Grudge matches take the spotlight!

After losing out on the NXT Tag Team Championships, Von Wagner turned on Kyle O’Reilly, and now they’ll settle this inside a STEEL CAGE! Plus, Xyon Quinn settles the score with Santos Escobar!

OFFICIAL RESULTS

• Steel Cage Match: Kyle O’Reilly VS Von Wagner; Wagner wins.
• Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen VS The Creed Brothers w/ Diamond Mine; Briggs & Brooks win.
• Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams VS Dexter Lumis; Lumis wins, by disqualification.
• Toxic Attraction VS Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon; Toxic Attraction wins.
• Xyon Quinn VS Santos Escobar w/ Legado Del Fantasma; Escobar wins.

PLAY BY PLAY

Steel Cage Match: Kyle O’Reilly VS Von Wagner!

The odd couple tag team broke up, and Von tried to get the jump on Kyle! But as Von makes his entrance, Kyle gets the jump on him! Kyle shoves Von into steel steps, Von crawls into the ring and this begins already! The door is closed, the bell rings and Kyle BOOTS Von to a corner! Kyle fires off body shots, whips Von corner to corner but Von reverses, only for Kyle to come back with a clothesline! Von stays up to CLOBBER Kyle in return! Von RAMS Kyle into a corner, RAMS his shoulder in over and over, then lets off to reel Kyle in. Kyle slips out to wrench the arm! Kyle CLUBS the shoulder, wrenches the arm and YANKS it! And YANKS it again!

Kyle throws haymakers on the shoulder, wrenches again, but Von back suplexes Kyle down! Von runs but Kyle avoids the splash to rain down forearms! Kyle hammers and KNEES Von from all sides! Kyle runs to SLIDING KNEE, then runs to KNEE DROP! Kyle bends Von back against his knee while fish hooking the face! Von can only endure with no disqualifications in the cage. Kyle knees and elbows Von in the corner, puts a leg on the ropes, but Von shoves Kyle away. Kyle gets up but Von BOOTS him down! Von snarls, looms over Kyle, then rains down forearms. Fans chant, “You Suck!” but Von drags Kyle up to gut wrench suplex!

Von digs his boots into Kyle against the steel, lets off, then digs his boots in again. But Kyle makes it a HEEL HOOK! Von is caught because they’re in the ropes, but he hammers Kyle down! Von brings Kyle up, reels him in but Kyle slips under to fire off KICKS and KNEES! Von blocks a kick to scoop and SLAM! Von runs to FALLING HEADBUTT! Cover, TWO! Von waistlocks for a rear bearhug, but Kyle endures and fans rally up. Von rolls Kyle to a bridging cover, TWO! Von holds on, fans are behind Kyle and he fights up to his feet. Von SLAMS Kyle down and leans his weight on the bearhug. Kyle still endures, fights but Von rolls to another cover. TWO, but the bearhug stays on!

Kyle fights up, gets to his feet, and he throws elbows from both sides! Kyle wrenches, to an ELBOW BREAKER! Von staggers to a corner, Kyle runs in but blocks the boot! He puts the leg in the ropes, KICKS the other, and gives it a DRAGON SCREW! Von hobbles, Kyle KICKS him in the leg. And again! And again! And again! Von gets an arm to reel Kyle in for a LARIAT! Von drags Kyle up, POWERBOMB against the steel! But Kyle turns things into a DDT! Fans fire up while both men are down and NXT goes picture in picture!

Kyle and Von slowly stir, and Kyle sits up to throw forearms. Von gives the forearms back, so Kyle kicks Von. They stand, Kyle throws another forearm but Von waistlocks to SLAM! And the bearhug is back! Kyle fights up again to throw more elbows. Kyle backs Von into a corner and fires more elbows. Kyle whips, Von reverses and Kyle bounces off buckles! Von drags Kyle up, scoops him and hits a BACKBREAKER! Cover, TWO! And back to the bearhug! Roll to a bridging cover, TWO! Kyle fights back up again, throws more elbows, but Von KNEES low. Von has the bearhug back, Kyle throws more elbows so Von knees him in the back.

