Coverage
Mitchell’s NJPW Castle Attack Results & Report! (2/28/21)
There’s gold in the Castle Attack!

Will there no longer be a NJPW Double Champion?
NJPW is not done in Osaka just yet! And Tetsuya Naito will never be done with the IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IF he can take it from Kota Ibushi! Will Naito deny the Golden Star God’s will to unify the belts?
OFFICIAL RESULTS
- The United Empire VS Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan; Kojima & Tenzan win.
- Six Man Tag: Chaos VS Bullet Club; Chaos wins.
- IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Guerrillas of Destiny VS Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI; Guerrillas of Destiny win and retain the titles.
- NEVER Openweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Great-O-Khan; Tanahashi wins and retains the title.
- IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat: BUSHI VS El Phantasmo VS El Desperado; Desperado wins and is the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
- IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi VS Tetsuya Naito; Ibushi wins and retains the title.
PLAY BY PLAY
The United Empire VS Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan!
Will Ospreay & Jeff Cobb already defeated the King of Cozy and Ikari no Mogyu yesterday in a Six Man Tag, but it seems the war continues! With the Dominator getting ready to face The Ace, will the Assassin and Hawaiian Hulk win again?
The bell rings and the Empire attacks! They throw Tenzan and Kojima out, Ospreay is after Kojima with forearms and elbows while Cobb chokes Tenzan on railing! The Empire whips Tenzan and Kojima at each other and the two collide! Ospreay goes into the ring, Cobb sets Tenzan and Kojima up, but as Ospreay slingshots, Tenzan and Kojima fight free! Ospreay PLANCHAS Cobb! Kojima attacks Ospreay, Tenzan adds on, and they put Ospreay in the ring. Kojima and Tenzan start throwing forearms, Ospreay pinballs between them, and Kojima uses the Mongolian Chops! Kojima scoops and slams Ospreay, Tenzan runs and Kojima slingshots, elbow drop falling headbutt combo! Cover, TWO!
Kojima clubs and puts Ospreay in a corner. Kojima unleashes the machine gun CHOPS! Cobb runs in but Kojima adds him to the machine gun CHOPS! Cobb turns things around on Kojima, but Kojima dodges and Cobb CHOPS Ospreay! Kojima then puts Cobb back in the corner for more machine gun CHOPS! Kojima pushes Cobb out of the way and machine gun CHOPS Ospreay! Kojima whips Ospreay corner to corner, forearms, and fires up! Kojima climbs the corner but Cobb drags him off with a military press! But Kojima slips out to hit a DDT! Fans fire up as Kojima goes after Ospreay with haymakers and CHOPS! Kojima whips, Ospreay dodges to BOOT Tenzan!
Ospreay elbows Kojima then leaps for PIP PIP CHEERIO! Cover, TWO! Tag to Cobb and the Empire drags Kojima up to double whip. Cobb runs Kojima over, sits him up, Ospreay Penalty Kicks! Cover, TWO! Ospreay DECKS Tenzan while Cobb drags Kojima up. Cobb headbutts Kojima to a corner, CHOPS him now, and CHOPS, and CHOPS, and fires off his own machine gun CHOPS! Cobb whips corner to corner, runs in and forearm smashes! Cobb throws Kojima down, covers, TWO! Cobb drags Kojima up and throws a big forearm! Tag to Ospreay, Ospreay climbs and Cobb has Kojima on the ropes, for draping double stomps!
Ospreay runs to dropkick Tenzan off the apron, then he runs to drop knees on Kojima! Cover, TWO! Ospreay keeps his focus as he looms over Kojima. Fans rally up, Kojima throws body shots but Ospreay hits Kojima down low! Ospreay powerbomb lifts but Kojima fights out to COZY CUTTER! Both men are down but fans rally up! Kojima hurries for his corner, hot tag to Tenzan! Tenzan runs Ospreay over, DECKS Cobb, and then fires up! Tenzan wants to Mongolian Chop but can’t so he kicks Ospreay and headbutts him to the corner. Tenzan regular CHOPS, whips corner to corner, then runs in to corner splash! Tenzan calls his shot, and he gets Ospreay up and over with a suplex! Cover, TWO!
Tenzan stomps Ospreay, headbutts him more, but Ospreay throws forearms. Tenzan forearms back, and the two go back and forth! Tenzan kicks low, wants to Mongolian but he hesitates. Ospreay mule kicks in that opening! Ospreay whips corner to corner, runs in but Tenzan puts him up and out! Ospreay ROCKS Tenzan with a forearm, springboards, PIP PIP CHEERIO! Tag to Cobb and he runs corner to corner at Tenzan, for a LEAPING back elbow! Cobb reels Tenzan in but Tenzan fights off the back suplex. Tenzan headbutts but Cobb JABS! Cobb runs but Tenzan WINDMILLS!
Tag to Kojima and he DECKS Ospreay before bringing Cobb up. Kojima suplexes for a BRAINBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up with Kojima but Ospreay attacks from behind! Ospreay fires off forearms but Kojima swats him away! Kojima runs, Ospreay dodges and Cobb elbows Kojima at ropes! The Empire combines, tornado ENZIGURI! Cobb lifts Kojima up, RAMS him to a corner, and Ospreay DECKS Tenzan to then run side to side and BOOT Kojima! Ospreay feeds Kojima to Cobb’s ATHLETIC PLEX! Cover, but Tenzan breaks it! Fans fire up as Ospreay stomps Tenzan. Ospreay drags Tenzan up and Cobb gives him Mongolian Chops!
Cobb turns Tenzan around, Ospreay uses the Mongolian Chops! Back to Cobb for more Mongolian Chops! Ospreay and Cobb keep going back and forth hitting Tenzan with his old signature and Tenzan falls! Fans rally up for Tenzan but Ospreay slaps him around. Tenzan USES MONGOLIAN CHOPS! Isn’t he banned from doing that!? The ref doesn’t call a disqualification, though, because it isn’t outright illegal! Let’s just say Tenzan is “stealing” it from Great-O-Khan! Tenzan gives Mongolian Chops to Cobb over and over, until Cobb falls! Kojima gets in, he and Tenzan coordinate to double whip Cobb, then hit the 3D! Cover, but Ospreay breaks it!
