Just moments after the show officially went on the air, NXT started off with Nikki Cross running into the ring from out of the crowd. She layed on the canvas a good while before she finally walked on over to where the ring announcer was sitting, then she began to call out Ruby Riot. She did this over and over again until Riot eventually came out, and they eventually started brawling on the ramp. The crowd was almost uncomfortably quiet during all of this, with only a few chanting “Fight.” Anyway, they brawled around ringside, Nikki even jumped from the ring steps onto Riot. Not long after this, she was carried to the back by referees.
Well, the show must go on I suppose. We are informed that McIntyre and Black will be in action again, and that the UK Title will be defended in the main event.
After a replay of Hideo Itami returning and laying out Bobby Roode, the NXT Champion is interviewed backstage. He cuts off Kayla Braxton before she can get to a question. Roode reminds Itami that NXT belongs to him now, and that if he wants a title shot, he will have to earn one like everyone else. What a villain?
Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Drew McIntyre –
Back to the action! You may remember that this match was setup last week after Heavy Machinery captured footage of Almas insulting McIntyre in Spanish. McIntyre continues to be a hard-striking, no-nonsense kinda guy in his NXT run. Almas did his usual deal where someone launches him into the ropes, and rather than go through them, he chills out for a moment. McIntyre wasn’t having any of this, and he booted Almas down to the ground with a sickening thud. It looked cool, it sounded brutal, it was the most memorable part of the match by far. Almas got a bit of offense in, but ultimately ate a running boot from Drew and was defeated. The announcers still reference Andrade’s love of partying, and suggest that he should focus more on his matches. I can’t say I disagree, they are becoming more and more one-sided against him.
Winner: Drew McIntyre
William Regal announced that Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross would settle their differences later in the show in a match.
Next, we are shown a video package for Roderick Strong. This video went into great, personal detail about the wreslter’s upbringing and how he got to where he is today. To summarize, Strong grew up in a trailer park with a drug-addicted mother, and a alcohol-abusing father. His mother once even shot his father during an argument, but they reconciled. Strong had no direction in life until he discovered wrestling. His dad setup up a ring in the backyard for himself and his son, and Jim Neidhart once gave Strong the encouraging words that he needed to go all in with his wrestling career. It was all very well done, but all I ask is what took them so long? He’s been around for, what is it now, six or seven months? If you’d like to know more about Strong, give this a watch. A second part to this video will air on next week’s show.
Kona Reeves vs. Aleister Black –
Reeves did nail Black with a few different moves right after the bell rang. That’s something isn’t it? Well, the rest of the match did not go so well for Reeves. He was beaten, punched, kicked, battered, and worn down. Black ended the match early with Black Mass before his music played and he returned to his little in-ring meditation thing that he does. Black is undefeated in NXT thus far.
Winner: Aleister Black
Backstage, a new interviewer introduced herself. Seriously! They cut backstage and she said, “Hello, I’m Christy St. Cloud.” How polite of her to introduce herself. Her literally bidding the audience hello, saying her name, as her guest Ruby Riot just stood there awkwardly, I just found this hilarious for some reason. I’m not sure why she felt the need to introduce herself, but hey, I’ll certainly never forget her now. Anyway, Ruby Riot promised to defeat Nikki Cross. Ruby comes across as inauthentic to me so far. She seems to be trying too hard. We know, you have tattoos and you don’t look like the other women on the roster. She desperately tries to give off an “extreme” or “punk” attitude, but she just hasn’t registered with me yet.
Outside of the arena, Almas is about to leave with a bevy of women by his side. Before he could leave, Kayla Braxton bombarded him with questions. Not cool, Kayla. Don’t you understand that he’s off the clock? He rightfully did not answer any of her questions, but he did offer her the chance to join him and his ladies. Wow, and they call Jack Gallagher the “extraordinary gentleman?” Seriously, where are they going with this? Do we need to have a talk with Mr. Almas? This seems to be turning into a big problem for him. For the record, Braxton declined his offer.
Ruby Riot vs. Nikki Cross –
Riot was making her way to the ring when Nikki attacked her from behind on the ramp. For the second time on this show, they had a brawl all around Full Sail. This time they exchanged some even jabs and maneuvers. At one point, Ruby dove off of the stage and onto Cross who was standing by the stage on the floor. Eventually, the two of them were pulled apart and to the back by security and referees, and the match never officially started.
Winner: N/A
William Regal revealed to Asuka that a battle royal with all of the NXT women will be held to determine a number one contender to her title. She ignored Regal and his statement completely, and walked away.
Tyler Bate vs. “The Extraordinary Gentleman” Jack Gallagher –
Ever since his WWE debut, ad nauseum, they have had their announcers refer to Gallagher as “The Extraordinary Gentleman” Jack Gallagher. As such, I shall also refer to him by the same name. If you don’t like it, blame that WWE marketing strategy my friends. As for this match, these two had a decent technical wrestling match. A lot of these UK guys do strategic, technical wrestling, but what makes them so special is that they can work in a way that still makes the match interesting. These types of matches may not be so exciting to some fans, but these guys always seem to find a way to get this crowd into their bouts. After some twisting and turning of body parts, after a wicked headbutt that I wish “The Extraordinary Gentleman” Jack Gallagher would stop doing, and after a few other tricks between the two grapplers, Bate hit the Tyler Driver ’97 on “The Extraordinary Gentleman” Jack Gallagher. He scored the win and retained his title.
Over at ringside, they showed the five UK Tournament competitors who they seem to be the most impressed by: Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews, Trent Seven, and Wolfgang (yeah, Wofgang!). Each of them had a sour expression on their faces, but cheer up guys, you’re getting your own show! I do hope that these four men, and Bate in particular, do stick around in NXT once their UK show launches. They are a fun bunch to watch, and Bate has the potential to go far in his career. The show ended with Tom Phillips plugging the new UK show that is coming to the WWE Network “real soon.”
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