Von stalks Kyle to ropes, drags him back up, and whips him to ropes to CLOBBER with an elbow! Cover, TWO! Von grows frustrated but he CLUBS Kyle down, and returns to the bearhug! Kyle fights up, throws more elbows, but Von knees him again. Von scoops Kyle, Kyle slips out and KICKS the leg. NXT returns to single picture as Von DECKS Kyle. Kyle gets up to KICK the leg, Von DECKS him again. Fans fire up as Kyle gets up to KICK and KICK! Von choke grips, Kyle CLUBs free, but Von HEADBUTTS! Von runs, but Kyle sends him into steel! Kyle KICKS and KNEES and forearms! Kyle keeps on Von with strikes, he kicks a leg out to KNEE Von down!

Fans fire up, duel, and Kyle gets up as Von goes between rope and steel. Kyle runs and forearm smashes Von into steel! And again! And again! Kyle then climbs up to stomp Von from the top rope! Kyle drags Von through the ropes, DRAPING DDT, and a GUILLOTINE! Von manages to get out of the ropes, fights up, and powers out to suplex Kyle down! Fans chant, “You Still Suck!” as Von whips Kyle to ropes. Kyle ducks and dodges but Von LEG LARIATS! Cover, TWO! Fans rally up, Von stalks Kyle and drags Kyle up to- NO! Kyle slips out of the Olympic Slam to CLUB, AX ‘N’ SMASH!! Von is dazed, Kyle goes to a corner and climbs up. But Von gets him with a forearm first!

Von goes up top, choke grips Kyle, but Kyle throws haymakers! Von bounces Kyle off steel but Kyle KICKS and then SMACKS Von off the steel in return! Von drops down, Kyle takes aim, KING KONG KNEE DROP!! Cover, TWO!?! Von survives but Kyle fires up! Kyle drags Von around, Von LOW BLOWS! No disqualifications, after all! Von RAMS Kyle into steel! And then into more steel! Von underhooks, for the BUTTERFLY BOMB! Cover, Von wins!!

Winner: Von Wagner, by pinfall

Fans boo as villainous Von Wagner vanquishes Kyle! But he’s not done with Kyle! He puts Kyle on top the corner by the door, DECKS him into a Tree of Woe, and then steps outside, to SLAM the door shut on Kyle!! And again! The refs have Von stop there, but he comes back to SLAM the door a third time! Fans boo even more, but has Von just slammed the door on Kyle in NXT period?

Joe Gacy speaks.

“Hello, my name is Joe Gacy. And the outcome of the match at WarGames is not as important as our bigger vision.” What they did was far more important than the Cruiserweight Championship. They ended years of division, broke down barriers, and Gacy is working to change the name of a show that promotes such exclusivity. And speaking of barriers, Harland has faced them every day of his life. “People unfairly judge him for the size of his body, but they don’t consider the size of his heart.” Gacy accepts Harland. Next week, Harland makes his official in-ring debut. It is only a matter of time before everyone else accepts him, too. “Together, we can change the world.”

Bron Breakker heads to the ring!

The man who won WarGames for Team 2.0 is back and he gets the mic. “Last Sunday at WarGames, two teams went to battle, and I can honestly say, Team Black ‘n’ Gold is tough as nails. They built the foundation that NXT is today, and I can say right now, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Team Black ‘n’ Gold. BUT! Tommaso Ciampa! You pinned me at Halloween Havoc, I pinned you at WarGames, that makes us one and one! SO I’m throwing out the challenge right now, me and you, one more time for the NXT Championship.” But instead, here comes Diamond Mine! Malcolm Bivens has the music so he can talk to “LeBRON Breakker.”