Ospreay runs into Tenzan’s SIDE EFFECT! Kojima powers up the arm and runs at Cobb, but Cobb SUPERKICKS! Cobb scoops Kojima, for a TOUR- NO! Kojima slips out, and COZY LARIATS Cobb! Cover, Kojima & Tenzan win!!
Winners: Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan, by pinfall
If Ospreay & Cobb are the Empire, just call Kojima & Tenzan the Resistance! Will they continue to defy the United Empire and deny them their desire to take over NJPW? Or will the Dominator have something to say about Tenzan using those Mongolian Chops?
Six Man Tag: Chaos VS Bullet Club!
The Rainmaker, and Mr. KOPW 2021 beat the King of Darkness and Crown Jewel 1v1, but the Stone Pitbull was made to Breathe with the Switchblade! Will Tomohiro Ishii redeem himself against Jay White? Or will Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano finally see that Everything Is Evil?
White wants Ishii to stay back while he shows off the muscles. Bullet Club then Low Sweets, and Ishii steps up. White is surprised he wants him again after losing yesterday. But White decides to start, just to tag out to Chase. White mockingly claps to rally fans, and Chase circles with Ishii. They tie up, Chase headlocks, Ishii powers out but Chase throws forearms. Chase fires off more forearms but Ishii doesn’t budge. Ishii swings, Chase dodges, and Chase collides with Ishii! Ishii’s ribs bother him, and White strikes! The ref reprimands but Evil gets in and he hits the Chaos corner! Chase and White stomp Ishii but the ref reprimands and White backs off.
Chase tags White, they mug Ishii, and then Yano gets in only for Chase to knock him down. White digs his boots into Ishii in a corner while Chase grinds Yano down in the other. Evil is after Okada on the outside while White and Chase whip Yano and Ishii. Yano and Ishii reverses, White and Chase collide! Ishii and Yano run White and Chase over! Okada whips Evil into railing! Ishii drags White up by his hair, CHOPS him to a corner, and then CHOPS him again! Ishii fires off forearms, the ref counts and Ishii lets off at 3. White rams into Ishii but Ishii tries to suplex. White knees low, whips Ishii but Ishii stops at the corner. Ishii whips, White reverses and Ishii hits the corner hard!
Gedo cheers while White drags Ishii up. Evil and Chase mug and stomp the other Chaos members, and then White throws Ishii out. White distracts the ref so that Gedo and Dick Togo can mug Ishii! Dick holds Ishii open so Gedo can mule kick him in the ribs! The ref sees Dick stomp Ishii and reprimands him. Dick backs off, Chase drags Ishii up and in for White, and White covers. ONE, but White covers again! TWO, and White tries again, TWO!! Bullet Club argues the count but White stomps Ishii back down. Only Gedo cheers as White tags Evil in. Fans rally for Ishii but Evil sits Ishii up. Ishii hits back with forearms but Evil scoops and slams him! Cocky cover, ONE!
Evil argues with the ref but then he stomps Ishii. Tag to Chase and Chase stomps Ishii before standing him up. Chase reels Ishii into a cobra twist! White mocks the fans rallying, and then the Bullet Club creates the cobra twist chain! Chaos protests but Bullet Club lets go before the ref sees. Chase tags White and they stop Ishii from getting away. They mug Ishii, but Ishii just gets mad! White rakes Ishii’s eyes, then tags Evil. Evil DECKS Okada and Yano, White digs his boots into Ishii, and then they both drag Ishii up. They mug Ishii, going after his ribs with forearms. Ishii boots White and elbows Evil away! Ishii runs White over, and drop toeholds Evil onto him!
Chase runs in but into a GERMAN SUPLEX! Fans fire up but Ishii clutches his bad ribs. Ishii crawls, and hot tags Yano! And Yano goes to the corner pad! That’s one undone, but Evil runs in! Yano dodges Evil, Evil stops himself from hitting bare buckles, and Yano tosses the pad to Dick! The ref argues with Dick but Evil kicks at Yano! Evil whips, Yano holds ropes, but Gedo swipes at him! The ref reprimands Gedo but Yano shoves Evil into him! Yano SLAPS Evil, then powers up with YTR, and dodges Evil’s ambush! Yano SLAPS Evil again, then whips him to the bare corner! Dick puts the pad back to save Evil!
Yano runs in, Evil dodges and Dick takes the pad away! Yano runs into bare buckles! Evil tags Chase and Chase stomps Yano. Chase throws a strike fest, runs, but Yano grabs hair! Chase breaks free, kicks low, and runs, into an atomic drop! Fans rally and Yano tags in Okada! Okada throws forearms on Chase, Chase kicks low and runs, but into Okada’s BOOT! Fans fire up and Okada reels Chase in for a gut wrench. Chase fights that, then bell claps and neckbreakers Okada down! Cover, TWO! Chase keeps his cool as he takes aim. BANG, and Chase reels Okada in. yano grabs Chase and throws him down! Evil runs Yano over, Ishii runs Evil over!
White bobs ‘n’ weaves with Ishii, reels him in, but Ishii goes to suplex! White slips out of that, wrenches, but has to duck Ishii’s clothesline! White throws a knee to the bad ribs! But Ishii still suplexes White! Ishii SWATS and ROCKS Chase, but Chase LARIATS! Chase JEWEL TRIGGERS Okada, but Okada avoids the Jewel Heist to put on the MONEY CLIP!! Chase is fading fast as Okada squeezes tight! Chase taps, Chaos wins!!
Winners: Chaos, by submission
The Rainmaker shoots down the Bullet Club and stands tall with his friends! But things are far from through between White and Ishii, will they battle again come the New Japan Cup? Will Okada rise up again and head back for the mountaintop?
IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Guerrillas of Destiny VS Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI!
These two teams faced off in separate 1v1 matches and went 1-1! Now the tiebreaker is for the gold, and could go either way! Will GoD still reign? Or will Chaos #TurnItAllAround?
The introductions are made, the heavyweight tag titles are raised, GoD Low Sweets, but Chaos attacks them first!
Goto throws Loa out while Hashi is after Tama! Hashi elbows Tama, the bell rings, Goto and Hashi double whip. Goto kicks Tama, wrenches him down, and Hashi leap frogs to stomp Tama! Goto Penalty Kicks, Hashi mule kicks! Loa gets in, he gets double kicks and a double whip, for a double shoulder tackle! Then the hip toss senton! Fans cheer as Hashi goes out after Jado! Goto flanks Jado and they put him in the ring! Chaos hammers away on Jado’s back! Jado bails out, but GoD attacks Chaos back! Tama headbutts Hashi, Loa ROCKS Goto, and GoD whips Chaos, only for Goto to reverse! Loa runs Hashi over, Tama dodges Goto, and GoD double dropkick Goto out!
