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Welcome to PWInsider’s live NXT coverage!
The show opens from Orlando. Vic Joseph and Booker T are on the call. We see our main event challengers Tony D’Angelo, Mason Rook, and Saquon Shugars arriving backstage. They’ll face off in a triple threat tonight, with the winner getting a shot at NXT champ Grayson Waller.
Match #1: Lizzy Rain versus Kali Armstrong
Armstrong with a body slam. They lock up again, and Armstorng with a hiptoss and another bodyslam. She’s getting the early advantage. Back and forth action with Rain hitting a fisherman’s suplex (always a “Perfect Plex” to me). Rain locks on an arm bar and works over Armstong’s arm. Quick pin attempt fails.
It’s pretty even, back-and-forth action before Armstrong misses a spear in the corner and runs her injured shoulder into the post. Lizzy goes to the top, but Armstrong knocks her down and starts laying in some vicious upper kicks and kicks. Armstrong with a British Bulldog-style powerslam and pin attempt. Rain kicks out at 2. Armstrong continues laying into Rain with kicks and elbows. Rain catches a surprise roll-up, but Armstrong out at 2. Armstrong with a flying clothesline. She locks on an abdominal stretch, but Rain reverses. Armstrong with a spinebuster, but Rain kicks out at 2.8.
Rain with a kick to the face, and she’s firing up. Chops on Armstrong in the corner. Back and forth, and another pin attempt from Rain.
Rain gets a hurricanrana on Armstrong, but Armstrong fires up immediately. Rain tries to derail her momentum a headbutt, but Armstrong is back quickly and runs the ropes, hitting her Kali Connection running shoulder block for the 3-count.
Your winner, Kali Armstrong!
During the replay, Skylar Raye appeared in the ring for the first time in months, attacking Armstrong and screaming at her. Armstrong gets out of the ring while officials hold back Raye.
Grayson Waller is shown in the back on a treadmill, getting ready for his main event match later tonight.
Dorian Van Dux and Sean Legacy are backstage getting ready for their match against Dark State. They’re discussing upcoming NXT Tag Team Championship opportunities when they’re interrupted by BirthRight who say they have their own sights set on the tag team belts.
Cruz Montana is backstage talking to NXT general manager Robert Stone. EK Prosper arrives and apologizes to Montana for last week. Montana says it’s all good, and he tells Stone that EK is the future of NXT. The Vanity Project rolls into the office, upset about rumours of a tag team opportunity. They say Stone has to run all potential opportunities by them - the champs.
The Vanity Project mouths off enough to bother Cruz, who says Myka Lockwood is the toughest one in their group. She agrees. Cruz challenges The Vanity Project, and Stone makes it official: Cruz and EK vs Vanity Project tonight.
Match #2: DarkState (Cutler James, Osiris Griffin) vs Dorian Van Dux & Sean Legacy
James with a huge overhead suplex to start the match. He’s laying in massive power moves vs Legacy. Legacy rocks James with a kick to the face. He tries to get offense started, but the bigger James overpowers him. Legacy hits a Sliced Bread, tags in DVD. They go for tag moves, but Griffin is in with a massive double clothesline.
Osiris is in with DVD, and they’re slugging it out. DVD with a running clothesline. Legacy is back in, and they’re double-teaming Osiris.
Dark State are outside the ring and DVD and Legacy run at them with dives from in the ring. Both are caught and slammed on the outside. It’s speed vs. power and power seems to be slowly winning.
DVD with a dropkick on James. James with a double-cutter on both. Pin attempt fails.
Legacy with multiple dives outside on each opponent. He’s running from side to side. DVD with a moonsault onto Osiris.
Osiris with a shooting star press onto Osiris. He gets a 2 before James breaks the pin.
Dion Lennox is outside, attacks DVD, rolls him back into the ring. The ref was distracted and saw none of this. DarkState hit their finisher on DVD in the ring for the 3-count. Vic Joseph yells, “Not like this!” and bemoans the constant numbers advantage.
Your winners, DarkState!
Lennox is outside the ring, all smiles. DarkState walks off together.