Before the Creed Brothers destroy Briggs & Brooks, Bivens had to come out here and tell Bron, “Congratulations.” Bron is the real deal. BUT he isn’t the only one who was successful at WarGames. Roderick Strong had another incredible performance and has wiped the NXT Cruiserweight Division. The weight limit has been lifted, now he’s going to face the very best NXT has to offer. Bron says they have two seconds to get to the point before he throws Bivens’ ass to the fifth row. “LeBron, first of all, the Creeds are not going to let you do that.” Then, Bron says Black ‘n’ Gold build NXT. Well Strong gave them the blueprint!

Bivens knows Bron has his eyes set on Ciampa, but Strong is THE Champion in NXT! And he has his sights set on Bron! Oh? Then where is he? He’s not here! Don’t worry where Strong is at, he’s chilling. But when Strong returns, he’ll put an ened to the “unstoppable” Bron Breakker. Does he accept the challenge? Bron explains this: He doesn’t care who he has to run through to get at Ciampa. He accepts the challenge! See you next week! Bron pushes past Bivens, but will he be able to break through Strong to get to the champion in NXT?

And here come Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs to have that match Bivens mentioned! Will these good ol’ boys break Julius & Brutus to break through to the tag team titles?

Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen VS The Creed Brothers w/ Diamond Mine!

NXT returns and Brooks starts against Brutus Creed while Grizzled Young Veterans have appeared on commentary. And then, IMPERIUM make their entrance! The NXT Tag Team Champions appear from the perch, Brutus CLOBBERS Brooks! Brutus rains down forearms, slaps him around in the rear mount and pretends its the rodeo. Brooks gets up fast, and he DECKS Brutus with forearms! Brooks headlocks, Brutus powers out, Brooks runs Brutus over! Things keep moving, Brooks drops an elbow on Brutus! Brutus gets to a corner, Brooks CHOPS Brutus then clotheslines! Brooks snapmares Brutus to then forearm him in the back! Cover, ONE!

Brooks brings Brutus over to tag Briggs, they double whip to double shoulder Brutus down! Brutus EuroUppers, tags in Julius but Briggs DECKS him, then reels him in for elbows. Briggs whips, Julius reverses but Briggs CLUBS Brutus then SLAMS him down, for a SPLASH! Briggs fires up, tags in Brooks, and they both run to slide and HAYMAKER Julius off the ropes! High-ten, and then Brooks gets in to run at Julius, only for Julius to dodge! Hot tag to Brutus for an OVERHEAD Belly2Belly! Brutus drags Brooks, Brooks kicks but Brutus drops an elbow! Brutus grinds his forearm into Brooks, drags him back, tags in Julius, and Brutus rolls Brooks so he and Julius can KNEE him down!

Julius drags Brooks up, facelocks, clinches, scoops and SLAMS! Julius stares Imperium down, kicks Brooks around, then he wraps on a modified head ‘n’ arm triangle. Tag to Brutus, Julius feeds Brooks to the fireman’s carry takeover! Brutus returns the favor and Julius throws Brooks into the corner! Brutus drags Brooks up but Brooks boots back! Elbow to Julius, uppercut for Brutus! Brooks reaches for Briggs but Brutus CLOBBERS him out of the ring! Tag to Julius, he drags Brooks up to HALF HATCH SUPLEX to the floor! Briggs hurries over to check on Brooks, and GYV spring into action! They take away Briggs’ tag rope?

Brutus puts Brooks in, covers, TWO! Briggs reaches out, Brutus drags Brooks away. Tag to Julius, and he stomps Brooks, to then get the STRETCH MUFFLER! Brooks kicks with his free leg but Julius SLAMS him down! Brooks kicks Julius away, DECKS him, and fans rally up! Brooks crawls, Julius anchors Brooks, and Briggs looks for the tag rope! James Drake taunts him with it on commentary! Tag to Brutus, but the ref won’t let Briggs tag in! GYV get one over on Briggs, but Brooks slips out of a scoop! Brooks waistlocks Brutus but rams him into Briggs! Briggs goes down, Brooks O’Conner rolls, Brooks & Briggs still win!!

Winners: Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen, by pinfall

Despite GYV having the fix in, the good ol’ boys win! They ruin the Creed Brothers’ spotless record, will they soon look to ruin the reign of Imperium?