Loa drags Hashi up and reels him in for a POWERBOMB! The ref checks on Hashi, that bomb really rocked him! Loa toys with Hashi, doing the hand check like the ref would. The ref has Loa back off but Loa tags Tama in. Tama rains down hands on Hashi, then paces around. Fans rally for Hashi and Tama gets annoyed. Loa shouts for Hashi to show the fighting spirit! Tama drops an elbow! Hashi finally stirs, Tama drags Hashi up and fans rally again. Hashi fires forearms off on Tama! Tama hits low, headbutts hard and Hashi goes down. Tag to Loa, Tama stomps Hashi around and Loa slingshot sentons! Tama slingshot sentons, too, and Loa covers, TWO!
Fans fire up for Hashi and Loa mockingly applauds. Loa brings Hashi up but Hashi fires off forearms! Loa claps, eggs Hashi on, and Hashi throws more forearms. Loa ROCKS Hashi with one, then ROCKS him again! Loa still eggs Hashi on and he whips corner to corner. Hashi comes back but Loa leaps over the basement dropkick! Loa says he learned this tricks from last time! But Hashi still gets the spinning mule kick! Hashi crawls to hot tag Goto! Goto rallies on Loa with big shoulders and elbows. Loa blocks the hip toss, body shots and runs, but Goto follows to clothesline Loa down! Tama runs in but Goto kicks him to snap suplex him onto Loa! Goto drops an elbow! Cover, TWO!
Fans rally and Goto drags Loa up to fireman’s carry. Loa fights free, kicks low and knees to then enziguri! Goto staggers and Loa grins. Loa runs, Goto and Loa collide with clotheslines! Neither man falls and Loa eggs Goto on. They collide again with clotheslines, and they both egg each other on! Goto and Loa run, COLLIDE, and both men fall to the mat! Fans rally, both men head for their corners, hot tags to Tama and Hashi! Hashi rallies with elbows and shoulders, Tama reverses the whip but Hashi dodges to HEADHUNTER! Fans fire up with Hashi and he runs corner to corner, but Tama dodges!
Tama fires off fists, whips Hashi corner to corner, but Hashi comes back to LARIAT! Cover, TWO! Hashi keeps his cool and he drags Tama up. Hashi reels Tama in, but Tama slips out of the bomb! Tama gets around to dragon sleeper and TONGAN TWIST! Cover, TWO! Hashi survives but Loa gets in. GoD drags Hashi up and they throw body shots, uppercuts, and the neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Tama is frustrated but he and Loa drag Hashi back up again. Tama reels Hashi in, Hashi fights back, and he throws hands on them both! Loa gets around, GoD hits the BACK SUPLEX NECKBREAKER! Cover, but Goto breaks it!
Loa goes after Goto, Tama adds on, they give Goto GUERRILLA WARFARE! Jado calls for Magic Killer and GoD drags Hashi up. Fans rally, but GoD still hits MAGIC KILLER! Cover, TWO!?! Hashi survives and Tama can’t believe it! Jado calls for Super Bomb so Loa drags Hashi up. Loa RAMS Hashi into a corner, Tama runs in to leap but Hashi dodges the splash! Loa kicks Hashi, gets him up, but Hashi RANAS Loa away! Tama fireman’s carries Hashi for a FLAPJACK! Tama shouts, “Why don’t you just die, Hashi?!” Tama stomps away on Hashi, fans rally up but Tama and Loa coordinate. Loa and Tama climb opposite corners, Loa leaps for the FALLING HEADBUTT, but FLOPS when Hashi moves! And Goto shoves Tama off the top! Fans rally up, Hashi crawls over, and hot tags Goto in!
Goto fires up, and he hits a corner clothesline on Loa! Then one on Tama! Then on Loa! Back to Tama! Jado gets on the apron but Goto DECKS him! GoD goes after Goto together, and double whip him to ropes. But Goto DOUBLE LARIATS GoD first! Goto hits MURAMASA on Tama, to the BULLDOG! Cover, Loa breaks it! Hashi goes after Loa, whips him to a corner, and then runs in to clothesline! Hashi reels Loa in, Goto helps out, GOTO BUSTER! Tama staggers into a fireman’s carry but fights out! Hashi still SUPERKICKS Tama! Chaos coordinates, G Y R!! Cover, TWO!?! Tama survives but Goto keeps focus. Goto and Hashi drag Tama back up again and Goto dragon sleepers.
Hashi gets legs but Loa CHOPS and GERMAN SUPLEXES Hashi! Goto DECKS Loa but Tama DECKS Goto! Tama drags Goto up and reels him in. Loa helps out but Hashi returns the GERMAN SUPLEX! Tama SUPER PUNCHES Hashi, but Goto fireman’s carries and USHIGOROSHIS Tama! Loa scoops Goto for a POWERSLAM! All four men are down and fans fire up! Jado coaches GoD while they and Chaos stir. Hashi and Loa rise first, and Hashi fires off forearms! Loa eggs Hashi on, Hashi hits more and more, but Loa ROCKS him with one! And ROCKS him and ROCKS him, but Hashi staggers about!
Loa says “I bring out the fighting spirit because you suck!” Hashi dodges his haymaker to BACKSTABBER! Hashi fires up, fans rally for him and Goto as Goto and Tama stagger to their feet. Goto runs corner to corner but Tama does, too! Goto denies Gun Stun, fireman’s carries, but Tama fights out! Tama shoves, Goto dodges, Tmama dodges and redirects but has to run from Goto! Goto follows, Tama dodges and hurdles, Goto spins but into a leaping facelock! Goto powers through to a fireman’s carry! Hashi SUPERKICKS, Goto POWERSLAMS!! Cover, TWO?!?! Tama survives!?!
Goto drags Tama back up, dragon sleepers, but Loa has a title belt! Hashi dodges that attack, throws Loa out, but Tama snapmares Goto! Jaod KENDO SMACKS and Tama GUN STUNS!! Cover, GoD wins!!
Winners: Guerrillas of Destiny, by pinfall (still IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions)
Chaos forgot Jado is the insurance policy! But there’s nothing they can do about it now! GoD holds onto the gold, but will they make it through the Spring if Chaos came this close?
