Dynamite brings out the gold!

AEW Dynamite lands in Colorado Springs, and Kris Statlander defends her TBS Championship against Anna Jay A.S! Will Kris still be the Galaxy’s Greatest?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy VS Swerve Strickland; Cassidy wins and retains the title.
• Six Man Tag: Blackpool Combat Club VS Chaos; The BCC wins.
• Texas Tornado Tag: #JungleHook VS La Faccion Ingobernable; JungleHook wins.
• Konosuke Takeshita w/ Don Callis VS Daman Ace; Takeshita wins.
• AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander VS Anna Jay A.S; Kris wins and retains the title.
• Ricky Starks VS Jay White; White wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy VS Swerve Strickland w/ The Mogul Embassy!

The Freshly Squeezed fighting champion survived Double or Nothing’s 20 VS 1 odds, but now he has to deal with The Mogul 1v1! Will Cassidy still be carrying the gold in his backpack? Or will that title be going to whose house? Swerve’s house!

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see if Cassidy survives once again!

The bell rings and the fans rally for Freshly Squeezed. Swerve is annoyed by that, but he and Cassidy circle. Swerve tells Cassidy to go ahead, do what you do. Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets! Then he dodges a boot, but Swerve reels him in. Cassidy ducks the elbow to no-hands arm-drag! But Swerve handsprings through! Fans fire up and then things speed up. Cassidy hurdles, Swerve blocks the flip to drag Cassidy up. Cassidy fights the nelson with elbows, runs, but Swerve side steps and ducks the leap! Fans fire up as swerve kips up and stares Cassidy down. Cassidy stays by the ropes and Swerve is annoyed.

Swerve eggs Cassidy on, Cassidy comes back, they tie up, and Swerve trips Cassidy. Cover, ONE, but Swerve facelocks. Cassidy rolls, covers, TWO, and Swerve headscissors. Cassidy is down, ONE, and Swerve chinlocks. Cassidy scrambles to the ROPEBREAK, but then Swerve hooks Cassidy’s legs away! Swerve rolls Cassidy to a mounted armlock! Fans rally, Swerve wrenches that arm, but Cassidy fights up. Cassidy reaches for ropes but Swerve keeps him from them. Swerve cranks the wristlock but Cassidy rolls, stays put, then rolls back to roll and wrench and hook Swerve up into a Lazy Octopus!

Fans cheer while Swerve endures and fights his way to ropes. But Cassidy goes after the arm now! Cassidy bends the fingers, but Swerve fights to reach for ropes. Cassidy pops around to RANA Swerve, and he runs, to tilt-o-whirl but no DDT! Swerve and Cassidy stare down, Swerve runs in, and Cassidy dumps him out! Fans fire up, but Swerve mocks Cassidy by putting hands in “pockets!” Cassidy runs up but Swerve CLOBBERS him! Swerve TOSSES Cassidy into railing, and then high-fives Prince Nana. Swerve drags Cassidy up, gets the bad arm and SLAMS it against the post! And again! Cassidy clutches his hand while Nana applauds.

Swerve pushes Cassidy into the ring, CLUBS him, ROCKS him, then drags him up. Swerve whips corner to corner, UPPERCUTS him, and Cassidy falls! Fans are torn between the two as Swerve drags Cassidy back up. Swerve whips corner to corner, Cassidy goes up, but Swerve catches him to an Electric Chair! But Cassidy uses that to RANA Swerve out, only for Swerve to hold on! But then Cassidy RANAS again and Swerve hits railing! Fans are thunderous for Cassidy as he gets back into the ring! Cassidy builds speed to DIVE! Direct hit into railing! Cassidy puts Swerve back in, fans rally up, and he climbs the corner!

Cassidy leaps, CROSSBODY, but he bounces off the cover. Cassidy goes to run but Swerve reels him back, but then Cassidy keeps Swerve from running. Swerve breaks free with a leg, and ROCKS Cassidy with a right! Swerve drags Cassidy up, whips him to a corner, but Cassidy tumbles up and out! Cassidy blocks a punch but Swerve blocks a buckle bump. Swerve CHOPS Cassidy, climbs up the ropes and drags Cassidy up to join him. Fans rally as Swerve throws haymakers. Cassidy counters, but Swerve counters back! They fight for control, and they both HOTSHOT off the top buckle! Fans fire up while Dynamite goes picture in picture!

Nana coaches up Swerve, but both he and Cassidy stir. Both men rise, they storm up to each other, and Cassidy RAMS Swerve into railing! Cassidy brings Swerve around, and he RAMS Swerve back into the railing! Nana is furious but Cassidy brings Swerve up and into the ring. Swerve distracts the ref so Nana can yank Cassidy down! Cassidy glares at Nana and Nana backs off, but Swerve BOOTS Cassidy down! Swerve goes out after Cassidy, puts him in the ring, and climbs up the corner, for the FALLING UPPERCUT! Swerve cocky covers, TWO! Swerve scowls, stalks Cassidy to a corner, and CLUBS him on the back!

Swerve drags Cassidy from the corner, drops an ax handle, then clamps on a chinlock. Cassidy endures as Swerve leans on him and chicken wings an arm. Swerve chinbars, as well, but Cassidy fights the hold. Fans rally as Cassidy fights up to his feet, Dynamite returns to single picture, and Swerve throws a body shot! Swerve half nelsons, Cassidy throws elbows! Cassidy is free, and he ROCKS Swerve! And ROCKS him again! And again! Nana claims closed fist but Swerve BOOTS Cassidy! Swerve talks trash, pie faces, rolls, but into a SUPERKICK! Cassidy goes for an Alabama Lift but the back hurts him!

Swerve WRINGS Cassidy, gator rolls him and suplexes, but Cassidy STUN DOG MILLIONAIRES! Swerve wobbles, rebounds, HOUSE- NO, Cassidy avoids the House Call! Cassidy runs, but Swerve somersaults to COMPLETE SHOT! Both men are down and fans are thunderous again! Cassidy and Swerve stir as the fans rally up. They flounder towards each other, Swerve drags Cassidy up, and Swerve throws body shots. Swerve talks trash, but Cassidy “hits” back. Swerve says okay, and he fires off more hard body shots! Swerve talks more trash but Cassidy fires more “heavy” hands. Swerve swings, into a backslide! TWO!!

Cassidy reels Swerve in, gets around him, and tilt-o-whirls to DDT! Cover, TWO! Swerve survives but Cassidy goes to the corner. Cassidy climbs, but Swerve bails out of the ring. Cassidy sighs, adjusts position, but Swerve throws a body shot! Fireman’s carry, APRON DEATH VALLEY!! Cassidy writhes, Swerve goes up the corner, and Swerve takes aim… But Cassidy scoots away! Fans cheer but Swerve hops down to storm up, but into a BOOT from Cassidy! And another! And a SUPERKICK! Swerve wobbles, Cassidy runs in, DDT to the floor!! Cassidy drags Swerve up and in while fans lose their minds!

Swerve flounders, Cassidy climbs, DEEP IMPACT!! Cover, TWO!! Swerve survives another drop but Cassidy shakes his head. Fans fire up as Cassidy throws off the elbow pad! Cassidy loads up, runs in, but Swerve pops Cassidy up, only for Cassidy to RANA! Cover, TWO!! Cassidy’s bad hand kept him from holding that cover! Nana distracts Cassidy and the ref, fans boo, but Cassidy loads up. Swerve runs in, but Cassidy dodges to send him into Nana! Down goes Nana, ORANGE PUNCH for Swerve! BEACH BREAK!! Cover, TWO?!? Swerve survives and no one can believe it! Swerve flops out of the ring while Cassidy thinks of what to do.

Cassidy grits his teeth, “This is Awesome!” as he builds speed to DIVE! But Swerve catches him, to suplex, BRAINBUSTER to the floor!! Cassidy flops against the apron but Swerve puts him into the ring. Fans are loving “A E DUB!” for this amazing opener! Swerve aims, runs in, but still no House Call! Ghost pin! TWO!! Cassidy rises, Swerve fakes him out to kick the legs out, then HOUSE CALL!! Swerve hurries up top, for the KILL STOMPS!!! Cover, TWO!?!? Cassidy survives and Colorado Springs is electric! Swerve is going out of his mind but he drags Cassidy back up! Fans hope they “FIGHT FOREVER!” but Swerve half nelsons!

Swerve lifts, J- NO, victory roll! Swerve rolls it back with pants! TWO, and Cassidy has the victory roll again, also with tights! CASSIDY WINS!

Winner: Orange Cassidy, by pinfall (still AEW International Champion)

Swerve is completely at a loss! He tried to cheat but it comes back to bite him! But The Mogul Embassy rushes into the ring to beat up on Cassidy! Fans boo as Nana, Liona, Kaun & Cage all stomp away, and even CHOKE Cassidy! Wait, the lights just went out! Because it’s STIIIIIING! And Darby Allin, too! The Relentless Icons are in the ring, the Embassy is on the retreat! Will Darby & Sting help Freshly Squeezed get past the Mogul Embassy’s numbers game?

AEW hears from tonight’s main eventers.

Jay White tells Ricky Starks, “Let me be honest with you. You have a lot of things going for you. You’re charismatic, you have everything it takes to reach the top of this business. That’s coming from me, so you know that those words mean something.” But The Absolute tells The Switchblade, “Whatever you did in the past doesn’t matter tonight. I’m gonna expose you for who you are.” White says that Starks has to look past his own ego that has grown out of control, to see that the man standing across from him in the ring tonight is going to show him just how out of his depth he is tonight.

Starks says he IS Absolute, and that is what White is gonna get and gonna understand. Starks is a man without boundaries! But White says this is absolutely still the Switchblade Era. With no one else allowed ringside, will these two finally settle the score once and for all?

Bryan Danielson is here!

The American Dragon already has big plans for Forbidden Door as he challenged The Rainmaker, Kazuchika Okada! AEW has a highlight reel of the “once in a lifetime” professional wrestler that is Okada, and replays some of Bryan’s promo from NJPW Dominion. “For the last 10 years, I’ve heard people talk about how great you are. How you’re the best wrestler of this generation. And I’ve also heard in interviews, that you said you wanna wrestle me. […] You wanna wrestle Bryan Danielson?” Okada’s response is that at Forbidden Door, we will see who is the REAL best in the world. Bryan says, “You’re good. I know you’re good. But I am the litmus test of ‘great.'”

Bryan says Okada calls himself the Rainmaker, but “When you step in the ring with me, you’re going into the EFFING DESERT! And there ain’t gonna be no rain.” Bryan now joins commentary as it is announced officially: Bryan VS Okada at Forbidden Door 2023! Okada was called a “once in a lifetime” wrestler in that video, but Bryan is also once in a lifetime! What happens when these two generational talents collide in Canada?

Six Man Tag: Blackpool Combat Club VS Chaos!

Speaking of Bryan and Okada, each of their allies are battling here tonight! Will Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta use #DeathJitsu to destroy Trent Beretta, Chuck Taylor & Rocky Romero?

As soon as the BCC hops the railing, Chuck CHUCKS a chair at Moxley! And then Rocky CROSSBODIES Claudio from the corner! Chuck kicks Yuta, CLUBS away on him, he and Rocky put Yuta on the corner for Trent! Trent gets Yuta up to SUPERPLEX! Fans fire up and the bell rings, Chuck goes after Yuta! Bryan is actually impressed, because “this is what you have to do against us.” Chuck hits a PILEDRIVER! Cover, Claudio breaks it! Claudio stomps Chuck, Moxley storms in to also stomp, and then Moxley throws Chuck by his hair! The ref reprimands, Moxley and Claudio go to the corner, Yuta tags Claudio in.

Claudio fires off forearms on Chuck while Moxley talks trash. Claudio stomps Chuck down, tags Moxley back in, and they hoist Chuck up, but Trent trips Yuta to RAM him into railing! That throws Moxley off, Rocky DROPKICKS Moxley! Chuck fights free, Claudio ROCKS him with a forearm while Rocky FLYING KNEES Moxley! Chuck throws Claudio out to then FLY! Direct hit at the ramp! The fans are thunderous as Chaos regroups, and they all HUG! You GOT to give the people what they want! Moxley returns, but Trent feeds him to an UPPERCUT! SOLE FOOD HALF ‘N’ HALF! And then Chuck fires off hands!

Chuck ROCKS Moxley, runs, but Yuta hooks a leg! The ref reprimands but Moxley hits a CUTTER! Moxley tags Claudio, then Claudio tags Yuta. Yuta and Claudio coordinate, for a HART ATTACK, to DOUBLE STOMPS! The BCC flexes, Yuta covers but the ref is busy with Trent. TWO, and Yuta is upset, but Dynamite goes picture in picture.

