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Good evening and welcome to PWInsider’s NXT coverage! NXT is live on the CW in the United States and Netflix elsewhere. The show opens from Orlando with Vic Joseph and Booker T on the call.
We see the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy and a highlight reel of great tag teams from throughout history, including the Road Warriors, Steiners, Dudleys, Demolition, Harlem Heat, and so many more. Cody Rhodes narrated the clip. The Dusty tournament this year will have 14 teams from NXT, AAA, Evolve, Raw, and Smackdown.
Match #1: Noam Dar & Romeo Moreno vs Los Americanos
Rayo and Dar open the watch, but there are quick tags early and lots of fast-paced action. There was a cool spot where Romeo and Dar each had an opponent locked in a submission. Bravo countered and bodyslammed Romeo onto Dar and Rayo to break up Dar’s submission hold. Bravo with a dive to the outside onto Dar and Romeo, and CW viewers are off to commercials while we Netflix viewers are treated to a few extra minutes of action.
Rayo with an x-plex on Romeo. Tag to Bravo and they hit a double headbutt. Bravo with a backslide pin attempt on Romeo. He’s hanging on, but Los Americanos are not letting him tag. They’ve cut the ring in half. Romeo counters a superplex attempt from Bravo, nailing him with a powerbomb, but he can’t make the tag. Rayo stops him. Finally, Romeo is able to get some offense in and make the hot tag. Dar comes in on fire with German superplexes, superkicks, and an ankle lock on Bravo.
Bravo soon comes back with a show of strength, hoisting both men in a fireman’s carry before dropping them. Los Americanos with stereo headbutts on their opponents that leads to a near-finish. The teams are slugging it out. Dar with a knee bar on Rayo, but he counters. Romeo breaks a pin attempt, and everyone is down long enough for a “this is awesome” chant to start.
Americanos are stomping and punching Dar - “mugging him,” Booker says - before Moreno breaks it up. Everyone is flying everywhere.
Dar with an ankle lock out of nowhere, but Bravo forces his way out and hits a German suplex. Bravo with a super rana on Dar and Rayo follows with a splash, but Dar kicks out at 2.5.
Everyone is exhausted. Dar manages to tag a tired Romeo who just got back on the apron. He’s slow to enter the ring, and Rayo and Bravo don’t realize he’s legal anyway so they keep working on Dar. Rayo with joint manipulation on both men. Bravo is tagged in but before he can take advantage, Dar hits Rayo with a back-elbow, sending him out of the ring. Romeo - still actually the legal man - recovers, runs across the ring, and tosses Bravo from the top rope. Dar and Romeo with a high-low combination finisher on Bravo for the win.
Your winners and the first team to advance in the Dusty Classic, Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno!
They head to the quarter-finals, joining NXT Tag Champs Vanity Project and AAA Tag Champs El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno. The champions were given byes in the first round.
We see a recap of last week, where Mason Rook won the triple-threat number-one contender match vs Tony D’Angelo and Saquon Shugars. We’re promised a face-off with Rook and NXT Champion Grayson Waller later tonight.
We’re shown a taped segment where Kendal Grey is in a therapist’s office. The therapist asks her how she’s feeling following her medical diagnosis, the vertigo she’s experienced, and the fact that she hasn’t been cleared to compete. Grey says that losing the NXT women’s championship was hard enough, but now she can’t fight for what she’s lost. “I’m stuck in this hole that I can’t get out of.”
Grey tells her therapist that she had an injury in college that sidelined her, but it was a physical injury that she could see, and she had a clear treatment plan. Today, she doesn’t know if she’ll be out of the ring for weeks, months, or years.
“I was at the highest of highs and at the snap of a finger, everything was gone,” she says.
Grey is full of self-doubt. The therapist asks who Kendal Grey is if she’s not competing.
“I don’t know,” she responds. “I don’t know.”
At ringside for our next match is Grammy-nominated singer Jimmie Allen, who Joseph says sang “America, The Beautiful” at Wrestlemania 39.
Match #2: Kali Armstrong vs Skylar Raye
As the match gets underway, we see a pre-taped promo in the corner of the screen where Raye explains why she attacked Kali last week. Raye says she had to make a statement, so she did.
Raye charges Kali, but she’s overpowered immediately. Kali is kicking and punching Raye. Raye soon counters and shows off some high-flying offense, including a hurracanrana that sends Kali to the outside.
Back inside, Kali is punching Raye in the face over and over. Bodyslam from Kali. Raye rolls Kali up for a 2-count. They’re trading pin attempts. Raye with a high cross-body.