NEVER Openweight Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi VS Great-O-Khan!
The Once in a Century Talent took this title off the Dragon, Shingo Takagi, in an epic battle! But now the Dominator wants to conquer the NEVER division in the name of the United Empire! Will Khan be able to trump the Ace with his iron hand?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and after Tanahashi shows off the muscles, the battle for dominance begins!
Fans rally already with “Let’s Go, Ace!” Tanahashi rushes Khan, Khan dodges and clamps on the claw, but Tanahashi slips free! Tanahashi full nelsons, Khan elbows free but Tanahashi blocks the boot! Khan clamps the claw on anyway, but Tanahashi breaks free again. Tanahashi dodges the Mongolian Chop and dropkicks a leg out! Fans cheer as Tanahashi watches Khan. Khan bails out, fans rally “Let’s Go, Ace!” but Khan taunts Yota Tsuji, the Young Lion Tanahashi has been mentoring. Tanahashi goes out to reinforce Tsuji and has him step aside. Khan sucker punches Tanahashi then whips Tanahashi into railing! And then Khan gives Tanahashi SNAKE EYES off the apron!
Khan stands on Tanahashi and mockingly asks what’s wrong. Fans still rally for Tanahashi as Khan drags him up and puts him in a full nelson. Khan is telling Tsuji to hit Tanahashi!? Tsuji seems tempted to make a name for himself, but Tanahashi fights free, only for Khan to RAM Tanahashi into the railing! Khan puts Tanahashi in, has a cocky cover, ONE! Fans rally for Tanahashi again but Khan drags Tanahashi around to dead lift him in a gut wrench. Khan carries Tanahashi around before hitting the gut wrench suplex! Cover, TWO! Khan grabs a leg and stomps the knee, to then get a standing kneebar!
Tanahashi endures, fights around, but Khan drags him from ropes for a proper KNEEBAR! Tanahashi manages to roll and get the ropebreak! Khan lets go at 4, paces about, and he drags Tanahashi up. Khan waistlocks and lifts Tanahashi to RAM him into the corner! Khan makes sure Tsuji watches as he sits on Tanahashi in the corner! The ref reprimands, Khan stands up at 4, but then grabs Tanahashi’s arms to pull them back! The ref counts again and Khan lets off at 4. Khan brings Tanahashi around to cover, TWO! Khan grows annoyed and he mocks the fans that clap, “Let’s Go, Ace!” Khan brings Tanahashi up but Tanahashi fires off forearms!
Tanahashi blocks the kick but Khan HELL STAB uppercuts! Khan drags Tanahashi up to knee low and whip to ropes. Tanahashi comes back with flying forearms! Fans fire up with Tanahashi and he throws forearms and body shots on Khan! Khan staggers, Tanahashi throws EuroUppers, and then Tanahashi scoop slams Khan to a drop zone! Tanahashi hops up, and hits the second rope somersault senton! Cover, TWO! Tanahashi keeps his cool, fans rally up, and Tanahashi runs corner to corner. Khan boots but Tanahashi blocks to DRAGON SCREW! Tanahashi holds on to GROUND DRAGON SCREW! Khan clutches his knee, Tanahashi grabs the legs and ties them up!
Khan fights and gets the ropebreak! Tanahashi stomps Khan’s legs, then drags Khan up from the apron side. Khan hotshots Tanahashi down! Khan’s bad leg slows him down but he still gets back in the ring. But Tanahashi gets his leg in the ropes! DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! And a dropkick! Fans fire up as Tanahashi hits another DRAPING DRAGON SCREW! Tanahashi drags Khan around by the leg, ties the legs up, and has the CLOVERLEAF! Khan endures and powers up, but Tanahashi drags him from ropes! Tanahashi sits back but Khan powers up again, and Khan claws his way to the ropebreak! Tanahashi lets go fast and keeps his cool as he stomps Khan down.
Tanahashi drags Khan up and reels him in, but Khan blocks the Twist! Tanahashi keeps trying, Khan throws body shots and SMASHES Tanahashi off his knee! But it was the bad knee so that was double-edged! Khan still comes back and manages a GOURD BUSTER on Tanahashi! Khan falls over because of the bad leg and fans rally up as both men are down. Khan hobbles over, stalks Tanahashi to a corner, and whips him corner to corner, following to clothesline from behind! Khan hoists Tanahashi up backwards and Mongolian CHOPS Tanahashi on the back! Khan drags Tanahashi into a Tree of Woe and digs his boots in!
The ref counts, Khan stops at 4, and he gets the bad leg moving. Khan goes corner to corner and basement BOOTS Tanahashi down! Cover, TWO! Khan keeps after Tanahashi with a lift, ATOMIC FACEBUSTER! Khan gets Tanahashi up for a BACK SUPLEX FACEBUSTER! Cover, TWO! Tanahashi is still in this and Khan grows frustrated. Fans rally up but Khan stands first. Khan says he’ll end it now! Khan clamps onto Tanahashi with the iron claw! Tanahashi resists the lift, and clamps onto Khan’s face! It’s claw versus claw, but Khan pries Tanahashi’s hand off! Tanahashi swats Khan’s hand then ROCKS him with an uppercut! Khan falls over and Tanahashi catches his breath.
Fans rally up again, “Let’s Go, Ace!” and Tanahashi steadies himself. Tanahashi watches Khan rise, then runs, but Khan uses the ref as a shield! STRAIGHT RIGHT FIST!! Both men and the ref are down and fans rally up again! Khan crawls and shouts to Tsuji to get him something! Tsuji gets a chair?! Is Tsuji now an Empire Young Lion? Tsuji slides the chair… TO TANAHASHI! Khan is furious at Tsuji’s betrayal, but Tsuji is staying loyal to The Ace! Tanahshi takes a seat and smiles at Khan, but Khan runs in. Tanahashi drop toeholds Khan onto the chair! Khan writhes and flounders into a TWIST ‘N’ SHOUT! Tanahashi runs, but Khan BOOTS him down!