Yuta keeps Chuck down with a knee in the back and pulling on the arms. Chuck endures the motorcycle stretch, but Yuta shifts it to a full nelson. Yuta pushes Chuck to the corner. Claudio tags in, and they mug Chuck. Claudio stomps Chuck, grinds him down, and Moxley tags in to stomp Chuck. Moxley throws forearms, runs in to clothesline at the corner, then he CHOPS! And CHOPS! And CHOPS! But Chuck ROCKS and CHOPS in return! Molxey pokes Chuck in the eyes! The ref reprimands but Moxley brings Chuck up to tag in Yuta. HALF HATCH to SENTON! Yuta covers, TWO! Yuta clamps onto Chuck and wrenches an arm.

Yuta grinds the arm, Chuck fights up and throws forearms. Chuck runs but Yuta CLOBBERS him! Cover, TWO! Claudio tags in to clamp onto Chuck with a chinlock. Claudio keeps Chuck from the Chaos corner, grinds Chuck down with a half nelson, but Chuck fights up. Chuck stands up, throws body shots, and reaches for his corner. But Claudio gut wrench SUPLEXES! Tag to Yuta, he taunts the fans, then swings on Chuck, only for Chuck to COMPLETE SHOT! Fans rally as Dynamite returns to single picture. Chuck reaches out, Yuta reels him in, but Chuck elbows Yuta away! Yuta rewinds, gets around, and GERMAN SUPLEXES!

Chuck goes to a corner, Yuta runs in, into a SEXY CHUCKIE KNEE! Hot tags to Trent and Moxley! Trent SPEARS Moxley and rains down fists! They get up, Trent gest around, SAIDO! Moxley flounders up but Trent CHOPS him! And ROCKS and CHOPS, repeat! Trent whips, Moxley KICKS back! Rocky tags in, goes up, and CROSSBODIES! Direct hit but Yuta is in! Rocky dodges, RANAS Yuta, but Claudio CLUBS Rocky! Claudio fires forearms, whips, but Rocky RANAS Claudio, too! Moxley runs in to kick low! Moxley runs, but Trent returns, DOUBLE JUMP KNEE from RPG Vice! Trent puts Moxley on the ropes for Rocky to GUILLOTINE STOMP!

Trent runs to SLIDING KNEE! Rocky covers, TWO!! Moxley survives but Bryan says that cover wasn’t gonna work anyway. RPG Vice coordinate, Alabama Lift and Rocky goes up. But Yuta yanks Rocky down! Moxley turns things around on Trent, GOTCH PILE- NO, Trent fights it! Chuck goes up, STRONG ZERO!!! Cover, Claudio breaks it! Claudio UPPERCUTS Chuck, but Trent dumps Claudio out! Rocky tags back in, SOBATS Moxley, then cravats. SLICED- NO, Moxley powers out! Rocky RAMS Moxley to a corner, DIABLA ARMBAR!! Claudio hurries up but Trent CLOBBERS him!

Trent goes up, aims, ASAI MOONSAULT into an UPPERCUT!! Claudio takes out Trent, Moxley fights out of Rocky’s armbar to BULLY CHOKE!! Chuck runs in but Yuta intercepts with a BUSAIKU KNEE! And then HAMMER ‘N’ ANVIL ELBOWS! Moxley shifts, REAR NAKED CHOKE! Rocky taps, the BCC wins!!

Winners: Blackpool Combat Club, by submission

Yuta keeps firing down elbows!! The ref tells him to stop but the BCC says keep going. Yuta lets off finally, all fired up, and the BCC applauds their young protégé. Will The BCC soon tear up everyone in AEW, ROH and NJPW at the Forbidden Door?

The Elite are backstage.

Specifically, Hangman Page & The Young Bucks. Matt Jackson asks Brandon Cutler if they’re live, and yes they are. Okay, so everyone can see them on the big screen, right? And Bryan, hey, since you’re on commentary, “Wassup, pricks?” Hangman tells BCC that was a great, great match. Didn’t see it, but it sounded great. And not to be sentimental, but they’re going to be in Washington, DC next week, the place where Dynamite began. “And speaking of beginning, if you thought Anarchy in the Arena was the end of us, it was only the beginning.” They’re making a challenge for a trios match! Can they do it without Bryan and Takeshita? The choice is yours.

Bryan says the BCC never runs from a fight. Challenge accepted! DC was the first ever AEW Dynamite, it was the first time The Elite was on live weekly television. So guess what? Next week in DC, it will be their last. Will DC be the last ride of The Elite?

AEW looks at another Forbidden Door dream match.

Kenny Omega once told Will Ospreay, “364 days a year, you’re a better wrestler than me. But it only takes one to be a champion.” Highlights from WrestleKingdom earlier this year show Kenny Omega winning back the IWGP United States Championship as he dethroned the Commonwealth Kingpin. Will Ospreay said this is about sacrifice, and he has sacrificed more than enough to get where he is today. “Do I have to effing sacrifice more?” Ospreay fought his way through a #1 contenders tournament in Japan to become Omega’s next challenger, and he wants Omega to remember him. Ospreay is back for revenge!

Omega doesn’t lose big matches, but Ospreay is not settling for anything less than getting back that US Championship for himself. Who will leave Toronto with that title?

MJF is here!

Colorado Springs cheer and jeer the AEW World Heavyweight Champion, who has just now hit day 200 in his title reign. MJF of course has them cut his music, and he is sure the people here in “Crapshoot, Colorado” have smoked their brains out by now, but when a champ is holding the mic, you druggies keep your mouths shut! When MJF was told he was contractually obligated to show up here, he almost offed himself. There is not a more boring place in the world! Colorado sucks! Fans boo but he reminds them. he’s talking, it’s not that complicated. Fans still boo. “But if anybody knows about being bored, it’s me. Because there is no competition for me in this company!”

That is because- Fans chant “YOU SUCK! YOU SUCK!” but MJF says their mamas swallow. “NOBODY is on the level of the Devil!” But here comes Adam Cole! Fans fire up as the Undisputed One heads to the ring, “BOOM!” MJF smirks as Cole gets in the ring, and then he cuts the music off before the BAYBAY. Fans boo MJF more, but Cole smirks now. Fans call MJF a POS, and then MJF says, “Well if it isn’t Adam Cole Baybay. Y’know what? I’m not even gonna lie to you, I’m excited. I don’t know about you people, but finally! Some worthy competition for the champ, huh?” Fans do cheer that.

MJF isn’t even being facetious, because he really is a big fan of Adam Cole’s. No, seriously! Seriously! Guys, again, he’s holding the mic, c’mon. But when CM Punk up and left MJF when he was a kid, he thought his fandom of pro-wrestling was over. But then he turned on TV, flipped the channels a bit, and he came across some little show called “Ring of Honor.” Do people know about ROH? Fans boo so MJF takes that as a no, as opposed to them not liking his mockery of ROH. Well, MJF isn’t gonna lie, he agrees that ROH sucks. “It was filled with a bunch of indie jabronies that had no right being on my TV.

“And just as I was about to change the channel again, out walked a guy with slick, jet black hair, icy blue eyes, cool jacked tan, calm, cool, collected. Incredible in the ring, perfection on the microphone. And that man was you, Adam Cole. I was instantly hooked. I mean, genuinely, instantly hooked. And when I started training to become a pro-wrestler I got as much of your tape as I could get my hands on. I watched you all the way to your days in CZW, where you won championship gold. I watched you go to every single top independent and become the hottest free agent in the world. And then, I watched you go down to Florida, and shock the system.”

MJF says Cole was so good, he was Shawn Michaels’ handpicked guy! He was so good, he became the greatest world champion in the history of that company, and that is undisputed. Get it? Fans chant “MARK! MARK! MARK!” at MJF but he’ll proudly take it! He was a mark for Cole! Because Cole was that good! MJF followed in Cole’s footsteps! He went to CZW, where he won gold. He became a top name in the indies, and then he signed to AEW. Deep down, MJF knew Cole would make the jump, and when he did, they’d have the rivalry of a lifetime. Two generational talents: MJF VS Adam Cole BAYBAY!

But then… this guy shows up. “What happened to you, man? You used to be the Panama Playboy. Now, you’re the Panama Gameboy. You sit at home behind your computer, playing Twitch, hiding from the sun, looking like a virgin Gollum… Meanwhile, Britt Baker keeps leaving the house with your balls firmly in her purse. And to make matters worse, bud, didn’t you used to have the body and the physique of a world champion? Now, no offense, you’re so frail, you make crack whores jealous.” Fans boo but MJF says Cole isn’t hitting the same way he used to. He sees what they all say online: It’s not Cole’s fault, the company is simply not showcasing him properly.

To those people, MJF says you don’t have a gaddam clue what you’re talking about! This company has done everything in its power to make Cole cool: lights, music, shirts, matches, Britt, their own reality show! Y’know what they do to make MJF cool? They ring the freakin’ bell! Cole smirks as MJF asks, “Sound familiar?” MJF recaps his matches: greatest singles dog collar match of all time; greatest Ironman match of all time; greatest Fatal 4 Way of all time; the world champion, the best pro-wrestler on God’s Green Earth! MJF has beaten every single top guy the fans thought were on his level. What makes Cole think he’ll be any different?

And before Cole answers that, MJF read a “nasty little rumor” about Cole online. MJF read that the reason Cole made the jump here was because a certain individual at the top didn’t think Cole had top guy potential. And that individual was Vince McMahon. Fans boo Vince, rightfully so, but MJF says he’s a big fan of that guy. MJF heard that rumor, he thought the old man had finally lost his marbles. How could you not see “top guy” in Adam Cole? But to be honest, now that he’s eye to eye with Cole in his ring, MJF has to admit… Vince was right! Fans boo but Cole still smirks back at MJF.

Cole takes a step back to get a mic of his own. Fans cheer and Cole says, “Really? Was that the best you’ve got? This is the great MJF, the guy who verbally destroys people on the microphone. Instead, you’re coming off like a toxic social media troll. Now, there’s a ton of things I could comment on. First and foremost, I’m gonna brush over the Britt part, because I’m pretty sure she can beat the hell outta you. But what exactly is your obsession with other people’s relationships? Like, first it was Bryan, now it’s me. I understand your fiancée left you, and you can’t hold a relationship like your life depended on it, but c’mon.”

And truth be told, Cole finally figured it out: MJF is world class, at being a douchebag. Fans echo “DOUCHEBAG! DOUCHEBAG!” And oh wow, how could we not talk about Cole’s body? Like he’s never heard that before. Y’know why MJF brings that up? Because of Cole’s body of work. The matches he’s had, the interviews he’s done, the world title reigns he’s had. Max, get real, you can’t touch Cole. But! If MJF really, really wants to go down this road, here’s an idea. Let’s both go backstage, piss in some cups, and we see who is natural and who’s not. OH, you don’t wanna do that? Yeah, Cole thought so.

Cole understands MJF studied Cole’s career, but they are nothing alike! For 15 years, Cole has traveled the world, shared locker room after locker room, this one included, and those boys ‘n’ girls in the back respect Cole. Cole knows that he’s been a bad guy in the past, but as a wrestler and a man, they all respect him, the human being that is Adam Cole. MJF on the other hand, Cole isn’t sure how to make this any more clear. Cole swears on his life that there is not a single person back there who does respect MJF. If MJF asked if they respect him, they’d laugh in his face! They all think he’s selfish, conceited, lazy, does the bare minimum to collect a paycheck and hold onto that title.

Max, Cole speaks for himself, everyone else on the roster, and a whole hell of a lot people in the audience when he says, NO ONE respects you! MJF frowns and fans chat “NO RESPECT! NO RESPECT!” MJF says, “Oh, no! You guys don’t respect me? How about I cry into all my money about it? By the way, that’s an awful lot of tough talk coming from Keith Lee’s manager.” Cole laughs because there it is! Of course MJF has to create a false narrative to hide from how he’s such a coward of a champion. If MJF were a real champion, he’d tell Cole to shut his mouth and fight. But MJF isn’t doing that, because he IS a coward!

Fans chant “COW~ARD! COW~ARD!” now, and Cole says it isn’t worth it. Cole knows he is wasting his breath. All of this will go over MJF’s head. So if MJF remembers anything from tonight, remember this: “You won’t fight me, because I’m better than you, and THEY know it!” MJF is pissed and he keeps Cole from leaving! You don’t turn your back on MJF!! MJF will wrestle Cole any day of the week and beat his ass!! Fans fire up and Cole smiles again. “Atta boy, champ. Looks like we got ourselves a match.” Cole tops it off with the BAYBAY, because he just got MJF to take the bait. Will MJF finally see who is really the best in AEW?

The Hardy Party speaks backstage.