Backstage interview with Von Wagner.

We’re waiting on a medical update for Kyle O’Reilly, but Von asks everyone, “What did you think was gonna happen? Look! WarGames is over, Kyle is over, but my WarGames has just begun.” What does that mean? And what is Robert Stone doing here taking more notes? Is Von Wagner a potential recruit for the new Robert Stone Brand?

Xyon Quinn speaks.

“Santos Escobar, you said that reality was gonna hit me in the face? Let’s see about that. Elektra Lopez, hope you’re watching.”

Duke Hudson goes to the ring.

He’s clearly wearing a blonde wig to hide what happened to him at WarGames, and he says if the last 48 hours have taught him anything, it’s that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet. Headlines claimed Cameron Grimes shaved Hudson bald at WarGames, yet here he stands, full head of hair! Fans chant, “You Look Stupid!” Hudson says he fixed what happened, it’s good as new! So what does that mean? It means Grimes is a disappointment to everyone in the WWE Universe, and to everyone in his life! His friends, family. Grimes is- Here! Hudson hurries to put on wrestling headgear to protect his hair.

Grimes knew Hudson would come out here and so something like this, but he didn’t expect this. We all saw it: Grimes shaved Hudson bald. Yet, here he is, denying it? Hudson put Grimes through a table! Hudson cut Grimes’ hair! And Hudson even embarrassed Grimes. But Grimes came out here and stood here like a man. But that’s cuz Grimes can’t change the way he is. But Hudson can’t handle losing. Losing?! What!? No! Grimes cheated! That’s the only way he could win! He’s cum and a lowdown- Dirty, trashy, grimy, etc. Grimes knows who he is and where he is from! It’s a lowdown, dirty town, but they handle things a little different there.

So if Hudson wants to go one more time, let’s throw out the rules so Grimes can’t “cheat.” Grimes wants it NO HOLDS BARRED! Hudson accepts! And then he goes for a cheap shot! But Grimes is ready, throws counter punches, whips but Hudson avoids the Cave-In! Only for Grimes to grab the headgear! Hudson gets away, but will he lose much more than just a wing when nothing holds these two back?

Briggs & Brooks celebrate backstage.

Another one in the books! Jacket Time come over to congratulate these two, but Ikemen Jiro might go a step too far with the smack on the butt. Kushida says it’s all to celebrate beating the Creed Brothers. These four all agree on that, they don’t like the Creeds. But GYV show up, saying the win only happened cuz of them! But Kacy & Kayden walk by and say a win is a win. They’ve got two extra tickets if the boys are interested. Briggs & Brooks call dibs. Brooks likes this place. GYV is up in arms, but Jacket Time hush them. “Very sensitive operation.” GYV start a fight with them! The refs hurry to stop this brawl, but will this have to be settled in the ring?

Grayson Waller checks his views.

He shows Tesha Price the gif of his top-of-the-cage elbow drop. Pretty brave, right? Plus, main event winner. But moving on from WarGames, what is she up to tonight? Oh she’s got something. She already has someone else. Huh? Who? LA Knight. Sup, Wally. Tesha leaves with the Megastar, and if Wally’s all about likes and views, how does he like this view? YEAH! Waller vows to get views, but will Knight not like it?

Carmelo Hayes w/ Trick Williams VS Dexter Lumis!

Team 2.0 may have won, but these two are worse for wear. However, the rib tape might only be the start of it. Will the Tortured Artist torture “The A Champion” for what he did to the hand?

NXT returns as Lumis makes his entrance. The bell rings and Lumis stares at Trick, who should’ve been in this match. Trick is shook, Melo headlocks. Lumis powers out, Melo rolls off LUmis’ back but Lumis DECKS him with an uppercut! Lumis stares at Trick again, but Melo rolls Lumis to the mat, they struggle for control and Melo has the clinch. But Lumis powers up, only for Melo to slip out and trip Lumis up. Cover, ONE, but the two stand off. They reset, circle, and Lumis corners Melo. Melo kicks low, throws forearms, then CHOPS! Melo headlocks, Lumis RAMS him into buckles! Melo falls, clutching his ribs. Lumis pulls at the tape to dribble Melo as he tears it away!