Khan clamps on the claw, drags Tanahashi up, ELIMI- SLINGBLADE!! Tanahashi hurries up top, Khan stands, HIGH FLY FLOW-BODY! Tanahashi hurries back up, HIGH FLY FLOP!! Khan avoids the splash and both men are down again! Tsuji and the fans still rally, “Let’s Go, Ace!” but Khan drags himself up in a corner. Tanahashi stands, Khan shotgun dropkicks him down! Khan is slow to rising but Tanahashi roars as he fires up! Both men stand, both men roar, and they both run at each other! Khan hits a big flying forearm! Cover, TWO! The fans are thunderous with “Let’s Go, Ace!” as Khan brings Tanahashi up.
Khan whips Tanahashi to a corner, then runs in to corner clothesline! Khan whips, Tanahashi reverses, SLINGBLADE! Khan is right up, but Tanahashi SLINGBLADES again! Khan rises again, Tanahashi runs, into a LARIAT!! Cover, TWO!! Tanahashi survives and Khan can’t believe it! Khan clamps a claw onto Tanahashi’s face and drags him back up! It’s a claw torture rack! Khan stomps around to add torque, but Tanahashi endures! Khan spins and spins for a SWINGING SLAM! Khan fires up, tears away the tape and clamps the claw directly onto Tanahashi! ELIMI- CRUCIFIX!! Cover, Tanahashi wins!!
Winner: Hiroshi Tanahashi, by pinfall (still NEVER Openweight Champion)
The Ace had a trick up his sleeve and he snatches the victory away from Khan! Khan is furious and he grabs at the ref, but the ref says the count is the count! Tsuji stays close to Tanahashi as the belt is brought over to him. With both skill and savvy, will it take far more than strength and aggression to take this title from the Once in a Century Talent?
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat: BUSHI VS El Phantasmo VS El Desperado!
Another unfortunate injury takes the Ticking Timebomb out of action! He forfeited this title, but his amigo in Los Ingobernables de Japon will fight to keep it close! Will the Death Mask be able to shine with gold? Will ELP only need one good shot? Or will the Rogue Luchador start on his road to taking over the Junior Heavyweight Division?
The introductions are made, the belt is raised, and one way or another, a new champion will be crowned in the Castle Attack!
Desperado rushes ELP but he dodges. ELP dodges Bushi but Bushi dodges and ELP falls out of the ring. Desperado CLUBS Bushi, whips him to ropes, but Bushi goes to rana! Desperado blocks, Bushi fights off the bomb, but Desperado knees low. Bushi goes to a corner, Desperado runs in to back elbow, but ELP runs in! Desperado sends ELP into Bushi, then hip tosses ELP down! Bushi runs but Desperado sends his basement dropkick into ELP! Desperado then snap suplexes Bushi onto ELP! Cover on ELP, ONE! Desperado ROCKS ELP with an uppercut, then runs corner to corner at Bushi. Bushi boots back, hops up and FLYING RANAS Desperado down!
Fans fire up but ELP clubs Bushi and whips him to a corner. ELP runs in, Bushi dodges and elbows ELP, to BULLDOG DRPOKICK both opponents! Cover on ELP, TWO! Bushi keeps cool, drags ELP up and throws forearms. Desperado ROCKS Bushi with an uppercut, ELP ROCKS Desperado! ELP whips, Desperado reverses and runs in, but ELP pops Desperado up and crotches him on the rope! Bushi runs in, ELP pops him up and out but Bushi lands on the apron. Bushi blocks ELP to drag him in, but no apron DDT! ELP shoves Bushi down, climbs up to ROCK Desperado, and then climbs up higher. ELP walks the tight rope to SENTON Desperado down! Cover, TWO!
ELP grows annoyed, but he drags Desperado up to pull on the fingers, and SNAP them! And SNAP them! ELP BITES Desperado’s hand, then knuckle locks it. ELP CHOPS Desperado, goes up and up and tightrope walks, to then go to the other corner, bop Desperado, and keep on going. ELP just shows off now, saying, “Too easy, baby!” But Desperado trips ELP up! ELP is crotched on ropes, but Bushi gives Desperado the DRAPING APRON DDT! Bushi climbs up to SUPER STEINER ELP off the top! Cover, TWO! Bushi keeps his cool as he drags ELP up. ELP spins out of the fisherman but Bushi kicks low. Bushi whips, ELP reverses but Bushi dodges to DIVE out onto Desperado!
Bushi drags Desperado up but ELP runs to go up and SPRINGBOARD CROSSBODY them both! Fans admit that was great stuff! ELP hears fans cheering, but leaves fans hanging on the Too Sweet. ELP POSTS Bushi, then fetches Desperado. ELP talks some trash and kicks at Desperado. ELP drags Desperado up to DECK him, then CHOPS him further up the ramp! ELP ROCKS Desperado with a haymaker, but Desperado throws body shots! ELP ROCKS Desperado again, but Desperado blocks the suplex. Desperado throws more body shots, switches positions, and he suplexes. ELP slips out to TEAR Desperado’s mask! ELP reels Desperado in, Gotch hold PILEDRIVER to the ramp!!
ELP even mocks Minoru Suzuki with that one! The ref checks on Desperado but ELP drags him up first. ELP takes Desperado’s mask away! ELP mocks the fans who are offended, and then he puts the mask on to mock Desperado more! Des-ELP puts Bushi in the ring and then takes Desperado’ smask off. ELP STOMPS the mask, then PUNTS it out of the ring! Medics check on Desperado while ELP covers Bushi. TWO, and ELP whips Bushi to a corner. Bushi slips out to swing kick ELP away! Bushi climbs, leaps, and missile dropkicks ELP! Fans fire up for the Bushirooni! ELP bails out but Bushi SLINGSHOT RANAS him down! Fans fire up with Bushi as he drags ELP up.
Bushi puts ELP in, takes aim from a corner, and runs in, only for the Code Breaker to be blocked! ELP knees low and whips Bushi into the corner hard! ELP tears Bushi’s shirt off, and then wraps it around his fist to punch Bushi with! ELP sits Bushi up to CHOKE him with the shirt! The ref counts, ELP lets go at 4, and fans rally up. ELP drags Bushi up and hoists him up top backwards. ELP puts Bushi in a Tree of Woe and throws knees into Bushi’s stomach! Desperado is still down as ELP mocks the rallying claps. ELP takes aim from the corner, says BANG, and then runs in to handspring around, just for the CROTCH DIG!