Matt Hardy says these events must be documented! Everyone knows the OG Hardy Party, but please welcome their newest member, and Matt’s new employee, Ethan Page. All Ego walks in and Jeff says Ethan is a talented man. He just needs to use his ego for good. A few weeks ago, Ethan talked about him and Kassidy as #TheMoanEvent, Jeff was hooked. Matt says speaking of, Ethan owes Kassidy an apology. Really? Right now? Yes! You hurt Kassidy, apologize to him. Ethan says, “Sorry.” Matt wants him to be more genuine. Ethan says he is sorry, and he offers a handshake. Kassidy accepts.

Matt says when The Firm had him under contract, they made his life hell. But that is not what Matt is going to do. he is going to make Ethan into a better man. He sees potential in Ethan, they just have to get rid of that ego. Ethan has a wife and kids, and so much talent. When it is all said and done, he will be a better man. Kassidy says it’ll also be a lot of fun. AHN~! Will Ethan be able to find redemption thanks to the Hardy Boyz?

Texas Tornado Tag: #JungleHook VS La Faccion Ingobernable!

So what if this is Colorado? Things are about to get Wild Wild West as this Texas Tornado throws out the need to tag in or out, and it throws out all the other rules! Will Jack Perry and the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil throw out Dralistico & Preston Vance like trash? Or will LFI no longer wait for opportunities and take matters into their own hands?

Speaking of not waiting, LFI attacks while JungleHook finishes their entrance! The bell rings, the brawl is on, and Vance puts Hook in the ring while Dralistico RAMS JB into steel steps! Vance drags Hook up, Dralistico puts JB in, but JB JAWBREAKERS and Hook drop toeholds! JB dropkicks Vance, SPLASHES Dralistico, and then feed to Hook’s SAYANAGI! JungleHook high-five and fans fire up. JB drags Dralistico up, but Jose throws in the green cable and even has a steel chain! Hook storms up to Jose to back him down while JB throws hands on Dralistico. Jose baits Hook in and Vance CLOBBERS Hook!

Fans boo as Perro Peligroso raises the LFI fist. JB is distracted, and Darlistico LASHES JB with the green cable! And then Vance gets the chain! Dralistico keeps LASHING JB, and then he CHOKES him! Vance wraps his fist in the chain, runs up on Hook, but Hook dumps him out over the railing! Hook goes out after Vance to fire off haymakers! JB endures being choked while Hook mugs Vance in front of the back section! Fans count along as Hook CLUBS away on Vance’s chest! Dralistico stops choking JB, Hook shoves Vance over, and now JB CHOKES Dralistico! And he rips at the mask!

Vance CLOBBERS Hook! JB stomps Darlistico, Dynamite goes picture in picture as Vance CHOPS Hook!

JB LASHES Dralistico in return! Then drags him up to whip him corner to corner. Dralistico reverses to then SPLASH JB in the corner! Hook brawls with Vance, gets the edge with a flurry of forearms, and Dralistico runs to SUPERKICK JB in the corner! Hook KNEES Vance low, and again, and then SMACKS him with a trash can! Dralistico brings out a TABLE while Hook puts the trash can on Vance. Hook then SMACKS the can with a chair! Jose helps Dralistico set up the table ringside, and Vance RAMS Hook into barriers! Vance fires off hands and stomps, then brings Hook along the way.

JB fights Dralistico, but Dralistico CLUBS JB down. Dralistico CHOPS JB against railing! Hook fights back against Vance and JB turns things around to CHPO Dralistico! Dralistico turns things back around to CHOP JB! Hook and Vance brawl up the bleachers! Anyone getting flashbacks to Anarchy in the Arena? Dralistico and Jose set up another table! Vance RAMS Hook into a handrail! JB CLUBS Dralistico, CLUBS him more, and even he can see Vance and Hook going to the upper deck! Vance CHOPS Hook against railing! But JB suplexes Dralistico for a BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO!

Jose throws a shirt at JB, but JB chases the assistant off. Vance and Hook start making their way down the bleachers now, and JB drags Dralistico up. Dralistico kicks, KNEES, and SCREW HIGH KICKS! JB ends up in ropes, Dralistico ROCKS him! JB is now stuck in the ropes, and Dralistico goes up the corner. Dynamite returns to single picture as Dralistico aims, leaps, APRON WOE STOMPS!! Vance brings Hook back to ringside, CHOKING him with the chain! But Hook TOSSES Vance over railing! Now Hook has that chain! Hook wraps that around his fist, leaps in, FULL METAL HAYMAKER! Fans are thunderous and Hook soaks it all up.

Hook stalks Vance, brings him to the tables, and Vance is busted open! Blood pours on Hook as Vance ELBOWS away on him! Vance RAMS Hook into railing, then into more railing! And then JB DIVES, but Vance catches him! Vance whips, JB reverses, and Vance hits railing! Dralistico goes up to CROSSBODY JB! LFI regroups, Vance with a crimson mask already, and LFI double whip Hook into railing! Fans are losing their minds over just how much is pouring from Vance’s face, but Vance keeps raining down fists on Hook! Vance and Dralistico stand Hook up, bring him around, but Hook fights back!

Hook hits an EXPLODER to send Dralistico flying! Vance leans against railing while Hook puts Dralistico in the ring. Hook comes back, but Vance DISCUS LARIATS Hook down!! Vance grabs the steel chain that busted him open to CHOKE Hook with it, and then drag him into the ring. Vance stands Hook up on the apron to CHOKE him more!! Fans rally for Hook as he endures, but he’s fading! Vance steps out to the apron to join Hook, but JB runs in to SMACK Vance with the chair!! And Hook T-BONE SUPLEXES Vance through the tables!! Both men are down and fans lose their minds all over again!!

JB has Dralistico in the ring, DDT on the chair!! Cover, but Jose breaks it! Jose throws off his shirt, feeling like a real tough guy right now. But JB glares at Jose, and Hook slides in behind him! Jose bumps into Hook and gets caught in REDRUM!! Dralistico runs in, drop toehold into SNARE TRAP!! Dralistico taps, JungleHook wins!!!

Winners: JungleHook, by submission

This Texas Tornado Tag got even wilder than expected, but JB & Hook win out. Will LFI think twice before pushing these two young studs? Will JungleHook be sticking together to take over AEW?

Tony Khan speaks backstage.

“Hi. It’s great to be here tonight in Colorado Springs. We have a lot of exciting things happening in AEW, it’s such an exciting time as we approach Forbidden Door on PPV, June 25th, live in Toronto. And before that, we launch a new series: AEW Collision starts June 17th, every Saturday night, 8 PM Eastern, 7 PM Central, on TNT. I’m here tonight to talk about the first-ever main event, live at the United Center, June 17th. In the main event of the first-ever AEW Collision, Switchblade Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Samoa Joe will take on the AEW World Tag Team Champions, FTR… and CM Punk.” A huge battle between top guys, will Punk make sure he is once again the Best in the World?

Konosuke Takeshita w/ Don Callis VS Daman Ace!

Going from excitement to a buzzkill, there is no music but the chorus of boos as “Turncoat Takeshita” and “Dirty Don” make their way out. Will Takeshita prove Callis right by becoming better than the greats?

The bell rings and Takeshita CLOBBERS Daman, then rains down fists! The ref checks, those aren’t closed fists, but the fans still boo. Takeshita smirks as he drags Daman up, puts him in a corner by pulling hair, and then he gives a HEADBUTT! And then KNEE after KNEE after KNEE! Daman sits down, the ref counts, and Takeshita lets off. Fans boo but Takeshita just smiles. Takeshita drags Daman up but Daman throws hands! Fans rally for Daman but Takeshita DECKS him! Takeshita keeps Daman sitting up, to BLINDSIDE FOREARM! Fans boo the tron playing highlights of Callis betraying Omega.

Konosuke doesn’t end Daman here, he aims from the corner, to POWER DRIVE KNEE!! Cover, Tatkeshita wins!

Winner: Konosuke Takeshita, by pinfall

The fans boo more as Callis gets in the ring with a mic and raises Takeshita’s hand in victory. Callis wants to talk but the fans just keep going. Callis then says, “I’ve got something to say! And unlike last week, I will be heard!” Fans boo louder, but Callis lets Takeshita speak. Takeshita, in Japanese, tells fans that they will listen! Takeshita calls out Kenny Omega, saying that Omega will see who is truly the best! Callis says we fans may not want to hear it, but he is going to tell us the truth about Kenny Omega! Everything Omega has had in life is because of Callis! And this is all Kenny’s fault! Everything The Elite has was because of Callis!

Kenny beat Ospreay because of Callis! Kenny has been like a cancer in Callis’ body! “And what do you do with cancer? You cut it out!” And now, Callis’ family is going to cut The Elite out of AEW for good! Callis drops the mic, pats Takeshita on the back, but will The Elite look to be the ones that cure AEW of the real toxic element?

Backstage interview with Christian Cage.

Alex Marvez is outside Captain Charisma’s locker room as he requested time to speak tonight, but it sounds like something is going on in there. Alex knocks on the door, the door opens up, and Christian steps out. What is going on in there? Christian tells us that at Double or Nothing, Arn Anderson cost him the TNT Championship. Christian was at the top of the ladder, belt within his grasp, and Arn tips the ladder to send Christian into the waiting arms of Wardlow. Christian is the uncrowned TNT Champion. Arn took something from Christian, so now he takes something from Arn.

Christian knocks on the door, Luchasaurus opens it and we can see someone is behind him, beaten up and on the floor. Christian tells Arn that his son, Brock, got him a very nice Father’s Day present. BROCK ANDERSON just got brutalized! Alex calls for medics, what will The Enforcer and the Maestro of Mayhem do to get back at Christian and his Right Hand of Destruction?

AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander VS Anna Jay A.S w/ Matthew Menard!

The Galaxy’s Greatest has already shown she’s a fighting champion by defeating Nyla Rose last week, but she’s not slowing down. Will she go 3-0 since her return at Double or Nothing? Or will the Queenslayer choke her out?

The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and we see who is truly the star of the show!

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally, the two tie up, and Kris headlocks. Kris hits the takeover, but Anna keeps her shoulders up and moves around. Anna headscissors, but Kris rolls back, pops free, and she powers her way to a headlock. Anna fights up, pops free to headlock, but Kris blocks the takeover! Kris pries the hold open, headlocks back, and hits another takeover. Anna moves around, headscissors, and Menard applauds. Kris kips free, gets around, waistlock and DSLAM! Kris facelocks, Anna fights up, and Anna throws body shots. Anna slips around to headlock but Kris powers up to a BIG back suplex!

Kris kips up and fans fire up! Kris smiles, flexes, and says, “Mama’s home!” Kris runs, Anna drops, then bails out. Fans boo but Kris storms out after Anna. Anna slides back in to troll Kris more, but Kris slides in. Anna bails out, the cat ‘n’ mouse continues, but Menard blocks Kris’ path. He dares her to do something about it, but then Anna goes to the apron. But Kris block the kick to trip Anna up! Kris pushes Anna in, to ROUNDHOUSE! Kris runs, to run Anna over! Cover, TWO! Kris drags Anna up, whips her to a corner, and runs in, but Anna dodges. Anna comes back to HEEL KICK Kris into buckles!

Anna DECKS Kris, stomps away, and Menard soaks up the heat while fans boo. The ref counts as Anna stands on Kris’ neck at the ropes, and Dynamite goes picture in picture.

Anna steps off at 4 but then Menard gets on the apron to soak up even more heat. Anna stands Kris up to dig her boot into Kris’ neck. The ref counts, Anna lets off, and Kris crawls. Anna stomps Kris, bumps her off buckles, and then Anna ROCKS her with a right! Anna whips corner to corner hard and Kris bounces off buckles! Anna takes a bow while Kris writhes. Anna stomps Kris, stands on her neck, but the ref counts. Anna steps off, Kris sputters, and Anna drags Kris onto the ropes to CHOKE her! The ref counts again, Anna steps off at 4, and Menard talks trash right at Kris. Anna storms up but Kris throws forearms!

Kris runs, but Anna ducks the discus to wrench and HOOK KICK! Cover, TWO! Kris grits her teeth and Anna is frustrated, but Anna CLUBS Kris back down. And again! Anna drags Kris up, throws her by her hair, but the ref reprimands. Anna covers, TWO! Anna keeps her focus as she drags Kris back up. Anna turns Kris for a neckbreaker stretch! Kris endures, fights up, but Anna just hits a NECKBREAKER! Anna drags Kris back up, but Kris JAWBREAKERS back! Kris fires forearms, but Anna ROCKS her back! Kris fires another forearm, so Anna gives it back! Kris fires off a flurry!