Suddenly, the members of BirthRight are ringside. Uriah Connors calls out Zilla, said they dropped him. Charlie Dempsey says they’re going to keep “putting people in the ground” until they get the championships and attention they want. They said they’re starting with DVD and Legacy, who are still recovering outside. They attack the tag team until Zilla runs out and tries to take out everyone. Legacy and DVD join him. They chase off BirthRight.
Mason Rook with an inspired backstage promo ahead of tonight’s main event.
Skylar Raye is talking to Robert Stone. He is admonishing her for the attack on Kali Armstrong earlier, but Raye is having none of it. She says she needed to make a statement, and she did. Myles Borne interrupts, asks how much time he has tonight. Stone says he can have all the time he needs.
Medical is checking on NXT Women's North American Champion Zaria and says she is cleared, but it’s suggested that she take it easy. Zaria says she won’t let someone like Thea Hail keep her down. Izzy Dame shows up, says she’s surprised Zaria was taken down by someone like Hail.
Myles Borne is in the ring, says he has a lot to say and apologize for. He asks Tavion Heights to join him. Heights comes out, he doesn’t look happy.
Borne thanks Heights for coming out. Heights says Borne crossed a line. Borne says he knows. He said he was emotional after losing both belts. Borne says he acted out of fear. He was paranoid that Heights was going to attack him first. Says he is truly sorry. Heights says he appreciates the apology, but says his back is still sore from where he was stabbed.
Heights says, “you kicked me while I was down.” This is an emotional segment.
Borne tries to compare this situation with Heights forcing him to defend his championship at the Great American Bash. Heights says is wasn’t the same thing. Borne continues to sell Heights on what a great team they are and should remain. Borne says he’s not proud of what he did, but he just asks Heights to forgive him and put this past them.
Heights says maybe he was too focused on his own situation. Borne says they need how to learn how to manage their careers and successes while maintaining their friendship. He says he loves Heights like a brother.
Heights finally gives in. “You’re my dog for life!” he says as he hugs Borne.
The crowd is not happy to see the reunion. They are booing. They saw it coming. Borne snaps, attacking Heights. He’s destroying him. Vic Joseph is screaming, “Stop!” Borne puts Heights’ left ankle in a chair, leaps and stomps on it. He’s looking down at Heights with absolute disdain. The crowd is raining down boos. Referees come out to check on Heights, who is in agony.
Wrestling storytelling 101, done very well.
Kendal Grey is in a doctor’s office with Wren Sinclair. Dr. Smith says Kendal needs rest, and she won’t get better until she takes it easy. Doctor is also recommending a sports psychologist for Grey. Grey is disappointed, but thanks her.
Match #3: Cruz Montana and EK Prosper vs Vanity Project
Joseph and Booker are discussing Borne’s attack on Heights while Prosper and Cruz each make their way to the ring. The champs are out next.
Brad and EK start the match. Lots of high-flying action. Some showboating from Brad. Both teams tag. Back-and-forth action, Cruz with a cutter. Both teams are fighting. EK and Cruz get the advantage. EK and Cruz are playing off each other well, Joseph jokes that this is the team we didn’t know we needed.
Smokes and Cruz are in the ring. Smokes with a headlock. Cruz gets up, starts elbowing Smokes. They’re going back and forth. Cruz takes down Smokes. Both men are down. Both get tag. EK is on fire, takes out Vanity Project. Blockbuster on Baylor. Joseph speculates that if they can knock off Vanity Project, they should get a title shot.
Smokes with a spear on EK. Joseph says the champs seem frustrated. Booker agrees, but says they do their best work late in the match.
Cruz and EK have Smokes on top rope, but Baylor breaks it up. Impossible to capture all the action, these guys are all over the place.
North American champ Jackson Drake is suddenly outside the ring and he hits a dropkick to Cruz’s face. Ref tosses Drake out. Back in the ring, EK and Smokes are going back and forth when Smokes gets EK in a backslide in the corner of the ring. Baylor is there and he holds EK’s legs up for the pin, but the ref doesn’t see him do it. Vanity Project gets the win through nefarious means!
Your winners, Vanity Project!
Joseph is upset.