The ref reprimands, ELP hops off and Bushi falls out of the Tree. ELP covers but the ref refuses to count because of all those antics. Fans rally while Desperado is still down. ELP drags Bushi up and whips him corner to corner. Bushi reverses, ELP goes up and over and then dodges to springboard crossbody! Somersault to LIONSAULT! Cover, TWO! ELP clamps onto Bushi with a chinlock and grinds him down. Bushi endures, ELP shifts to a sleeper, but fans rally. Bushi reaches, fights up, and fights free! Bushi runs, but ELP gets around to half straitjacket torture rack! ELP spins for a NECKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! Bushi survives but ELP goes up top.
ELP steadies himself, takes aim, BANG and FROG SPLASH! Cover of “Thunder Kiss ’86,” TWO!! Bushi survives again and ELP is frustrated. ELP gets his boot ready, but Desperado returns! Desperado has a spare mask, even! ELP is surprised by this most of all, but he swings on Desperado! Desperado dodges to SPEAR! But that might’ve been double-edged given the bad neck. But Desperado fires off on ELP with fists! The ref pulls Desperado away but Desperado goes back for more. Desperado CHOPS ELP, whips him to the ropes, but ELP holds the ropes. ELP boots but Desperado blocks to clothesline ELP out!
Fans fire up for Desperado as he builds speed and DIVES! The somersault tope takes him and ELP out! Desperado drags ELP up and into the ring and fans fire up again. Desperado drags ELP up, reels him in and suplexes for a brainbuster! But that’s just uno amigo! Desperado hoists ELP up top with the second, and ROCKS him with an uppercut! Fans rally, Desperado climbs, and he drags ELP up. ELP resists the superplex, Desperado throws body shots, but Bushi adds on! Bushi climbs up to get around and sunset flips, POWERBOMB SUPERPLEX! Cover on Desperado, TWO! Cover on ELP, TWO! Bushi drags Desperado up for a BACKSTABBER! Cover, ELP breaks it!
Bushi goes after ELP with forearms, but ELP rakes Bushi’s eyes! The ref reprimands, ELP lets off and boots, but Bushi blocks to put the leg in the ropes! Bushi ENZIGURIS ELP down and ELP ends up stuck! Bushi gives Desperado a FISHERMAN SCREW! Cover, TWO!! Bushi aims from a corner as Desperado staggers up, CODE BREAKER! ELP gets free and throws Bushi out! ELP covers Desperado, TWO!! Desperado survives and ELP doesn’t get to steal Bushi’s work! ELP drags Desperado up, reels him in, underhooks the arms, and lifts, and surprise! STYLES CLASH!! Cover, but Bushi GHOST PINS ELP! TWO!!
Bushi throws forearms on ELP, runs, but ELP KNEES Bushi down! Was that a V-Trigger? ELP says BANG to Desperado, and V-TRIGGERS him! That was definitely a V-Trigger! And this is definitely an Electric Chair lift! But Desperado counters the One Winged Angel to EL ES CULERO!! TWO?!?! ELP narrowly escapes and Desperado can’t believe it! ELP runs but into a SPINEBUSTER! Desperado gets the STRETCH MUFFLER! ELP endures as Desperado thrashes about, and Desperado drags him from ropes! NUMERO DOS!! But ELP rolls to make it a cradle, TWO!! Desperado mule kicks then reels ELP in! Double underhooks, but no Pinche!
ELP spins out, straitjacket and torture rack, but Desperado slips out! Desperado wrenches and reels ELP in for GUITAR DEL ANGEL! Cover, TWO!?! Desperado is furious! Desperado drags ELP up, reels him in again and double underhooks, but ELP stomps Desperado’s foot! LOADED MULE KICK! LOADED BUZZSAW! ELP drags Desperado, hooks the arms, CANADIAN REVOLUTION II!! Taker cover, but Bushi stops the ref!! The fans fire up as the ref reprimands Bushi but Bushi dodges ELP. ELP ducks the enziguri but not the mule kick! Bushi runs to CODE BREAKER! Cover, TWO! ELP survives but Bushi just goes to a corner.
Fans fire up as Bushi climbs and takes aim, M- LOADED SUPERKICK!! But Bushi flops out of the ring!! ELP can’t finish it here, but he takes aim at Desperado again. ELP reloads, but Desperado does the splits! LOCO MONO!! The straight right rocks ELP but Desperado isn’t done here! Desperado underhooks ELP, but ELP back drops to bridge! TWO!? PINCHE LOCO!! And a rolling butterlfy to ANOTHER PINCHE LOCO!! Cover Taker style, DESPERADO WINS!!!
Winner: El Desperado, by pinfall (NEW IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion)
INCREIBLE! Desperado is Mr. Junior Heavyweight Champion! He has the singles AND tag team titles! Though Hiromu is hurt, does this make Desperado THE best Junior Heavyweight today?
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Kota Ibushi VS Tetsuya Naito!
The Double Championship may have run its course, but the course of history will follow the winner! Will the Golden Star God hold onto this belt to then fuse it with the Heavyweight Championship? Or will the Uncontrollable Charisma free his favorite-not-favorite belt from that fate?
The introductions are made, the white strap is raised, and Naito takes his time with his entrance gear. Fans clap already for “I-BU-SHI!” “NA-I-TO!” The bell rings and the differences between destinies begins!
Fans rally more as Naito and Ibushi circle. They approach, feel out the grapple, and tie up. Naito puts Ibushi on the ropes, Red Shoes calls for the break but Ibushi puts Naito in a corner. Ibushi lets off with a sharp pat on the shoulders, but Naito comes right out to circle with him again. They approach, Naito goes for a leg but Ibushi gets around to full nelson. Naito throws Ibushi down but Ibushi headscissors. Ibushi squeezes tight, Naito fights up and around and pops out to get the leg. Naito has a toehold, Ibushi uses headscissors to bring Naito down, but Naito pries free to get the toehold back. Ibushi uses a chinlock to drag Naito off, and he grinds Naito into a headlock.
Naito powers up, but Ibushi holds tight so he can’t power out. Naito throws body shots, wrenches to a keylock, but Ibushi fights back to wrangle Naito down. Ibushi has the cording hold, Naito rolls back and gets up. Ibushi clamps onto the arm, Naito trips Ibushi up and gets through the leg guard to go after the arm. Ibushi slips around and facelocks. Naito reaches back and gets a ropebreak with a foot. Ibushi lets go and fans cheer the technical exchange. Naito paces around the ring, taking a full lap before getting back in. Ibushi is ready and the two circle again. They feel out a grapple, Naito reels Ibushi into a facelock, but Ibushi shoots around to waistlock.