Kris has Anna in a corner, and she CHOPS and forearms on repeat! Dynamite returns to single picture, fans fire up and Kris runs to UPPERCUT! Kris goes side to side, to KNEE Anna, then scoop to POWERSLAM! Cover, TWO! Menard is relieved, and we see Taya Valkyrie once again watching backstage. La Wera Loca is still upset that Kris is champion instead of her, but Kris drags Anna to a drop zone. Menard distracts Kris as she climbs, and fans boo, but Anna ROCKS Kris! Anna TOSSES Kris, then hooks her up, GORY BOMB! Cover, TWO!! The shoutout to Tay Melo wasn’t enough and Anna is beside herself!

Fans rally as Anna drags Kris up. Anna clamps on the QUEENSLAYER!! She even hops on as a backpack! But Kris RAMS Anna into buckles! Kris runs back in, but into a BOOT! Anna runs, Kris dodges, DISCUS LARIAT! Fans fire up but Menard gets on the apron again. The ref tells him to get down but Menard eggs Kris on. Kris swings, misses, and Anna O’Conner Rolls, then drops into the QUEENSLAYER!! Kris endures, fights up to her feet, and fans fire up as Kris THROWS Anna right off! Kris roars, runs and STO BACKBREAKER! And then a gut wrench and TOMBSTONE!! Cover, Kris wins!

Winner: Kris Statlander, by pinfall (still AEW TBS Champion)

Taya is even more upset that Kris is still champion right now, but Kris is earning these wins. Will Taya just have to fight her way to a match with The Galaxy’s Greatest?

BREAKING NEWS for Rampage!

After all the back and forth in the Blackjack Battle Royal, we see The Lucha Brothers & Bandido take on Ethan Page, Lee Moriarty & “Big Bill” Morrissey! Will Matt Hardy’s “better man” training already show results in that match? Or will Ethan be firmly All Ego? Plus, “Powerhouse” Hobbs is back in action, wanting to get back to some gold! And in another trios match, we see The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn take on the full Spanish Announce Project. Will Max Caster, Anthony Bowens & Daddy Ass bounce back from Double or Nothing?

And then, a star-studded Fatal 4 Way will see Britt Baker, Sky Blue, Mercedes Martinez and Nyla Rose compete for a AEW Women’s World Championship opporutnity! Speaking of…

Toni Storm & Ruby Soho speak.

The champion says Friday on Rampage, we’ll see a Fatal 4 Way match, the winner facing Toni Storm for a title match next week on Dynamite. Now it will be in the same building and the same city as the very first Dynamite, where the first-ever women’s champion was crowned. Ruby says this is gonna be special. What a lucky girl that’ll be to face Toni. Ruby tells the four contenders that The Outcasts will be watching. Storm says the winner of that match will be facing the greatest AEW Women’s World Champion that ever lived. Soho gets chills, but who gets the shot at the gold in DC?

BREAKING NEWS for next week’s Dynamite!

On top of the Women’s World Championship match, as well as the Six Man Tag of the BCC VS Hangman & The Bucks, there will be a massive 8 Man Tag as Swerve and the entire Mogul Embassy will take on the unlikely quartet of Orange Cassidy, Darby Allin, Sting and Keith Lee! Will all scores be settled at once? Plus, after the verbal confrontation between Cole and MJF, we will see Adam Cole VS MJF in a World Title Eliminator match! If Cole wins, he is guaranteed a title shot, but if MJF wins, Cole is crossed off the list! Will Cole prove he IS on the level of The Devil?

Ricky Starks VS Jay White!

Finally, truly, hopefully, The Absolute and The Switchblade go 1v1, with a ringside ban keeping Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood and Juice Robinson from getting involved. Can Bullet Club Gold be trusted in not stacking the deck on Starks? Or will Starks still need to have his head on a swivel?

But Starks doesn’t wait for White to get in the ring! He rushes White at the ramp and fires off! They brawl, Starks gets the better of White, and he stomps away! Starks stands White up to ROCK him, then follow him down to the ring. Starks puts White in, the bell rings, and White wants time, but Starks clotheslines him up and out! Starks RAMS White into railing, brings him up again, and puts him against railing to CHOP! The ring count climbs, Starks kisses the lady’s hand in the front row, then SMACKS White off the apron. Starks mocks the finger guns then puts White in at 6 of 10. White rolls out the other side, so Starks just goes around the way.

Starks CLOBBERS White, the ref wants this back in the ring, but Starks refreshes the count. Starks CHOPS White, pushes him back into the ring, then goes up to the apron. White swings but Starks blocks to counter punch! Starks storms in, dodges White, and then back drops him! Fans fire up with Starks and he looms over White. Starks goes out to look under the ring and fans rally up. Starks keeps looking but White bails out the side, so Starks stomps him down. Starks continues the search, and he settles for moving the steel steps around. Starks turns them upside-down, but White is going up the ramp!

Starks hurries after White, and CLOBBERS him on the stage! White hits back, KNEES low, the ref reprimands them but White suplexes. Starks fights, wrenches and knees low in return. Starks CLUBS White, brings him up, throws body shots, and then aims at the edge! White fights the whip to throw hands, and rake eyes! White hurries back down the ramp but Starks CLOBBERS him! White flops to ringside but Starks is after him again. Starks keeps White from crawling away, but White elbows him back. Fans rally, White SMACKS Starks off the apron, and then White sees the steps. White pounds the steps and brings them around.

The ref reprimands, White puts the steps back in place. White grins as he trolls the fans, then he refreshes the count. But Starks snap suplexes White to the floor! Fans rally while Dynamite goes picture in picture.

Starks stalks White, drags him up, and pushes him into the ring. Starks looks under the ring again, and he finally finds a chair. Starks hits the post to test it, but the ref tells Starks no. The ref takes the chair away, and White BLASTS Starks off the apron! Starks hits railing, then White goes out after him. White APRON GOURD BUSTERS Starks! White shoves Starks in, covers, TWO! White is annoyed but he stalks Starks to ropes. White TOSSES Starks out, then argues with the ref about going back out there. White goes out after Starks, CHOPS him, then smirks as he brings Starks around the way.

White CHOPS Starks against railing, and he throws up the finger gun. White refreshes the ring count, then he RAMS Starks into railing! The ring count starts again but White slides in. White gets up on the corner to taunt Starks, then goes out after him, and CLUBS away on his back! White puts Starks back in, Starks scrambles to a corner, and White storms up on him. White RAMS into Starks, and RAMS him again, and again! White whips corner to corner hard and Starks bounces off buckles. Dynamite returns to single picture as White mocks Starks. Fans boo as White watches Starks rise back up in the corner.

White aims his finger gun, then CHOPS! Starks staggers, White pushes him to another corner, and CHOPS again! White stands Starks up to CHOP again! Starks sputters, clutches his chest and throat, but White grins as he stands Starks up again. White CHOPS again! Starks ROCKS White with forearms! And again and again! Starks whips, runs in, and TORNADO- NO, White puts Starks up top! White CHOPS again! Starks wobbles up top while White catches his breath. White then climbs up after Starks, and he brings Starks up for a SUPERPLEX!! Both men writhe and fans fire up! White crawls to the cover, TWO!!

White is frustrated as Starks survives! Fans rally up, White paces around, and White drags Starks up. White aims his finger gun, clinches, but Starks throws haymakers! White fishhooks Starks! White KNEES low, whips him to a corner, but Starks dodges to come back, LEAPING LARIAT! Fans fire up as White flounders to a corner. Starks runs in to back elbow! And then TORNADO DDT! High stack cover, TWO!! White survives, but there’s a reason he’s a NJPW Grand Slam Champion! Fans still rally behind Starks, he drags White up but White shoves him away. But Starks catches White to an URENAGE! Cover, TWO!

Starks is frustrated but he throws off the elbow pads. Fans rally as Starks slashes his throat! Starks drags White up, but White fights the underhooks! Starks gets White up, but White wrenches out, clinches, URENAGE of his own!! Cover, TWO!! Starks survives but White sits him up into a sleeper. Starks fights with elbows! White spins Starks to CHOP! Starks SLAPS White! White CHOPS Starks! Starks CHOPS White! White CHOPS, but Starks kicks low! Starks fires off hands, but White kicks back! White CHOPS, clinches, but Starks snapmares free and runs! Starks ducks ‘n’ dodges, but White KICKS the Spear down!!

White drags Starks up, clinches, but Starks spins around to suplex! White slips out, shoves, Starks ducks ‘n’ dodges to SPEAR!! Fans are thunderous, Starks underhooks White, Canadian Rack, but White’s feet hit the ref! ROSHAMBEAUX!! Cover, but there’s no one to count!! And wait, what’re Austin & Colten Gunn doing here?! Granted, the ringside ban wasn’t about them, but still! The fans boo as the Ass Boys slither into the ring, and hit Starks with 3:10 TO YUMA!!! The Gunns run away into the night, and White sees Starks is down! He calls to the ref, crawls to Starks and drags him up! BLADERUNNER!!! Cover, White wins!!

Winner: Jay White, by pinfall

Austin & Colten screw Starks, but what for? And then Juice comes out to celebrate with White, as well as rub it in Starks’ face! Are The Gunns joining up with Bullet Club Gold? Will Bullet Club Gold and Samoa Joe tear down FTR and the returning CM Punk? Or will the Top Guys stand tall?

My Thoughts:

A great Dynamite amid what Tony Khan himself said was an exciting and busy time for AEW. Though, was that really Tony Khan? Between how his announcements are written and how he delivers them, he is starting to sound AI generated. But anyway, while I figured we were getting Bullet Club Gold VS FTR next, I suppose throwing them and then Joe and Punk into a Six Man Tag is a logical move. FTR gets along with Punk, a tag match like that will help take all the pressure off Punk in his return, and Punk can just come in for the finish so he gets credit for the win. And Chicago will eat it up because it’s CM Punk.

Awesome opener for the International Championship, and Swerve came so close. But Cassidy winning again isn’t that big of a surprise, he’s just been amazing his entire reign. But the Embassy attacking and then Sting & Darby making the save was good stuff. Keith Lee joining up in the announced 8 Man Tag makes sense, though this still isn’t quite the blowoff anyone was hoping for. But maybe, just maybe, something like Cassidy VS Darby or Cassidy VS Keith Lee, or even Cassidy VS Darby VS Keith in a Triple Threat for the International Championship comes out of this. All those possibilities would be amazing.

Great video for AEW to announce Bryan Danielson VS Kazuchika Okada, as well as one for Kenny Omega VS Will Ospreay. Bryan VS Okada could go either way, but I feel like something causes Omega to lose the title to Ospreay. Omega hasn’t really been able to defend the IWGP US Championship stateside so Ospreay should take it back to have it on NJPW programming again. And also, Callis & Takeshita are definitely going to be why Omega loses. Takeshita of course wins his match, though Callis kinda repeats what he said last week. Really good Six Man Tag from BCC VS Chaos, but I figured BCC would win. Hangman & Bucks have a good promo to call them out, and BCC VS #HungBucks next week is going to be good stuff.

Really good stuff for Rampage, too. Each of the Six Man Tag matches will be good. Pretty sure Acclaimed & Daddy Ass win so they have momentum going into their rematch with House of Black. And after a good promo from Hardy Party and Ethan, I feel like Ethan’s team is going to lose because Matt’s “better man” training conflicts with his Heel instincts. Good promo from Ruby & Toni ahead of that Fatal 4 Way contenders match. But clearly, Britt is winning that because she’s the one with the most beef against The Outcasts. I kinda wish Shida was in there instead of Skye Blue, but I think Skye is in there just to take the pin.

Really good TBS Championship match between Kris and Anna, but I figured Kris would win to extend the reign. I feel like Taya could’ve come out after that match to call Kris out, but maybe that happens after Kris’ third defense. We got a great Texas Tornado Tag, but WOW, Vance got really bloody. I would hope that wasn’t worked bleeding, because it just means AEW is getting dicey with how badly they cut their guys. Vance was painted with his own blood so quickly, it was rather shocking. But of course JungleHook won. And just like last week, I thought JB was a moment away from turning on Hook. Maybe we get a “friendly” match between JB and Hook for the FTW title that then gets chippy and causes them to be at odds.

Christian Cage had a good promo, and I figured Luchasaurus was beating someone up. This just gives me more credence to think Brock Anderson and Brian Pillman Jr. should join up with Arn and Wardlow to counter Christian and Luchasaurus. Great main event match from Starks VS White, but I did not expect The Gunns to be the ones helping White win. I thought BCG was going to bring in another “former” Bullet Club member, but there isn’t really anyone that would work given what NJPW is doing with Bullet Club right now. So I guess Gunns using Starks as a proxy to get at FTR is the connection here?