Back and forth action. Raye with lots of high-flying offense while Kali is the stronger, more powerful of the two. Raye is using her speed to gain the advantage. Raye goes to top with a frogsplash and a kickout at 2.5
Kali with a spinebuster, but Skylar kicks out. Kali with powerslam. Kali starts running the ropes, Skykar dodges a flying shoulder, and Kali nails the ref. Seconds later, Reina Volcán slides into the ring. She takes out Skylar and then hits a huge powerslam on Kali. She nails Skylar again and leaves the ring. Skylar manages to get her arm over Kali as the ref crawls back into the ring. She gets the three-count.
Your winner, Skylar Raye!
Volcán stands outside the ring, looking at Raye and Kali smugly.
Backstage, NXT general manager Robert Stone is in his office with Shiloh Hill and Saquon Shugars. Shugars is upset about the result of last week’s #1 contender’s match where Tristan Angels interfered. He tells Stone to handle it.
Stone tells them he knows that Shugars wants to get his hands on Angels and that Hill wants to fight Naraku. They’ll revisit this next week, and Stone will try to get the matches in the ring.
We’re shown a clip from earlier in the day. Outside the performance centre, Wren Sinclair is interacting with NXT fans when Stone has to remind Sinclair that she’s suspended and she must leave the property. The fans are shouting “We want Wren!”
Match #3: NXT Women’s Champion Kelani Jordan & NXT Women's North American Champion Zaria vs AAA Reina de Reinas Champion La Catalina & Thea Hail
La Catalina and Hail come out together, with Hail playfully stealing La Catalina’s hat and wearing it into the ring. Zaria is out next, then Jordan.
Hail charges Zaria to start the match. Kelani quickly tags in so Hail jumps her. Hail and Jordan with lots of fast, high-flying offense. Jordan hits a dropkick on Hail. Hail tags Catalina and they double-team Jordan. Zaria runs in, but she’s outworked by the two. Catalina with a dive to the outside on their opponents. Hail and Catalina dance as commercials begin.
Hail is being dominated by the champions. Jordan with a pin attempt on Hail, but she kicks out. Jordan with an abdominal stretch on Hail. Hail reverses. Hail fights off both opponents and leaps for a tag to Catalina, but she falls short, and Jordan drags her back. They continue to dominate Hail, but Hail finally gets both women out of the ring, and she crawls to Catalina. Jordan grabs her leg, but Hail kicks her away. Zaria tries to stop her, but Hail makes it. Catalina flies in with a missile dropkick on Zaria. Clothesline on Jordan. She fights off both women for a while but eventually the numbers slow her down.
Zaria gets Catalina in an F5, but she ends up flying into Jordan, taking her out. Meanwhile, Hail is back on her feet and in the ring to help Catalina. Zaria puts her into an F5, but Hail counters and rolls Zaria up for a sudden pin.
Your winners, La Catalina & Thea Hail!
“Hail beat Zaria!” shouts Joseph. Hail is elated, dancing at ringside with Catalina. Zaria is enraged in the ring, talking to Jordan.
Backstage, we see Zilla Fatu and Sean Legacy getting ready for their upcoming match. Legacy tells Zilla that their partner tonight, Dorian Van Lux, has a punctured lung from last week, and he isn’t cleared to compete. Fatu is upset, but Sean says he has someone ready to fight with them.
Suddenly, Dorian shows up and says, “Don’t listen to him,” and he’s ready to fight. Sean is upset, saying Dorian should be resting - he has a hole in his lung. Dorian says it’s a small hole; it doesn’t matter. Sean says medical says Dorian shouldn’t wrestle, and Sean needs him healthy for the Dusty Classic so he needs to take it easy for now.
Fatu wants to know what they’re going to do; Sean insists he has a partner coming. EK Prosper shows up, fired up and ready to tag with them.
We head back to the ring as Cruz Montana comes out from the crowd.
Cruz admits he’s not been stacking wins the way he wants to. He says he wants the NXT Champion more
Whoever after Rook and Waller go at it - Cruz says he’s next.
The lights go out, and then see see DarkState.
Dion Lennox laughs at Cruz, says he has nothing going for himself. Cruz challenges Dion to face him now.
Dion walks to the ring. He gives Cruz credit for his past successes, but Dion says he’s much more disciplined than Cruz, which is why he’s found success everywhere while Cruz has had to scrape by. Dion is upset that Cruz said last week that EK Prospoer is the future of the brand.
Cruz doesn’t care. “Your feelings are hurt because I said EK was the future of this brand? Is that why you’re out here?”
