Samoa Joe returned to NXT
Samoa Joe is back in NXT as the apparent hard-nosed assistant to NXT General Manager William Regal. With NXT Champion Karrion Kross ridiculing Regal for his despondence at the recent state of disarray on NXT, Joe wasn’t afraid to stand face to face with Kross, setting a decisive tone for his return to the black-and-gold brand.
Breezango def. Imperium
WALTER likely won’t be happy with Imperium’s performance, as Breeznago scored a victory out of nowhere thanks to an inside cradle by Tyler Breeze on Fabian Aichner. Aichner & Marcel Barthel had the last laugh though, draping the Imperium flag over their foes following a post-match assault.
William Regal announced Cole-O’Reilly II for NXT Great American Bash
Regal continued the eventful night with the blockbuster announcement that Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole would face off in a “straight-up wrestling match” at NXT Great American Bash. With security unable to separate the rivals backstage, Joe made his presence felt in short order, applying the Coquina Clutch to Cole until he was neutralized.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida def. Trey Baxter
Trey Baxter made an impressive accounting for himself in his NXT debut, but he could not overcome Kushida’s technical prowess. NXT’s resident Time Splitter locked on the Hoverboard Lock for the submission victory, securing another successful title defense.
O’Reilly watched from ringside for most of the match before confronting Kushida after the bout, challenging Kushida to a match next week as he hoped to test himself against the best the world has to offer.
LA Knight assaulted Ted DiBiase
The coronation of the new Million Dollar Champion ended in a way no one expected: with LA Knight savagely attacking “The Million Dollar Man.” Cameron Grimes ran out to fight off Knight, but not before Knight appeared to do significant damage to the WWE Hall of Famer.
Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai def. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro nearly scored the massive upset at several junctures, coming particularly close following a spectacular 450 splash by Catanzaro. Dakota Kai hit the Go-To Kick on Catanzaro to put her away and earn the victory for the powerful duo.
Zoey Stark & Io Shirai fought off Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell
Former NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai, fresh off her return last week alongside Poppy, came to the Capitol Wrestling Center to sound off but was quickly interrupted by Candice LeRae. Lerae was soon joined by partner Indi Hartwell to unleash a two-on-one beatdown on The Genius of the Sky. Shirai received some well-timed backup from Zoey Stark, however, and the two fought off The Way to stand tall.
Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher def. Grizzled Young Veterans in a Tornado Tag Match
These four Superstars treated the NXT Universe to one of the most chaotic showdowns in recent memory. GYV appeared to be on the fast track to victory after dropping Tommaso Ciampa with a devastating Doomsday Device on the outside of the ring. They followed by hitting Timothy Thatcher with the Ticket to Mayhem, but Ciampa dove back into the ring to make the save with no time to spare. The Blackheart rallied with an Air Raid Crash to Gibson on the announce table, then joined Thatcher to blast James Drake with open-hand slaps in stereo before earning the victory with a combination ankle lock and Fujiwara armbar applied simultaneously.
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