And great promo out of MJF and Adam Cole to start their feud. Like Cole, I felt it was both clever yet cliché at the same time for MJF to copy-paste Cole’s promo on Karrion Kross. And of course MJF brought up the rumored Keith Lee and Adam Cole wrestler-and-manager combo, as MJF is Mr. Low Hanging Fruit. But Cole basically put MJF in his place, we’re getting a great match next week, and I would think Cole wins to earn a title match rather than be crossed off the list so soon. Then we’ll get an even more amazing match for the title, maybe at All In London so that MJF has time to razz on Cole more, as well as pull his usual attempts of removing Cole before ever needing to defend the title.

My Score: 8.8/10

Only one can be The Center of the Universe!

To earn a shot at Tiffany Stratton’s NXT Women’s Championship, the Women’s Division fights in a battle royal! Who wins a golden ticket to Tiffy Time?

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Mixed Six Tag Match: Diamond Mine VS The Schism; The Schism wins.
• Blair Davenport VS Dani Palmer; Blair wins.
• Baron Corbin VS Trick Williams; Corbin wins.
• Mustafa Ali VS Joe Gacy; Ali wins.
• Eddy Thorpe VS Damon Kemp; Thorpe wins.
• Dabba-Kato VS SCRYPTS; Dabba wins.
• NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royal: Thea Hail wins and will challenge Tiffany Stratton for the title.

PLAY BY PLAY

Baron Corbin arrives backstage.

The Lone Wolf stares down Tyler Bate and Eddy Thorpe, chuckles at a poster of Carmelo Hayes, then stares down Hank Walker, Tank Ledger and some of the prospects. He tells staff to hit his music and they do as told. Corbin scoffs at the rest of the posters while he makes his entrance. Fans boo as Corbin makes his way to the ring, because we all remember him going after Melo after Melo retained the title against Noam Dar. Corbin gets the mic to say, “Y’know, I never thought I’d walk back through these doors. When I got the call, I cleaned out my locker and never looked back.

“Over the next eight YEARS, I ascended to the top of Raw and SmackDown. While I was main-eventing PPVs, NXT superstars continued to get called up to the main roster. When they got there, they were full of talent and hunger. And then something changed. I wonder what it was. Now, they come up full of ego and attitude. Hell, some of ’em sit in the locker room, twiddle their thumbs on their cellphone, acting like they got nowhere better to be. They act like we should thank them for coming up to Raw and SmackDown.

“Then I walk in through these doors. I hear superstars in the back talking about their legacy, talking about how they’re the next ones to be called up. Or, they’re complaining that they haven’t been called up yet, and it’s starting to make me sick! They walk through these doors to a championship team. They have guaranteed contracts, and they’re living in a house that I built! Me and all the other OGs started in FCW, and we took this train all the way to sell out Barclays Arena, with 16,500 people! Don’t clap for that now, you’ve never done it before, get off my bandwagon.

“I come through those doors tonight, and there’s superstars can’t even look me in the eye. They don’t show me the respect that I deserve. Now I had no control over that last Draft that came up. But you can make damn sure I got control of the next, because I’m gonna make every one of those superstars regret ever signing a WWE contract! Every single one of ’em is soft, every single one of ’em is weak, and they’re sure as hell not as good as they think they are. That all lies on the champion, the NXT Champion, Carmelo Hayes. Melo walks around here like his stuff doesn’t stink. Yeah, there you go. Cheer for him. Cheer for him!

“Cuz ol’ Melo got a taste of main roster reality when I laid him out, put him down, I took his title and I stood over his body, and I held it over my head.” Wait, ILJA DRAGUNOV is here! The Czar tells Baron, “Would you please, um, give me the chance to introduce myself. My name is Ilja Dragunov.” Fans cheer and Corbin says he knows who Ilja is, but what does he want? Ilja isn’t sure about the people Corbin saw in the hall, but Ilja is here to look him in the eyes to say, he’s NOT soft and he is NOT weak. He is the most animalistic, intense man in NXT! He’s beaten everyone put in front of him, and after Battleground, he is the first man in line to face Melo for the title.

Oh, here we go. There’s the NXT arrogance. Corbin has competed in SIX WrestleMania matches, he retired THE Kurt Angle, and he is the last man to pin Roman Reigns. Fans chant “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Ilja gets it, Corbin is targeting Melo to make some kind of point. But Ilja is targeting Melo for the title. And Ilja really doesn’t care how many Manias Corbin’s been to. If Ilja must ravage Corbin with pain to get what he wants, then so be it. Corbin tells the “kid” that there is a big difference between what he wants and what he’s gonna get. Corbin jumps the line cuz he says so, cuz he’s the biggest star in the building.

Ilja says Corbin is making assumptions, but Ilja makes challenges. So why not show everyone how much of a star you are, against Ilja tonight?! Fans love the sound of that! Corbin asks Ilja really wants “a piece of this” after Battleground. Well, there’s nothing Corbin can bring as hard as Dijak did at Battleground. Ilja shows off the NASTY bruise on his hip! Corbin says that’s cute. That’s one bruise. When Corbin’s done with him, Ilja will be covered in ’em. Ilja welcomes the challenge. Fans fire up, will the Lone Wolf be sent back to the main roster with his tail between his legs?

But wait! Trick shows up to start throwing hands! Fans fire up as Trick is after Corbin, Corbin shoves him back, but Trick clotheslines Corbin out! Fans fire up as the refs back Corbin off. Will Trick get payback on Corbin for that sneak attack on Melo?

Thea Hail finishes training.

She hobbles and says she can barely feel her legs anymore. Duke Hudson finds her but Charlie Dempsey says not bad. He better see her again tomorrow. Oh he’ll see her again! And he’ll see improvement! You bring your A Game! Wait, Duke is confused, what’s going on? Dempsey & Gulak are teaching her how to crunch people! It’s firing her up! Really? Yeah, she’s got all these great grappling holds now! Wanna see? She grabs Duke’s arm in a wristlock! OW! Sorry! But it works, right? Duke says she doesn’t even like those guys! Yeah, but you just gotta give it back to ’em, y’know? Thea shouts, “I’ma kick you in the ass, professor!”

See? They love it! Well, okay, as long as she’s learning. But you can’t just “crunch” someone over the top rope. It’s a battle royal tonight! Yeah, but she can still throw people over. He believes in her, right? Y-yeah… Then let’s go! Thea is fired up, will she crunch and toss everyone else in the ring to get that golden ticket?

Bron Breakker attacks Ilja Dragunov backstage!

The Big Bad Booty Nephew tells The Czar to keep “thinking” he’s the most intense guy in NXT. If Ilja likes pain, how’s that feel? The refs back Bron off, will Dragunov have to go after him and Corbin before going after Melo?

Mixed Six Tag Match: Diamond Mine VS The Schism!

Ivy Nile has had it with Ava Raine, and by extension, the Creed Brothers and the Dyad have gotten at each other. Now things will be settled as all six get in the ring! Will Diamond Mine crush Ava, Rip Fowler & Jagger Reed under the pressure? Or will the roots of Schism’s tree only grow and spread?

NXT returns as Diamond Mine make their entrance. The teams sort out and and Julius starts against Rip. They circle, tie up, and Julius wrenches an arm. Rip whips Julius away, things speed up, and Julius drops to fireman’s carry takeover into an armlock! Rip fights free but Julius just grabs the other arm. Rip fights to his feet, CHOPS, but Julius wrenches the arm. Rip CHOPS, Julius wrenches, but then Rip pulls an ear! Tag to Jagger, the Dyad mugs Julius, and Jagger ROCKS Julius with forearms. Jagger swings again, but Julius gets around to waistlock and SLAM! Jagger fights up, but Julius SLAMS him again!

Julius keeps hold of Jagger to SLAM him again, and KNEE him in the side! Tag to Brutus, and the Creeds pinball Jagger between knees! Brutus drags Jagger up, ROCKS him, and then clamps onto another arm. Tag to Julius, they mug Jagger, but Jagger ELBOWS him away! And then DECKS him! Jagger facelocks, but Julius deadlifts from the floor! Julius stands back up, walks over, and tags in Brutus. Brutus takes the handoff, fans fire up as Brutus keeps Jagger up! Brutus tags Julius back in, takes the handoff back, and then marches around before the SLAM! And then he kips up! Fans fire up, Julius whips but Jagger reverses

Jagger runs in, MONKEY FLIPS, but Julius lands through it! And he DROPKICKS Jagger! Julius whips Jagger, Jagger reverses and CLOBBERS Julius! And Ava tags in! Ava SLAPS Julius! Ivy steps in to calm Julius down, but then Ava tags out to Rip. The Schism trolls Ivy but Julius storms up to shoot in and waistlock, for a SLAM! And then he KNEES Rip in the side! Julius headlocks, Rip powers out but Julius goes up and over and keeps moving. Brutus tags in,. Julius ducks ‘n’ dodges, Brutus AX HANDLES Rip! And then shoots around, but Rips witches. TERMAN SUPLEX, but Brutus lands on his feet!

Brutus trophy lifts Rip, to DROP him, and STANDING MOONSAULT! Fans fire up with Brutus and Julius tags back in. Brutus cross-arm SLAMS Julius onto Rip! And Then Ivy snap suplexes Brutus onto Rip! And then Julius gives Ivy a boost for a SENTON! Fans are thunderous for the Diamond Mine’s combinations, and Ivy calls out Ava! Fans want to see that, too, but NXT goes to break.

NXT returns and Rip has Brutus down in a chinlock. Brutus endures, fights up, and fans rally. Brutus pries the hold open, but Rip knees low. Rip ROCKS Brutus, but Brutus ROCKS Rip! And Jagger! And Rip again! Brutus staggers along ropes, but he ELBOWS Rip away. Jagger distracts, Rip shoves Brutus into the ropes! Brutus sputters off that low hotshot, and then Ava sucker punches Ivy! Rip BLASTS Julius, too! Fans boo but Rip tags Jagger. The Dyad whip Brutus into the corner hard, then hit an ASSISTED SLICED BREAD! Cover, TWO!! Brutus survives and The Dyad is frustrated.

Jagger tags Rip back in, the Dyad stomp away on Brutus! Fans boo but The Dyad drag Brutus up. Rip fishhooks Brutus’ face, lets off as the ref counts, and fans rally up. Rip drags Brutus up, suplexes, but Brutus blocks! Brutus suplexes Rip up and over instead! Rip tags Jagger in, Jagger keeps Brutus from the corner with a SLEEPER! Brutus endures, reaches out, marches forward, and fans rally behind him. Hot tag to Julius! Julius CLOBBERS Jagger, OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Rip! Then an OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Jagger! And a kip up! And then an OVERHEAD Belly2Belly for Rip! Kip up, and another OVERHEAD for Jagger!

Julius just keeps going, but The Dyad go after him together! SO they get a DOUBLE OVERHEAD SUPELX! Fans are thunderous with Julius, and he runs up the corner, to DOUBLE QUEBRADA! Julius scoops Jagger but Rip makes the save. Julius kicks Rip but Rip RAMS him into the corner! Jagger hits GRIT YOUR TEETH! But Brutus runs in, BRUTUS BALL! Down goes Rip! Jagger ENZIGURIS Brutus, runs, but Julius LARIATS Jagger! Fans fire up, but Jagger SUPERKICKS back! All four men are down and the fans fire up! Ivy grins as she stares Ava down. Julius crawls, hot tag to the Diamond Pitbull!

Fans fire up and even Ava smiles. The two circle, tie up, and they start throwing forearms! Ivy dodges a lariat, KCIKS and KICKS and ROUNDHOUSES! Fans fire up as Ivy runs, and DROPKICKS! Then she runs, but Ava SCORPION KICKS! Ava scoops but Ivy slips out, DIAMOND DRAGON!! But Jagger gets Ivy! So Ivy gets HIM in the DIAMOND DRAGON!! Fans fire up but the ref says Ivy has to let off, it’s only men against men and women against women! But Ava HEADBUTTS Ivy while wearing her plastic mask!! The ref missed that dealing with Jagger! Cover, Schism wins!

Winners: The Schism, by pinfall

Ava snatches victory away from the jaws of the Diamond Pitbull, the Schism gets a big win here tonight. Will we see their roots soon bear golden fruit?

Stacks visits Tony D’Angelo in prison.

Tony’s in the orange jumpsuit as he sits down to talk with Stacks. How’s he been? Good. But guess what? Knuckles is in here! The guy who- SHH! Oh, right. But yeah, Giorgio the Whale gets Tony his paper, and the guards even pitched in so Tony could have a subscription to The Peacock so he can watch the show the next day. That’s great! It’s almost like being in a hotel. Almost. But did Stacks get any more info on this rat? Stacks says he’s put in some calls. Miss Kim Cashstashian will get them off. Whoa, gotta reword that, Stacks.