Lumis drags Melo up, scoops and SLAMS, and then he stares at Trick. Trick tells Lumis to hold on, but Lumis goes out to creep over. Trick hides behind commentary! Melo gets out but Lumis DECKS him again! Fans fire up as Lumis stares at Trick again. Lumis puts Melo in the ring, slithers in and brings him up to RAM Melo into buckles! Lumis RAMS into Melo again, and again! The ref counts, Lumis RAMS Melo again then lets off. Lumis frames the shot, runs in but Melo dodges! Lumis stops from hitting buckles, but Melo ducks and dodges to SPRINGBOARD LARIAT! Melo writhes but he manages to cover, ONE!

Fans rally but Melo stands on Lumis’ bad hand! Melo gives some payback and STOMPS the bad hand! Melo gets the arm, FUJIWARA, and he pulls at the bad hand! Melo CLUBS the hand, pulls at Lumis’ glove, but Lumis fights up. Fans rally, Lumis resists, and he throws a body shot to the bad ribs! Lumis clinches but Melo knees low! Melo whips, Lumis reverses but Melo ducks, only for Lumis to hit a THESZ PRESS! Running AX HANDLE DROP! Fans fire up for Lumis as he stalks Melo, and Melo gets to a corner. Melo kicks but Lumis digs his boots into Melo’s chest! Lumis lets off, brings Melo up and throws him out of the ring! Lumis then goes back to staring at Trick!

Lumis slithers out but Trick says don’t even! Melo BOOTS Lumis off the apron! Lumis’ obsession keeps getting the better of him, and NXT goes to break!

NXT returns again and Melo has Lumis’ arm but fans rally up. Lumis fights up, throws body shots but Melo throws Lumis down by his hair! Melo covers, and even hammers the hand at the same time, TWO! Melo wraps on a chinlock, fans duel, Lumis endures, but Melo stands on the hand. Lumis avoids the stomp this time, then throws body shots and uppercuts! Melo staggers, Lumis whips but Melo reverses to throw forearms. Melo KNEES the bad arm, then snapmares Lumis to get the arm again. Melo SLAMS the hand on the mat, and Lumis writhes and he clutches the wrist. Melo gets the hand again to SLAM it back down!

Melo storms over to Lumis in the corner to CHOP him! Melo whips corner to corner and Lumis hits buckles hard. Melo stomps Lumis, has him down and stomps him more. Trick talks trash to Lumis, but Lumis stares at him and scares him! Lumis kicks Melo away, Melo comes back to BOOT! Melo reels Lumis in and gloats, “What goes up, must come down.” But Lumis suplexes Melo instead! Lumis rallies on Melo now with clotheslines and an uppercut! Lumis runs corner to corner to clothesline and BULLDOG! Then a BIG back suplex! And a kip up to LEG DROP! Cover, TWO! Fans fire up and Trick breathes easy, but Lumis keeps his cool.

Lumis stalks Melo, reels him in, but Melo slips out to roll up! TWO, but Lumis ducks the roundhouse! THE SILENCE!! Melo falls to ropes, Trick SWATS Lumis!!

Winner: Dexter Lumis, by disqualification

Trick gets Melo out of the ring, but Lumis catches him! Melo saves Trick from the Silence, but will Lumis come back for revenge on them both with gold on the line?

MSK reveal the Shaman’s identity!

Bro, it’s Matt Riddle! And Riddle has been waiting for them to knock on his door for weeks! He watches NXT and loves it. But now that these stallions are here, let’s get to business. Nash Carter & Wes Lee sit with Riddle and Riddle asks what’ son their minds. Well, first of, Shaman Bro, sir, it is great to finally meet him. Carter says that when MSK came to NXT, they thought they were going to be the bottom of the totem pole, and work their way up. But instead, the debuted in the Dusty Rhodes Classic, won the cup, then the tag titles. Yes, congratulations on that. Riddle remembers when the Bro-serweights won the cup and titles, too. Riddle misses Stallion Pete. Such a beautiful man.