Ibushi rolls Naito around, shifts again, but Naito holds off the headlock and gets a double wristlock! Naito pulls back on the arm, shifts to get the other arm, chicken wing cradle! TWO, but Naito keeps on the left arm with a hammerlock. Ibushi rolls around, gets up and wrenches Naito’s arm to a wristlock. Naito rolls, wrenches back, but Ibushi drops to drop toehold! Ibushi floats to a chinlock but Naito fights up. Naito stands, powers Ibushi to a corner, and Red Shoes calls for the break. Ibushi lets go, Naito takes his time backing off, and he pats Ibushi on the shoulder. And then he fires off with clubbing forearms! Red Shoes grabs at Naito but Naito pushes him down!
Red Shoes goes out to recover, Naito whips Ibushi corner to corner but Ibushi boots him away! Naito runs back in, Ibushi goes up and over and avoids the basement dropkick! Ibushi runs, Naito drops to pop Ibushi up and then dropkick the legs out! Fans cheer this newest exchange as Ibushi is down. Ibushi growls and Naito eggs him on. Ibushi tries to stand but that leg bothers him. Naito sits and waits while Ibushi grows frustrated with his own body. Ibushi shakes the bad leg out, Red Shoes checks it, and Naito dropkicks it again! Ibushi bails out, Naito pursues, and Naito stomps Ibushi around ringside!
Red Shoes reprimands, Naito drags Ibushi up, and Naito whips Ibushi, only for Ibushi to hobble and fall over. Fans rally up, “I-BU-SHI!” “NA-I-TO!” Naito watches from the apron as Ibushi stirs. The ring count climbs, and is already 10 of 20 before Ibushi stands. Naito goes out to catch Ibushi at the apron, and he elbows away on Ibushi’s leg! Red Shoes reprimands and Naito backs off. Naito goes in, drags Ibushi up, and he kicks away on Ibushi’s ribs! Naito has the bad leg and he CLUBS the knee! Naito hooks the legs up, modified figure four! Ibushi endures as Naito adds pressure to the knees! Ibushi sits up and eggs Naito on! Naito adds more pressure and fans rally as Ibushi endures!
Ibushi drags himself and Naito over towards the ropes and gets the ropebreak! Naito claims he needs help so Red Shoes undoes the hold for him. Naito drags Ibushi by his leg, and SMASHES the knee into the mat! Ibushi grimaces, but he glares at Naito. Naito SMASHES the knee, then kicks Ibushi down to SMASH the knee again! Cover, ropebreak! Naito keeps his cool as he looms over Ibushi. Fans rally more, Naito drags Ibushi up, but Ibushi throws forearms! Naito kicks the bad leg! Naito grabs the leg but Ibushi resists the lift. Naito kicks the leg again, runs, but Ibushi manages to dropkick Naito down! Both men are down and fans rally up!
Ibushi rises first, fires off forearms then whips Naito. Naito reverses but Ibushi manages a FLYING KICK! Ibushi rallies the fans and he hits a STANDING MOONSAULT! Cover, TWO! Ibushi shakes his head and he fires up more. Naito grimaces as Ibushi stalks behind him. Ibushi waistlocks, Naito mule kicks the bad leg! Naito stands Ibushi up to kick the bad leg again! Ibushi eggs Naito on so Naito kicks the bad leg again! Naito elbows, Ibushi eggs him on so Naito SLAPS Ibushi down! Naito sits Ibushi up to basement dropkick in the back! Cover, TWO! Naito keeps cool again as he stands on Ibushi’s bad leg.
Naito stomps the leg, drags Ibushi up and puts him in a corner, to whip Ibushi corner to corner. Rocket kick and sweep, COMBINACION CABRON! Naito takes a moment to pose before he drags Ibushi up for a neckbreaker! Cover, TWO! Naito drags Ibushi back up, then catches Ibushi’s forearm into a backbreaker! PLUMA BLANCA! Ibushi endures the leg hook full nelson, kicks his way around, and he gets the ropebreak with his feet! Naito holds on, Red Shoes reprimands and counts but again Naito “needs help.” Red Shoes undoes the hold, Naito drags Ibushi back up and hammerlocks, but Ibushi resists the lift! Ibushi fights free but Naito kicks the bad leg!
Naito gets the leg but Ibushi elbows free! Ibushi whips, Naito leaps, but into Ibushi’s SNAP GERMAN! Naito staggers up, Ibushi runs in but into the TORNADO DDT! Both men are down again and fans fire up! “I-BU-SHI!” “NA-I-TO!” Both slowly stir, Naito sits up first, and he drags Ibushi up to throw forearms. Ibushi throws the forearms back, and Naito grins. Naito forearms Ibushi, Ibushi forearms back! Naito DECKS Ibushi but Ibushi gets back up to throw another forearm. Naito returns it, they go faster and faster, and the fans fire up as this gets fast and furious! Ibushi gets the edge so Naito kicks the leg! Ibushi sobats, runs, but into a basement dropkick!
Ibushi hobbles, Naito trips him up, and gets the ANKLE LOCK! Naito drops down for a leg scissor! Ibushi endures and fans rally up as Naito puts more pressure on the leg! Ibushi crawls around, claws for ropes, but Naito pushes on the knee even harder! Ibushi still gets the ropebreak! Naito lets go faster this time, and takes a moment to catch his breath. Ibushi is in the corner, fans rally up, but Naito stomps Ibushi’s bad leg. Naito throws back elbows, stomps the leg, then throws more back elbows! Ibushi starts to flop over in the corner as Red Shoes counts. Naito lets off, just to stand Ibushi up for more back elbows! Naito pushes Ibushi through the ropes then climbs the corner.
Naito drags Ibushi up and hits a SUPER THROWBACK STUNNER! Naito then drags Ibushi up, for GLORIA! Cover, TWO!! Ibushi barely escapes but Naito grins again. Naito drags Ibushi back to a corner, hoists him up top backwards, then climbs up behind him. Ibushi resists so Naito CLUBS away on his back! Naito sits Ibushi back up, but Ibushi slips out to trip Naito up! ROUNDHOUSE! Both men are down but fans fire up again! Ibushi kicks at Naito while they’re both on the mat, and he gets Naito to the apron. Ibushi gives more kicks before he drags Naito up. Ibushi goes up the ropes, waistlocks Naito, but Naito resists the lift!