But anyhow, Tony isn’t sure how he feels with his life in the hands of Cashstashian. Tony might as well play the lottery. Stacks’ gut says it’s Gallus, they didn’t wanna face Tony & Stacks at Battleground. But they’ve got a lot of enemies. This could be Legado, or, or- Is Stacks hearing himself? He’s on a wild goose chase! You’re going around the world to go next door. Trust your gut! It’s Gallus! Get those guys for all they’re worth! Tony swears on his mother’s eyes- Oh, don’t make a threat on the phone… But okay, listen. What Joe Coffey did last week, forget about it. But 3v1 ain’t cutting it.

Then what’s Stacks to do? Visitation time is almost up, so Tony tells Stacks that he’s the Underboss, he can figure it out. Tony leaves, and it is all in Stacks’ hands now.

Robert Stone & Von Wagner go to therapy.

They’re impatiently waiting in the lobby, and Stone tells Von that he hopes this all works out. They have had quite the week trying to find the right fit. Montage: one guy skips the breathing exercise to get to the anger issue. Von says he has no anger issue. But anger management is nothing to be ashamed of. Learning to control it can actually help him. Von tells this guy to GFY. Stone apologizes and pays in cash. Von says that guy was a jackass! Oh and the other guy? Von had that guy up against a wall! Stone again paid for that in cash. Von is on the verge of a breakthrough, so long as he gives things a chance.

One guy comes out crying. Von sighs. He doesn’t wanna do this now. Oh, c’mon, Von! NO! Didn’t you see that guy crying? Von is not a crier! What do you think Von’s dad would think seeing this? Von is NOT walking through this door. But then the therapist walks out. A very lovely lady therapist… Well, maybe Von can give this a shot. But alone. Von winks before the door closes. Is therapy going to be the solution after all?

Blair Davenport VS Dani Palmer!

Who was the assailant of the NXT Women’s Division? It was BLAIR, Dani! It was Blair all along! And now that she’s back, will she tear through what’s left of the roster to get at the title? Or can Dani avenge Sol Ruca, Nikkita Lyons and everyone else Blair terrorized?

The bell rings and Dani rushes in! They tie up, go around, and Blair puts Dani on ropes. The ref counts, Dani turns nit around but Blair turns it back around. Blair lets off at 4, to SLAP Dani! Dani SLAPS Blair! Blair kicks low, whips her to a corner, but Dani goes up and over and handsprings away. Blair chases, but runs into headscissors! Blair blocks to SLAM Dani down, then BOOT her out of the ring! Blair goes out after Dani, puts her in the ring, then CLOBBERS her! Fans rally for Dani but Blair drags Dani up to whip. Blair KNEES low, gut wrenches and GUTBUSTERS! Then she throws Dani into ropes!

Fans rally for Dani as she sputters, but Blair clamps on with a waistlock. Blair SLAMS Dani, holds onto the waistlock, and squeezes with a rear bearhug. Fans rally as Dani fights up, and she fights free with elbows! Dani switches, rolls up, TWO! Blair kicks Dani low! Fans boo but Blair whips Dani to kitchen sink knee! Blair soaks up the heat, she KNEES Dani in the side, then stalks her around the way. Blair kicks Dani around, KICKS her in the side, but Dani grits her teeth. Dani blocks the next kick, but Blair ROCKS her with a forearm! Dani hits back, kicks low, and UPPERCUTS! And CHOPS! And DOUBLE KNEES! Cover, TWO!

Dani goes to a corner and climbs up. Blair grabs Dani’s hair to TOSS her to the mat! Blair then sits Dani up, has the wrists, KAMI-GOYE! And then, FALCON ARROW! Cover, Blair wins!

Winner: Blair Davenport, by pinfall

Blair satiates her appetite for violence, and says she has just put the entire roster on notice! Will even Tiffany Stratton have to beware the heir?

Dana Brooke arrives?!

Another callback to NXT is here, and she wants in on the battle royal. There’s a lot of buzz in NXT now, so Dana will make her own opportunities when she is the last woman standing! Will the Flex Appeal grab that golden ticket for herself?

Backstage interview with Tiffany Stratton.

McKenzie Mitchell says the battle royal was Tiffany’s idea, but now Dana Brooke is here and wants in on the match. Tiffany stops McKenzie there. Tiffany would say she’s shocked, but she’s not. Of course Dana wants a shot at Tiffany’s title. Come one, come all. Sometimes the title makes the superstar, but in this case, Tiffany has made this title the most desirable belt in all of the WWE. And every single woman in that battle royal is envious of what Tiffany has. Are you kidding me? NO ONE was happy Tiffany won. But Tiffany has no problem proving she’s in a class of her own. So who does she think wins tonight?

“TBH, Lyra is the only one I can see pulling it off. I mean, she pushed me at Battleground. Like, damn, gurl, you were almost at the Tiffy Top. But it won’t matter, because the result will stay the same on the other side: And still NXT Women’s Champion, Tiffany Stratton! I just love the sound of that. Tootles.”

Baron Corbin VS Trick Williams!

The Lone Wolf is looking down on the new generation of NXT, and Trick Willie isn’t gonna stand for it! Will Trick represent for Trick Melo Gang? Or will Corbin bring about the End of Days for this new “arrogant” era?

The bell rings and the two circle. Fans rally up, the two tie up but Corbin knees low. Corbin CLUBS Trick, stalks him to ropes, and puts him in a corner. Corbin throws body shots and CLUBS Trick again, to then whip corner to corner. Trick hits buckles hard, and then Corbin CLOBBERS Trick! Fans boo but Corbin stands Trick up to throw hands. Corbin CHOKES Trick on the ropes, lets off at 4, and argues with the ref. Trick drags himself up, but Corbin shoves him into ropes to CLUB him in the back! Corbin taunts Trick, stomps him, and then swings, but Trick counter punches! Trick fires off fist after fist, but Corbin knees low again!

Corbin CLUBS Trick, but fans taunt “BUM ASS CORBIN!” Corbin puts Trick in a corner, whips him corner to corner, and runs in to SPLASH! Trick sputters but Corbin stands him up. Corbin talks trash on Trick, but Trick ROCKS him with forearms! Fans fire up and Trick runs, but Corbin CLOBBERS Trick again! Corbin looms over Trick and he taunts the fans. Fans boo, Corbin whips Trick corner to corner again, then runs in, but Trick dodges! Trick fires off fast hands! The ref counts, Trick stomps away, but Trick lets off, and dodges Corbin to DROPKICK him! Corbin staggers, into a POP-UP HAYMAKER!

Corbin falls out of the ring and Trick dares him to come back for more as NXT goes picture in picture.

Trick storms out after Corbin, drags him up, and RAMS him into barriers. Trick stalks Corbin around the way, CHOPS him against barriers, and then brings him up. Trick RAMS Corbin into barriers, the fans rally up, and Trick CHOPS Corbin again! Trick refreshes the ring count, puts Corbin back in, but Corbin kicks the ropes! The ropes get Trick low, and Corbin fires off fast hands! The ref counts, Corbin lets off and he has Trick in a corner. Corbin reels Trick in for a BIG back suplex! Cover, TWO! Corbin scowls as he looms over Trick. Corbin clamps on a half nelson and chinbar, and he thrashes Trick around.

Trick endures, fans rally up, and Trick fights up to throw body shots. Corbin shoves Trick away, Trick ducks ‘n’ dodges to CLOBBER Corbin! Cover, TWO!  Trick fires off on Corbin at the ropes, drags him up, brings him in and suplexes! Corbin writhes, Trick pushes him down, and Trick rains down forearms! Then Trick covers, TWO! Trick clamps on with a headlock and he grinds Corbin down. Corbin fights up, and hits another BIG back suplex! Fans rally while both men are down, and Corbin crawls over to Trick. Corbin hammers away with elbows! Corbin hears the fans rallying, and he clamps onto Trick with the chinbar half nelson.

Trick endures as Corbin leans on the hold. Trick fights up, but Corbin wrangles him back down! Corbin thrashes Trick as NXT returns to single picture. Fans rally for Trick and Trick fights up again. Trick arm-drags free, runs in and ROCKS Corbin! Corbin flops to the apron, Trick BLASTS him off it! Trick goes out to SMACK Corbin off the desk! Corbin wobbles and flops over, Trick runs in, but Corbin moves! Trick knees only the desk! Corbin has his opening, he punches away on the knee! The ref has the ring count climbing as Corbin pulls on the arm. Corbin lets off, refreshes the count, and he drags Trick up.

Corbin RAMS Trick into the steel steps, making sure those knees hit hard! Trick writhes and clutches the leg while fans boo and gives Corbin thumbs down. Corbin puts Trick in the ring, and he stomps away on the bad leg! Fans chant “CORBIN SUCKS!” but Corbin stands Trick up to whip and SPINEBUSTER! Corbin has the leg for a HALF CRAB! Trick endures, fans rally, and Trick reaches out! Trick gets the ROPEBREAK! Corbin lets go fast, Trick kicks him with the good leg! But Corbin grabs that leg, so Trick EDDY GORDO KICKS! Fans rally, Trick and Corbin rise, and Corbin storms over.

Trick fires body shots and counter punches! Trick has Corbin in a corner and he fires off! Corbin shoves Trick, Trick comes back to DROPKICK! And then wrench and JUMP KNEE! Trick runs to FLYING SHOULDER TACKLE! Fans fire up with Trick and he runs in again, SWINGING NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO!! Corbin survives but Trick stalks him to ropes. Corbin elbows low, choke grips, and CHOKE- NO, Trick fights out, EDDY GORDO KICK 2! Trick runs, but into DEEP SIX! Cover, TWO!! Trick survives and Corbin is beside himself! Fans rally as Corbin storms up on Trick. “This is Awesome!” as Corbin puts Trick up top.

Corbin climbs up but Trick CLUBS away on him! Trick sends Corbin away, hops off the corner, but Corbin returns. Trick dodges to POST Corbin! Trick fires off big haymakers! Fans fire up and Trick DECKS Corbin! Trick wants more, he waits on Corbin to stand, Trick spins but the leg gives out! Corbin kicks low, reels Trick in, END OF DAYS! Cover, Corbin wins!

Winner: Baron Corbin, by pinfall

Trick fought valiantly, but one miscalculation cost him. Corbin says he’s going back to SmackDown to go qualify for Money in the Bank, then he’ll be back next Tuesday. Will Melo be back to get back at Corbin directly?

NXT presents an all-new Hard Hitting Home Truths.

Nathan Frazer welcomes us back to HHHT. Now we’re nine days removed from Battlegrounds, and the landscape never stops shifting. Tiffany is the new Women’s Champion, Wes Lee is breaking every single record in the book, Ilja Dragunov is not human–though that’s not exactly news–and we have Free Agents popping up left, right and middle. But most importantly, Noam Dar has a new pack o’ friends who helped him hold onto his “precious baby,” the Heritage Cup. They were useful enough to help him retain, but not enough to gain another title, as “a couple of fine, handsome gentlemen” in Nathan and Dragon Lee saw to that.

However, Noam is still Heritage Cup Champion, and while Nathan is not really fond of this new Supernova group, he and everyone else will just have to “deal with it.” Speaking of, here is a special guest who feels the same way about Dar as he does. That’s right, HHHT is going global with their “Senior International Correspondent,” Mr. Dragon Lee. Dragon appears on set and he says mucho gracias, and (in Spanish) for this opportunity to be part of this premier show. Uh, si! Dragon does have in his hand a list of the top five names for Dar’s new super group.

CINCO: Two Awful Chat Show Hosts, Plus Two. QUATRO: The Oro Mensah Experience. TRES: The Jakara Jackson Five! Well, minus one. DOS: The Long Lost Legend of Lash Legend. And numero UNO: Noam’s Rent-a-Friends! Nathan says number one is the best because it is the truest. And after Battleground, Dar is running out of surprises, and needs new challengers. The hard-hitting truth here is that Dar is fragile and he knows it. Nathan beat Dar in a regular match, so here’s a proposal: Dar VS Frazer for the Cup next week! And Dragon will return the favor by being in Nathan’s corner!

Frazer thanks Dragon for that, and so, they will love ya and leave ya. They’ve been Nathan Frazer and Dragon Lee, and Dar… Ball’s in your court. Peace. Will the British Rocket get his shot at the Cup? Or will he not be able to reach the Scottish Supernova?

Backstage interview with Mustafa Ali.

McKenzie is with The Beacon, nothing how he shocked the entire world when he showed up during Bate & Wes VS The Dyad. What brings him here to NXT? He is Free Agent Ali, baby! He can show up wherever he wants! And now, Ali is the one riding the storm. The next chapter Ali will write is titled, “Mustafa Ali Finally Wins Gold.” Then before he faces off against Joe Gacy- Wait, Wes Lee walks in. Wes has to let everyone know how excited he is that Ali is here! And talking about gold, uh, well Wes wants to make sure- Ali stops Wes there. Don’t do that. Don’t hand Ali a chance. Ali wants to earn it, like Wes did!