Cruz says he’s busted his ass and earned everything that he’s been blessed with. Cruz says he will run circles around Dion every day. Cruz says Dion couldn’t cut it, and the NFL didn’t want him anyway. Cruz says Dion thinks he’s owed everything just because he came into NXT from outside of wrestling.
Cruz is disgusted and tells Dion to get out of the ring. Cruz turns away.
“Hold on,” Dion says. “You said, ‘People like me,’ right? Wasn’t your momma a drug dealer?”
Cruz is angry.
Dion talks about all his athletic achievements. He’s smug. He doesn’t understand why the fans don’t like Dion but they like Cruz. Dion calls him an addict. Dion keeps digging. “You had to lose everything just to become somebody. I’ve been somebody my whole life.”
Cruz snaps and punches Dion. They fight to the back, and they’re fired up, and so is everyone else, but suddenly we’re in Robert Stone’s office again, where he’s with Mason Rook, congratulating Rook on winning last week’s contender’s match.
Stone says Rook has an open mic to say whatever he wants. Rook says he has a lot to get off his chest. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger appear in the office to encourage Rook. Rook heads to the ring. Hank and Tank thank Stone for putting them in the Dusty Classic.
Match #4: The Creeds vs. Harley Riggins & Jaxson Presley.
Creeds attack their opponents before the bell. Presley starts the match, and he’s double-teamed by the Creeds. Presley fights back.
The Creeds continue to tag in and out, using lots of double-team offense on Presley. Jaxson almost got the tag to Riggins, but Julius leapt off Presley to hit Riggins off the apron.
Riggins is finally tagged, and he comes in with loads of offense. The Creeds eventually turn things around. Brutus and Julius pick up Presley for a slam and the win.
Your winners, and the next team to advance in the Dusty Classic: the Creed Brothers!
We’re shown a recap of last week when Myles Borne turned on Tavion Heights, interspersed with clips of their past successes.
Match #5: Sean Legacy, Zilla Fatu & EK Prosper vs BirthRight’s Lexis King, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo and Uriah Connors
Sean and Stacks start. Lots of super-fast offense between the two. Uriah is in, and they’re just as fast. Joseph says he’s getting tired just watching; I’m not even trying to keep up writing.
Zilla is soon in the ring, laying waste to everyone. Prosper is back in, and he’s flying around the ring. The tags and action are fast and furious, folks. Nice triple dive from Sean, Fatu and EK to their opponents on the floor.
The match slows a bit as the heels gain control. When Prosper tags Fatu back in, he again wrecks everyone. King with a superkick, but Fatu shakes it off and keeps wrecking everyone.
Ariana Grace distracts the ref, so the ref didn’t see Zilla tag EK. When EK goes to the top rope, the ref tells him to get down. Zilla then tags Sean instead. Sean goes for a 360 on Connors, but Connors gets knees up and a quick pin.
Your winners, BirthRight!
They celebrate. The faces are upset. King gets back in the ring and shoves Fatu. Fatu attacks him but King is dragged out of the ring by BirthRight.
Backstage, Zaria is backstage with Emily Agard. Emily informs Zaria that Robert Stone has made it official: since Hail pinned Zaria earlier in the show, Zaria will defend her title against Hail next week. Zaria says Hail doesn’t stand a chance when Zaria is defending her title.
Images appear on the wall behind Zaria and Emily, but then Izzi Dame appears. Zaria leaves and Dame cuts a promo on Hail and Zaria both.
NXT Champion Grayson Waller makes his way to the ring, then Rook.
Waller stops Rook from getting a microphone. Waller asks Rook how he’s feeling under the bright lights. Waller starts making fun of Rook. He then says they actually have some things in common; Waller says they’ve both travelled across the world to achieve their dreams. But Waller says he’s worked harder and longer than Rook. Waller says Rook might be strong and creative in the ring, but Waller says Rook isn’t willing to put in the work to be the face of NXT. Waller said Rook is lazy and a quitter. Waller talks about how great he is in the ring and on the mic.
Finally, Waller gives Rook the microphone and offers him the chance for a rebuttal.
Rook says Waller can call him what he likes, but he’s not an idiot. Rook says there is a THEORY about why Waller is back in NXT, and the crowd cheers, understanding the reference to Waller’s former main roster tag partner Austin Theory.
“Maybe … maybe just maybe you didn’t quite fit the VISION up on the main roster,” Rook says. The crowd cheers again. Waller is angry.
Rook says he earned the right to be a WWE superstar. He tells Waller that being great on the microphone will not save him this time.
We go to credits.
Announced for next week’s NXT:
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