“You gotta be kidding me!” he says.
“That was nice,” responds Booker, adding that a win is a win.
Vanity Project and happy as they walk to the back.
Emily Agard is backstage talking to Saquon Shugars. Shugars is cutting a promo on both his opponents tonight when Tristan Angels interrupts. Angels says he is champ material and Shugars is not. Shugars says Angels should go home and watch Shugars win a championship title shot tonight.
Meanwhile, Grayson Waller is still on the treadmill.
NXT Women's Champion Kelani Jordan is on her way to the ring.
Jordan says she is setting a new standard for NXT champion. She says she’s not like other WWE champions. She puts her money where her mouth is.
She then turns her attention to Wren, saying she got herself suspended while Jordan debuted on Raw. She asks who will be next, but says there is no person ready to fight her. Suddenly, music hits, Jordan is shocked, and AAA Reina De Reinas Champion La Catalina is making her way to the ring. Jordan is not impressed.
La Catalina congratulates Kelani. Then she says she’s going to take women’s wrestling to the next level. Kelani begins to respond when Zaria’s music hits. Zaria says she doesn’t see either of them unifying titles. La Catalina mentions Hail and Zaria says Hail got a fluke shot on her.
Hail’s music hits. Hail says it’s easy to count her out, but everyone knows she can go. She said she may be young, but she has proven that she is a winner. Suddenly, everyone is fighting. Hail and Catalina take out Zaria and Kelani, and they celebrate in the ring.
It’s Tony D’Angelo’s turn to cut a promo ahead of the main event.
Grayson is still on the treadmill, making it look easy.
Match #4: Mason Rook vs. Tony D’Angelo vs. Saquon Shugars to earn a WWE NXT Championship match
Saquon is out first, then D’Angelo, then Rook.
In a preview for next week, Joseph reveals that The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic returns after nearly three years. The brackets will be revealed later this week, and the tournament begins next week. Also next week, La Catalina and Thea Hail will face Kelani Jordan and Zaria. Meanwhile, Sean Legacy, Zilla Fatu and Dorian Van Lux will face BirthRight’s Lexis King, Channing Lorenzo and Uriah Connors in a six-man tag match. Joseph tells us that Charlie Dempsey is out injured following Zilla’s Triple Z earlier.
The match finally begins. Fast-paced. D’Angelo gets early momentum, but it’s back-and-forth for the first several minutes. Mason is bodyslamming everyone. Saquon with a dropkick in the corner to Rook’s face. D’Angelo with German suplexes on Shugars. Tony tries to German everyone, but Rook stops him. D’Angelo attempts again, this time by first holding Mason while Mason holds Shugars. It works. They’re all slow to get up.
Mason takes over. He goes to the top. Shugars is preparing a superplex on Mason, but Tony sneaks up and powerbombs them both.
Unlike a lot of three-ways, no one is spending a lot of time outside the ring. The action is fast-paced. Fans are shouting for tables, I think, for reasons unknown.
Shugars with the advantage. He pins Mason but only gets a 2. Shugars is confident, but Mason is fighting back. All three are fighting. D’Angelo rolls up Mason, but he kicks out. Tony hits a Goldberg-esque jackhammer on Mason, but only gets a 2. Shugars pins Tony with his feet on the rope, but the ref sees it.
Tony with a belly-to-belly on Shugars. He does it again from the top rope, and Mason almost catches Shugars into a powerbomb. Shugars is now laid out while Rook and Tony are punching each other silly. Tony hits Mason with a knee to the face. Tony clotheslines them both outside.
Mason with a cannonball on Tony. Shugars takes advantage. He hits a reverse frog splash on Tony and goes for the pin, but Tristan Angels pulls the ref out of the ring.
Shugars jumps out of the ring and attacks Angels. Back in the Ring, Tony’s back gives out on him. Rook hits a blue thunder bomb. He goes to the top, hits a super splash on Tony.
Your winner and the new number one contender, Mason Rook!
Grayson Waller’s music hits, and he (still running from the treadmill) jogs out to the entrance with his NXT title while Rook looks on. We go to credits. Goodnight, folks.
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