And that starts with Gacy. Maybe down the road, it will be Ali VS Lee for the title. That is, if Wes is still champ by then. Jokes aside, Wes wishes Ali luck, but will The Beacon shine bright on the white ‘n’ gold brand? Or will The Schism’s roots continue to grow tonight?

Mustafa Ali VS Joe Gacy!

NXT returns as Mr. Inclusion makes his entrance. The bell rings, the two circle, and they tie up. They break, and then tie up again. Ali headlocks, Gacy throws hands but Ali ROCKS Gacy! Ali headlocks, Gacy powers out and then CLOBBERS Ali! Fans rally as Gacy fires off on Ali in the corner. Gacy whips corner to corner, runs in, but Ali goes up and over! Things speed up,. Ali ducks ‘n’ dodges and RANAS! Fans fire up as Gacy flounders. Ali storms up but Gacy dumps him out! Ali skins the cat, shoulders in, and ROCKS Gacy again! Ali slingshots but Gacy SHOVES him down! Fans boo as Ali crashes to the floor!

Gacy goes out after Ali, drags him back into the ring, and then hurries to cover, TWO! Gacy clamps onto Ali with a chinlock but fans rally. Ali fights with body shots, and a CHOP! Ali whips, Gacy reverses and reels Ali in, URENAGE! Cover, TWO! Ali is hanging tough but Gacy clamps on with a chinbar. Fans rally as Ali endures. Ali fights up, throws body shots, but Gacy CLUBS him o the back. Gacy back suplexes, Ali lands on his feet, but Gacy DDTS! Cover, TWO! Ali survives and goes to a corner but Gacy goes to the opposite. Gacy runs in, but Ali slips out and Gacy hits buckles! Ali ROUNDHOUSES, slingshots and BLOCKBUSTERS!

Fans fire up and Ali goes up the corner! Gacy hurries to ROCK Ali first! Gacy goes up after Ali, but Ali fights the superplex! Ali throws headbutts, then SMACKS Gacy off buckles! Ali stands up to SUNSET FLIP POWERBOMB! Ali then skins the cat to the top rope, and fans fire up as Ali 450 SPLASHES!! Cover, ALI WINS!

Winner: Mustafa Ali, by pinfall

But then The Dyad attacks! Rip & Jagger won’t let Ali celebrate, they stomp away while Gacy drags Ali down,. But then here come Wes Lee & Tyler Bate! They fire off, SUPERKICK Rip, Bop and BANG for Jagger! Gacy sees he’s surrounded, he turns around into a SUPERKICK from Ali! Fans fire up as the Beacon, the Big Strong Boi & The Cardiac Kid send the Schism running! Will they have to tear down The Schism’s tree before they can talk title matches?

Fallon Henley, Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs talk backstage.

Tonight, the main event is a battle royal for a shot at the women’s title. Jensen knows Fallon is ready, Fallon says she’s ready, she feels tonight is her night. But wait, Malik Blade & Edris Enofe walk up. They say Briggs & Jensen were “the ones who started all this.” Hank ‘n’ Tank fought each other to get closer, so now Malik wants to fight Edris! Fallon excuses herself to get ready, and the guys talk. Jensen says it really did work for Hank ‘n’ Tank, and Briggs says it really did work for him and Jensen. Did it really? Okay, let’s find out. What is Jensen’s favorite color? Blue. Yeah, right here on the shirt.

Okay, okay, that was an easy one. Edris then asks Jensen when is Briggs’ birthday. Jensen thinks back… March 5th. BINGO! See? They are good! Malik asks Edris if he knows his birthday. But then Hank ‘n’ Tank walk in, they’re talking country songs. Hank’s a Boy Named Sue guy all the way. Right! Johnny Cash is the man! But Tank likes the modern stuff, like Taylor Swift. Bingo! Tank is a big T. Swifty boy. What the what? But Tank says after Fallon wins that battle royal, let’s all go get some brewskis. Now he’s talking their language! But uh, do Malik & Edris want in? They’ll catch up later. Alright! Laters!

Malik asks Edris if he’s thinking what Malik is thinking. Well after this past week, clearly not! But then Gallus walk up. Don’t worry, lads. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the same page or not, because you’d never beat Gallus for the titles. Gallus Boys On Top, no one else has to play stupid games. Malik nods to Edris and Edris gives in. They’re doing this next week, huh? OH YEAH! Malik VS Edris is happening! Edris accepts his fate, and asks his phone when IS Malik’s birthday.

Backstage interview with Noam Dar and his crew.

McKenzie asks the Heritage Cup Champion about Nathan Frazer’s challenge. And also, what is up with his group? Oh, his group? No, this is THEIR group. When you’re the Supernova, you have to be surrounded by stars, and that is what he has here. This is a collection of shooting stars with unlimited potential! Starting with Dar’s main man, Mensah. Oro is underappreciated, undervalued, but no more! Dar is the one who believed in Oro, got him on a premium event, and has Oro flying in a new stratosphere. And that’s just the beginning. We have Action Ms. Jakara Jackson, a world class athlete who competed on the Titan Gams! And now she’s a titan in this game!

Jakara says she’s sugar, spice, and everything that ain’t so nice. Heard that? And last but not least. Lash THEE Legend! She will beat you physically, emotionally, mentally, she is a GOAT in the making! One of one! Does McKenzie not know what’s going on right here? The screen can’t handle all this brightness, they’re shinin’ shinin’. Five trophies, one picture, okay? But then about Nathan’s challenge. Ugh. If he wants a cup match, remember two things: Dar is NEVER losing the Cup; and there is no stopping… The Meta Four. CHECK PLEASE, bye bye!

Eddy Thorpe VS Damon Kemp!

The Alpha Wolf won once before, but it didn’t humble the Golden Gopher one bit. Will this be a clean sweep? Or will Kemp make Eddy feel like trash, and then make him pick it up?

NXT returns and Kemp makes his entrance. The bell rings, the two tie up, and they go around. Kemp puts Thorpe on the ropes, the ref counts, and Kemp lets off with a shove. Thorpe comes back, arm-drags, headlocks and hits the takeover. Kemp keeps his shoulder up and fights up, but Thorpe holds onto the headlock. Kemp lifts, but Thorpe still holds on! Kemp throws body shots, powers out, but Thorpe reverses the whip to SPINNING CROSSBODY! Direct hit, Thorpe drags Kemp around by his legs, but Kemp kicks free. Thorpe runs up to BOOT Kemp to a corner! Thorpe storms up but into a BOOT from Kemp!

Thorpe CHOPS in return! Thorpe whips, Kemp reverses, but Thorpe goes up, only to get caught! ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Cover, TWO! Kemp stomps away on Thorpe, drags him up, but Thorpe CHOPS! Kemp ducks the next chop to RAM low, UPPERCUT, and shove, to then OVERHEAD Belly2Belly! Fans rally, Kemp stalks Thorpe, and Kemp drops elbow after elbow! Kemp scrapes his sole off Thorpe’s face, then clamps on with a chinlock. But Thorpe fights with elbows! Kemp still hits an IRISH CURSE BACKBREAKER! Kemp talks trash, stomps Thorpe, and then pulls on Thorpe in a chinlock stretch.

Fans rally for “EDDY! EDDY!” but Kemp bends him back! Thorpe fights, but Kemp body scissors to keep Thorpe down. Fans still rally, Thorpe fights up, and Thorpe throws body shots! Thorpe is free, he bobs ‘n’ weaves and throws more shots! Thorpe CHOPS and COHPS and whips, to CLOBBER kemp! And DECK him! Kemp gets up, Thorpe blocks, SOBATS, and PELES! Thorpe runs, to ELBOW DROP! Cover, ROPEBREAK!! Kemp survives but Thorpe is on him. Kemp wrenches, Thorpe switches, they run into the ref! Kemp gets a cheap shot in, but Thorpe switches on Kemp to GERMAN SUPLEX! Bridging cover, Kemp’s foot is on the ropes, but the ref misses it! Thorpe wins!!

Winner: Eddy Thorpe, by pinfall

Kemp complains, he says Thorpe is winning by cheating again! The ref says the decision is final, but are we going to get a round three out of these two?

Gigi Dolin is on the phone.

She talks with her brother Miles and says this is her chance to finally be NXT Women’s Champion. The Weaponized Steel Cage aside, Gigi isn’t going to let anything stop her. She’ll be fine, he just needs to stay out of trouble, okay? Love you, bye. Kiana James walks over and says that’s the “before” phone call. Can’t wait to hear the “after.” Sorry, she came up short again. But they’re used to it. Oh so that’s how Gigi sounds to Kiana? Kiana tells Gigi not to put unrealistic ideas in her brother’s head, like her winning the battle royal. An outcast, with Gigi’s background and emotional instability, will always fall short.

Gigi would rather have her background, as bad as it was, over being a stuck-up elitist like Kiana. Gigi can’t wait to see the smug look on Kiana’s face as she sends her sailing over the top rope and wins. But then Dabba-Kato walks past and everyone clams up. Will Dabba destroy Scrypts for saving Axiom?

Dabba-Kato VS SCRYPTS!

NXT returns as Reggie- er, Scrypts makes his entrance. A wrestler by any other name still flies as high as him, but will he be able to get up and over the mountain of a main before him?

The bell rings, Scrypts dodges a lariat to mule kick, but Dabba barely budges! Scrypts throws a haymaker, but Dabba barely flinches. Scrypts fires more shots, but Dabba grabs him! Scrypts breaks free, runs, but Dabba CLOBBERS him! Dabba whips Scrypts to a corner, Scrypts goes up to AX HANDLE! Scrypts keeps moving, he kicks and CHOPS and runs, but Dabba BOOTS him inside out! Dabba drags Scrypts up to scoop and SLAM him! And then scoop and SLAM again! And then scoop and SLAM again! Dabba looms over Scrypts, drags him up right into a BEARHUG! Scrypts endures the squeeze, CLUBS Dabba again and again, and gets free!

Dabba wobbles but he gets Scrypts up, to TOSS him out of the ring! Scrypts tumbles to the floor, Dabba goes out after him, and drags him back up to CHOP against the desk! Dabba roars while fans boo, but he hauls Scrypts up again to scoop, but wait! AXIOM is there! Where’d he come from/ Dabba SHOVES Axiom down, puts Scrypts in the ring, and storms up to grab Scrypts with both hands. But Axiom is up top, he leaps, Dabba dodges, and then chases Axiom off. Dabba turns around, into Scrypts’ SLINGSHOT ELBOW! Dabba staggers around, he rushes in but into buckles! Scrypts table tops Dabba to cover, SCRYPTS WINS!!

Winner: SCRYPTS, by pinfall

But Dabba drags Scrypts right up for a TOSS! And he SWATS Axiom out of the sky! Dabba SLAMS Axiom onto Scrypts! Fans boo as Dabba looms over them both. Will nothing stop Dabba from storming his way up to a title?

The Schism regroups backstage.

Gacy is furious! “This phony friendship of Wes and Tyler makes me sick! It’s as pathetic as Ali’s positive mental attitude drivel! Next week, we will expose this union of convenience!” Rip says yes, they will! But don’t forget that tonight, The Schism reminded everyone of their strength. They secured a great win over Diamond Mine. Yes, that they did. They’ve pulled their weight, they’ve shown the world what The Schism can be. Gacy, however, has fallen short. He fell short tonight and lost at Battleground. He must reflect and rectify. Ava says one root cannot stabilize an entire tree, no matter how strong it is. Jagger says next week, they have his back.

Mustafa Ali regroups with Tyler Bate and Wes Lee backstage.

He appreciates them having his back, and Wes says it was them returning the favor. And Bate says next week, in a Six Man Tag, they’ll tear “that rotten Schism tree” out, roots and all. Wes tells Ali that Bate says stuff like that, just roll with it. Well, okay, that’s great, but Ali feels like there’s still some magic between Wes and Bate. At Battleground, it was all about the spirit of competition. And in a Triple Threat, luck is just as important as skill. They love this! They love competition! Everyone wants to see it again, and this time, it can be 1v1! Bate says it has crossed his mind. But he doesn’t want to jeopardize the friendship.

Wes says with Bate coming to him face to face on it now, he respects it. They secret handshake, Bate says that’s Wes’ weird thing you gotta roll with. Well, okay. Ali will be on SmackDown this Friday for an MITB qualifier, next Tuesday is the Six Man Tag. And then the Tuesday after that, we can figure out when Bate and Wes tear the house down. They’re all for it! Is the Summer already heating up for the North American Championship?

NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Battle Royal!

Tiffany Stratton truly became the Center of the Universe when she become champion, but that also means she’s surrounded on all sides by those aiming for her belt. Who wins here to be the one with the golden ticket to Tiffany’s first title defense?

