, but Connors and "Stacks" save their teammate just in time. Both teams exchange threats as the segment comes to an end.
Emily Agard interviews Zaria backstage. Agard informs the Australian that, after what happened tonight, Thea Hail will have a shot at her North American Championship next week. Zaria makes it clear that winning a tag team match is not the same as a title match, promising that next week the same story won't repeat. Suddenly, we see on screen what appears to be a low-budget movie, with Zaria as one of the protagonists. "Oh my god! Zaria, is that you?", asks Izzi Dame as she joins the conversation. Embarrassed, the Australian leaves the place. Izzi takes Zaria's place in the interview to mention the title match next week, where two women who have a lot in common will face off: neither of them has friends. In fact, Zaria didn't have any in high school either. And, seeing the video from before, she can understand why. "Let's leave this story for another day. No good deed goes unpunished," says Dame before leaving.
Grayson Waller makes his way to the ring. Mason Rook is the next to appear. Waller doesn't allow Rook to receive a microphone, claiming he won't know how to use it. Grayson reminds the fans that his goal is to defend the NXT Championship against the best, and right now Mason is the best. The Australian assures that there's no one hungrier than him... except Mason Rook (literally speaking). Waller acknowledges that he has something in common with the Brit: they both left their homes to chase their dreams. However, they are not the same. Unlike him, Rook has just arrived at the Performance Center, so he can't understand what sacrifice means. "Miss mommy?" Waller jokingly asks.
Grayson continues to mock the Brit's physique. "I'm here running marathons. You're running to the front door to pick up your food orders," he says. Despite everything, his job is to defend the NXT Championship, so he must take his opponent seriously. The Australian acknowledges that Mason is a great athlete... despite his morphology. However, he believes that he hasn't unleashed his full potential yet. And the reason is that the Brit has gotten comfortable now that he's finally made it to WWE. And this will cost him next week when he drags him into the depths. "You'll be in the ring. You'll be gasping for air. Your lungs will burn. Your heart, your body, and your soul will tell you to quit. And you will," Grayson promises.
Waller hands Mason the microphone to respond, but not before reminding him that it's not edible. Rook knows what Grayson is trying to do. The Australian wants to provoke him to respond and thus be able to humiliate him. But he won't play this game. Instead, he wants to share with the fans his theory about the reasons that led Waller to return to NXT. "Maybe, just maybe, you didn't quite fit into the vision of the main roster. Maybe you're just upset because John Cena knew who I was even before I stepped into a WWE ring. But, Grayson, this is your game, and I'm not going to play with you. I know for a fact that you can't play mine. What I find hard to understand is: what do you think will happen when all this is over? When you have no microphone in your hand, no witty phrase to hide behind, and the bell rings. You keep telling me that you'll take me to deep waters. No, friend. You're going to drown in mine. I didn't come into the world of professional wrestling by chance. I'm not here because I failed in another sport. I'm not here because I didn't succeed in another brand. And certainly not because I wasn't good enough somewhere else. I'm here because I've earned the right to be a WWE superstar, and I'll tell you exactly what I am. I'm the best heavyweight in the business. So, Grayson, when the bell rings and you're in front of me, and that pencil neck of yours has to figure out how to prevent 300 pounds from crashing down on it, no matter how good you are at talking, when my hands wrap around your neck and I'm taking the air out of your lungs, you'll quickly realize that this is completely over your head. Unfortunately for you, being good with the microphone won't save your ass this time," says Mason before slamming the mic against the champion's chest. Both men exchange threats as the show comes to an end.
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