Naito throws clubbing shots, Ibushi gives them back. Ibushi dead lifts for the SUPER GERMAN SUPLEX!! Ibushi crawls to the cover, TWO?!!? Naito narrowly escapes but his eyes look vacant! Ibushi drags himself up, grits his teeth, and aims from a corner. Naito slowly sits up, Ibushi runs to BOMAYE! Ibushi reels Naito in, Naito fights the bomb, but Ibushi still hits THE LAST RIDE!! Cover, TWO!! Naito still lives and fans fire up again! Ibushi vows to end this! Ibushi gets the wrists, sits Naito up, but Naito avoids the Kamigoye to scoop and VALENTIA!! Both men are down after the modified brainbuster but fans fire up again!
Naito rises, drags Ibushi up, and wrenches the arm, but Ibushi blocks the tilt-o-whirl! Ibushi throws elbows but Naito throws his heavier elbows! Naito throws more elbows, Ibushi drops to his knees, but Naito just stands him back up. Naito throws even more elbows into Ibushi, but Ibushi dodges to LARIAT!! Both men are down again and fans rally up! Ibushi roars and fires up, then gets the wrists. Naito elbows first, then ENZIGURIS! Ibushi staggers, into DESTINO!! Cover, TWO?!?! Ibushi survives but Naito gets up. Naito drags Ibushi up, wrenches and tilt-o-whirls, but into a gut wrench! Ibushi fireman’s carries but Naito fights it with flailing elbows!
Naito finally slips off, runs in, but into a ROUNDHOUSE! Naito roars and comes back, into a V-TRIGGER! KENNY~! Ibushi sits Naito up from behind, BLINDSIDE KAMIGOYE!! Ibushi isn’t done there, he sits Naito up from the front, but Naito gets around to hammerlock and cradle! TWO, KAMIGOYE!! Cover, TWO!??!? Naito survives all that but Ibushi just wants to end him! ANOTHER KAMIGOYE! Ibushi flops down onto the cover, and Ibushi wins!!!
Winner: Kota Ibushi, by pinfall (still IWGP Intercontinental Champion)
The Golden Star God is still a dual champion! Ibushi has denied Naito his wish of having the Intercontinental Championship back! Does this mean Ibushi will finish his plans and unify the top two titles in NJPW? But wait! The other dual champion, DESPERADO, returns! Desperado goes to the ring and applauds Ibushi’s win here. Ibushi stands and allows Desperado to join him in the ring. Desperado gets the mic first, and he says, “Congratulations on your defense, champion. It was pretty bold of me to come out here after you had that intense fight.” Desperado says that isn’t really important. He reminds us that he is the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.
Does Ibushi remember the first time Desperado challenged for this title? What year was it? Hard to recall. Anyone here in Osaka remember? After all, it happened in Osaka, against IBUSHI! “The champion completely beat me. How long ago was that?” It took Desperado a long time but he’s finally reached that title now! Ibushi nods respect. Desperado says the last few years, there’s been a tradition at the NJPW Anniversary Show that the Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight Champions have a singles match. So it might have taken Desperado a long time, but he’s here to claim his prize for winning! But Desperado doesn’t just want a singles match! He wants BOTH belts that Ibushi has!! Fans really like that idea!
Desperado doesn’t remember how long it’s been but it has been a long time. And Desperado will show Ibushi he’s not the same man he was back then. Commentary lets us know it was February 11, 2014, so that makes it 7 years and 17 days. Ibushi says it was basically 8 years. And he’s been saying he’ll take on all challengers, anytime, any place, and anyone! The challenge is on! Desperado won his first singles title, and that’s great. And though it was a long time ago, Ibushi hasn’t forgotten that match! “I will never forget how much you SUCKED back then!” Desperado says he’s a different animal now, and Ibushi will find that out!
Then he’ll see at the Anniversary Show in just FOUR days! Because Ibushi is a fighting champion! And he will never betray the fans, he’ll never quit, run away or lose! He will absolutely keep his promise! Ibushi thanks the fans for coming out to see them in these difficult times, and hopes they keep watching and supporting NJPW! Ibushi sets the mic down and finally celebrates his win! But with only a handful of days to prepare, will the IWGP Double Heavyweight Champion be ready for a determined IWGP Double Junior Heavyweight Champion?
My Thoughts:
Another great event, a touch better than yesterday’s, but mostly because of the title matches being part of the show. The non-title tag matches were both good, from Kojima & Tenzan shocking the United Empire, and Chaos standing tall over Bullet Club. I like that Tenzan stopped caring about the agreement to never use the Mongolian Chops again. Why agree to a deal with bad guys when they just rub it in your face anyway? Okada is building momentum for the New Japan Cup, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to get a match for Okada at the Anniversary Show. Guerrillas retaining the titles make sense, we’d end up with too many dual champions right now if Goto-Hashi won.
I figured Tanahashi would retain the NEVER Openweight Championship, he only just got it. The match was great, but given the story element of Tsuji’s loyalty coming into play, this is not done between them. This story might even be Tsuji’s way from moving out of Young Lion status. Usually that happens by going on excursion, but that is made so much harder right now because of COVID concerns, so tradition might have to be put aside for these special circumstances.
The IWGP Junior Heavyweight Triple Threat was great stuff, and I missed Desperado & Kanemaru winning back the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag titles as part of the Road to Castle Attack series. But him winning the singles title is great, both for making him a dual champion, and for him to finally have that accomplishment. The Intercontinental Championship match was awesome stuff, on par with even a Heavyweight Championship match, mostly because it was Ibushi and Naito. Ibushi wins to keep the tease of title unification, but I love that Desperado wants to pounce on all of that.
I assume by unifying the Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles, that somehow removes the weight restriction. Otherwise, Desperado can’t have both Junior Heavyweight and proper Heavyweight titles. Granted, I don’t think Desperado wins more belts to make him a triple to quadruple champion, but that match is going to be great stuff to then launch us into the stacked New Japan Cup schedule for March.
My Score: 9.2/10
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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; wins and
- Texas Tornado Tag: #JungleHook VS La Faccion Ingobernable; wins.
- Six Man Tag: Blackpool Combat Club VS Chaos; wins.
- Ricky Starks VS Jay White; wins.
- AEW TBS Championship: Kris Statlander VS Anna Jay A.S; wins and
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!
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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
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