NXT returns and Roxanne Perez makes her entrance to join an already packed ring. And last but not least, Dana Brooke makes her entrance! The Flex Appeal is here as a Free Agent, will she be the wild card that wins it all? The bell rings, and the brawl is on! Cora of course goes after Roxie, but Dana helps Valentina Feroz fight Jakara Jackson! Gigi is after Elektra Lopez, Yulisa Leon has Tatum Paxley, Fallon and Kiana go after each other for old time’s sake. Lash swings someone around and clips opponent after opponent! Jakara and Lash help Cora with Roxie and a few others, Jacy clotheslines someone up and out.

Jacy ducks the counter punch to ROLLING ELBOW and ELIMINATE them! Jacy says this is all about her, but fans boo. Dana throws Jakara out, kicks her off the apron, but Oro catches her! Jakara applauds the assist and he helps her back into the ring. Cora DUMPS and ELIMINATES Ariana Grace! Fans boo as Cora laughs at her, but then she and Jacy mug some other superstars. Jacy is after Jakara, Kiana is after Gigi for their little backstage argument, and Thea fights off Tatum. Gigi runs at Kiana, Kiana puts her out but Gigi KNEES back! Gigi drags Kiana up and over to join her! They brawl on the apron!

Fans fire up as Gigi UPPERCUTS Kiana down! But then Kiana kicks Gigi’s legs out! Gigi tumbles and hits the steel steps, then the floor! Kiana ELIMINATES Gigi! Kiana tells Gigi to go call her little brother. Jacy stomps Tatum, Lash fires off hands on Kelani Jordan but Kelani dodges, comes back, only to be clotheslined out to the apron! But Kelani dodges, swings around the corner post, but Jakara trips her up! Kelani falls, Jakara ELIMINATES her! Fallon ROCKS Lash, CHOPS Jakara, and Roxie helps out! Fallon puts Jakara out, fires hands, but Jakara HOTSHOTS! Oro says good work, but Fallon BOOTS Jakara!

Oro catches Jakara again, but then Thea hurries over! Thea SPRINGBOARD TRUST FALLS Oro and Jakara down! Thea ELIMINATES Jakara, but she is safe cuz she went under the top rope! Lash slides out to go after Thea, but ends up in a KIMURA! Lash scoops Thea, and SNAKE EYES her off the steel steps! The ref reprimands but there’s no disqualifications in such a match. Lash leaves Thea behind, only for Feroz & Leon to go after her! She BOOTS them away, but Leon gives Feroz the boost to RANA Lash out! Lash stays on the apron, fires back, but Leon ELBOWS Lashl! Leon goes up and out to go after Lash!

Las Latinas trip and DOUBLE BOOT Lash to ELIMINATE her! They celebrate, but then Lash & Jakara YANK them both off the apron to ELIMINATE them!! And now they brawl! Oro shouts for help, but the battle rages on in and outside the ring as NXT goes picture in picture.

Dana brawls with Cora, Dana BOOTS Cora, and Roxie stomps Jacy. Tatum brawls with Fallon, Elektra has Lyra in a corner. Cora fights off Dana and Kiana while Elektra digs a boto in on Lyra. Roxie throws Jacy up and out but Jacy holds on to fight her off. Lyra scoops Elektra?! What strength! But Elektra lands safe on the apron and tries to drag Lyra up and over with her! Lyra resists, throws elbows, and Elektra wobbles! Lyra WRECKS Elektra with a dropkick and ELIMINATES her! Tatum SLAPS Dana but Dana fires off forearms on her! Cora and Jacy mug Lyra, Kiana keeps on Roxie, and Fallon tires to help Dana.

Tatum fights them off, Dana DECKS Fallon, and then Tatum ROCKS Dana! Tatum bumps Dana off buckles, stomps away, and Cora stomps away on Lyra. Fallon bumps Jacy off buckles, stomps away, and Roxie holds onto ropes as Kiana tries to dump her out. Tatum and Dana brawl more, Dana kicks Tatum down, and NXT returns to single picture. Blair Davenport appears? She wasn’t officially in this match, is she going to insert herself into it? Roxie UPPERCUTS Kiana in a corner, she dodges Jacy to send her into Kiana, then UPPERCUTS them both! Roxie snarls, but Cora grabs her former friend, only for Roxie to turn it around! RUSSIAN LEG SWEEP!

Blair taunts Roxie, who was one of her targets, so Roxie goes out after her! THESZ PRESS and fast hands! Blair shoves Roxie away, whips, but Roxie reverses to send Blair into the apron! BACKHAND, and POP- NO, Tatum saves Blair to CROSSBODY Roxie! Tatum ELIMINATES herself, but she and Blair stomp away on Roxie! They throw Roxie back in, and Jacy slithers up behind. Jacy dumps Roxie up and out to ELIMINATE her!! Jacy says Roxie is a loser, but Lyra stalks up behind her! ENZIGURI! Lyra fires off kicks on Cora, dodges Dana, and goes up to MISSILE DROPKICK! Fans fire up as Fallon runs in, but Lyra blocks to HEEL KICK!

Lyra drags Fallon up, scoops her and puts her on the ropes, but Fallon is safe on the apron. Lyra DECKS Fallon, but Jacy TOSSES Lyra! Lyra skins the cat, headscissors Jacy and throws her out to ELIMINATE her! Fans fire up, but then Cora DROPKCIKS Lyra down to ELIMINATE her! Fans boo as Cora laughs at Lyra and blows a kiss. Now we just have Fallon, Cora, Dana and Kiana. Fallon DECKS Cora, DECKS Kiana, ROCKS Dana, then ELBOWS Kiana, and THROWS Dana! Cora returns but Fallon CHOPS her! Fallon runs up the corner, steadies herself, BLOCKBUSTER for Cora! But Kiana RAMS Fallon into a corner!

Kiana reels Fallon in but Fallon doges to ROCK Kiana! Fallon goes up but Kiana shoves her over! Fallon stays on the apron, gets under Kiana, and BACK DROPS her out of the ring! Fallon ELIMINATES Kiana! Dana rushes in, Fallon slides under, sunset flip but Dana rolls through, so Fallon DECKS her! Cora runs in but Fallon dodges to ROCK her! Cora ROCKS back! Dana DOUBLE LARIATS them both! Fans are torn, but Dana runs in at Fallon to handspring back elbow! Dana handspring back elbows Cora! Dana goes back to Fallon, but Fallon headscissors! Dana shoves Fallon away to ELIMINATE her!

Cora goes after Dana! Dana shoulders in, but Cora DROPKCIKS Dana! Dana clutches onto ropes but Cora stomps away! Dana gets back in, both women run, and DOUBLE LARIATS take them down! But wait! Chase U’s student section remembers, Thea is STILL in this match! Thea rises and she has her chance! Thea shakes the ropes, runs in and Cora says she and Dana should work together. Dana says no no, she and Thea will work together! They kick Cora, double whip, and lift her up! Cora fights free, kicks Dana away but Thea dodges! Thea runs, Cora ducks and Thea CLOBBERS Dana! Cora attacks and TOSSES Thea!

Thea holds onto the ropes, Dana storms up to DECK Cora! Thea GAMANGIRIS Cora, gets in, but Dana kicks her. Dana runs, ROLLING NECKBREAKER! Cora returns to SHINING WIZARD Dana in a corner! And then runs to SHINING WIZARD at the ropes! And then SHINING- NO, Dana blocks, Thea dumps them BOTH!! Thea wins!!

Winner: Thea Hail (NEW #1 Contender to the NXT Women’s Champion)

The Chase U student section storms the court! Er, ring! They celebrate as one of their own has herself a title shot! Even Duke, Gulak & Dempsey applaud. Even Haley & Hanna Cavinder, NXT’s newest NIL prospects, are here to celebrate with Thea! Will Chase U finally have some gold thanks to their ultimate underdog?

NXT Media catches Bron Breakker as he is leaving the building.

NXT Media asks him why he attacked Ilja Dragunov. Why? He isn’t gonna let Ilja spit out garbage about being the most intense guy in the WWE. Bron is gonna hold everyone accountable, from top to bottom. And speaking of the top, how about the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Freakin’ Rollins? The workhorse of the WWE? How about he proves it. Rollins knows how things are done in NXT cuz he was the first-ever NXT Champion! And Bron was the most DOMINANT NXT Champion ever! So Rollins should come back to NXT to put the World Heavyweight Championship on the line… against Bron? Will the Visionary accept that challenge?

My Thoughts:

A great episode for NXT here and we’re in some exciting times right now. Corbin isn’t usually must-see but he did show up last week so we gotta know what that’s about. He of course goes with the usual trope of “this generation doesn’t appreciate anything, they don’t understand,” which oddly was very much where they had JBL going with all his promos when he was Corbin’s manager. But I like that Dragunov got in Corbin’s face, and that Trick Williams took the fight to Corbin. I think tonight was the first time I heard a “This is Awesome!” chant during a Corbin match, but he and Trick were great out there. Corbin of course wins, he needs momentum going towards Melo and the title.

Bron attacking Dragunov was quite the surprise, but it seems the next chapter for him is to double down on the aggression and go after everyone who claims to be better at the things he claims to be. Calling out Rollins was an even bigger surprise, but I would love seeing Rollins having a return to NXT, as I know the live audience there would love seeing it. Could these “callbacks” and callouts be how NXT brute forces its way to being the third brand once and for all?

That question aside, great stuff building with The Schism and the North American Championship. Really good Mixed Six, and I loved that string of human weapon moves from Diamond Mine, especially Ivy suplexes Brutus. But of course The Schism cheats a win in that one. Ali VS Gacy was surprisingly short, but I suppose it builds towards story on both ends. Gacy feels like he’s letting the team down but they’re still standing with him, and Ali seems to be literally match making. The Six Man of Ali, Bate & Wes VS Schism is going to be great, and I bet we get Bate VS Wes on TV since Great American Bash is so far away still.

We got good matches out of Thorpe VS Kemp and Dabba-Kato VS SCRYPTS. A little surprised Thorpe won again with some controversy, I would’ve thought they’d go the other way and have Kemp win by controversy. And in Dabba VS Scrypts, I should’ve figured Axiom would show up. Scrypts gets the win but Dabba has the last laugh, so I sense a handicap match in the future. WWE has done 2 Faces VS 1 Heel before, but it never felt like it was a situation where the Heel was really so much more powerful. In this case, it will work because Dabba is as big as Scrypts and Axiom combined.

Good prison visitation promo, especially that Kardashian joke. Stacks keeps saying it’s Gallus but that just means it isn’t Gallus. But Tony is giving him permission to do what he needs to in order to bring Gallus down, I wonder if Stacks recruits people to the D’Angelo Family for a Six Man Tag. Also, good stuff out of the tag division with everyone doing the mind meld and irritating Malik. Malik VS Edris will be a fun match, who knows how that goes. I feel like NXT could even be building things to a massive NXT Tag Team Championship match for Great American Bash, like the Ladder Fatal 4 Ways of old.

Hard Hitting Home Truths was alright, but those names Dragon Lee came up with for Dar’s group felt more like something HBK and Road Dogg would come up with. But Dar and his group had a good promo in return, and their name, “The Meta Four” is much better than those five names. Frazer VS Dar is going to be great stuff, but with just Dragon Lee, I don’t see Frazer having a chance with Oro, Jakara and Lash all out there. But in tonight’s main event, it looks like they could’ve been building some women’s tag feuds. Lash & Jakara went after Yulisa & Valentina, that could be some good stuff, and we could see Yulisa & Valentina side with Dragon & Frazer as their own quartet.

And speaking of that battle royal, good promo from Gigi and Kiana beforehand, and same for Thea’s promo earlier on. Gigi and Kiana feuding seems to be the next move, helping Gigi build up momentum while Tiffany takes care of her first defense. Roxie brawling with Blair made sense, but I did not see Tatum joining Team Blair. Maybe Dani helps Roxie against them since she was also a target, and also lost to Blair tonight. Great moving of pieces to have Thea out of commission until the end and then finish it up with a big win over Dana and Cora. Thea got that like, Lex Luger beat Yokozuna celebration, where even future superstars, Haley & Hanna Cavinder, got to show up for it.

Now, Thea and Tiffany are going to have an awesome build to their match, they’re going to have an awesome match, but with this being Tiff’s first defense and there being the bigger Chase U story, I don’t see Thea winning. If only NXT had a women’s midcard title, Thea and a few other names could be fighting for that. Just not sure what to name it, as the WWE already uses the phrases Intercontinental, United States and North American, and they wouldn’t want to copy AEW’s International Championship. WWE hasn’t had a Television Championship in 20 years, so giving that concept to the women’s division would be pretty cool.

My Score: 8.8/10