Wait, Pete isn’t dead… But anyway, MSK want to know if this is the peak. What happens when you accomplish your goals so quickly? Is this the end already? Riddle says life is a long journey? It is rough, hard, and won’t be easy. But when you hike up the mountain and get to the top, that view is chef’s kiss, bro. But Imperium beat them for the titles and have MSK’s number. Are MSK goofing too much? What needs to change? “Mah dudes, you don’t need to change. MSK needs to be MSK all night and all day. That rhymed, that’s pretty cool.” But they’ve been at the top and fallen together. They’ll climb up together, and Riddle will be there every step of the way, bros!

Wait, Riddle isn’t leaving? Nope. But under one condition. What’s in the bag, man? Sharing is caring, bros. By all means. Riddle looks inside and WHOA~! Will MSK learn much from Riddle on how to bring out their inner stallions and ride back to the championships?

Toxic Attraction speaks.

Mandy Rose starts by telling Vic Joseph to shut up on commentary, then says she’s the one talking,. When Mandy speaks, everyone else shuts their mouths. The NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne, have business to take care of. “Like real women. Not like these little girls with their ratty clothes and their hand-me-down sneakers and their stupid skateboards.” And boys, stop drooling. Yeah, Vic! But all those comments were directed at Cora Jade. Will #GenerationJade and friends have to pay for their victory at WarGames?

Persia Pirotta & Indi Hartwell talk backstage.

Did Indi know Dexter would be at WarGames? No, he’s full of surprises. But Indi’s so happy he’s back. Persia is, too, because now Indi can focus, they can get on the same page. Does Indi remember what it was like when they started in Australia? Yes, they did whatever it took to get to WWE. Indi got here first, got things going, and then the world finally opened back up so Persia could arrive. But then it was all about the engagement, the wedding, the honeymoon. If they want to be contenders, Persia needs her best friend at 100%. Indi needs to focus on the team and leave the love life at home.

Indi knows Persia is a committed friend, she wants to that while she’s committed to Dexter, she’s committed to the team, too. But then Dexter walks in and she jumps in his arms to congratulate him. And Johnny Gargano walks over. This is what he loves to see! The family’s back together! The Way is united, but is Persia feeling left out?

Toxic Attraction VS Valentina Feroz & Yulisa Leon!

Mandy said her team will handle business tonight, but not even Gigi & Jacy can be feeling 100% after WarGames. Will this be an opening for Feroz & Leon to pounce? Or will Gigi & Jacy prove they’re tough enough to fight through the pain?

The teams sort out, Feroz starts against Jacy and the two circle. Jacy’s arm is taped up, she and Feroz tie up and Jacy puts Feroz on the ropes to slap her around. Feroz shoves back, then they tie up again. Feroz headlocksd and grinds Jacy down, but Jacy throws body shots and pulls hair. Jacy wrenches, whips, Feroz goes up and over and goes to arm-drag, but Jacy blocks. Feroz victory rolls, TWO! Jacy kicks but misses, Feroz waistlocks and rams her into the corner. Tag to Leon, she fireman’s carry throws Jacy, then has the wrist. Jacy wrenches through, Leon handsprings and headlocks. Jacy powers out, Gigi tags in, Jacy trips Leon up for Gigi to KICK, and Jacy LARIATS!

Gigi drags Leon up, throws forearms, then she whips Leon to ropes to ROCK her with a forearm! Gigi fish hooks Leon, has her on the ropes and chokes her, but lets off at 4 to SLAM Leon’s face off the mat. Gigi taunts Leon to go make a tag then she CLUBS Leon on the back. Gigi whips Leon to the corner, runs in and BOOTS her, then tags Jacy. Jacy shrieks and CANNONBALLS! Cover, TWO! Jacy is furious and she wraps on a chinlock. Leon endures, fights up, and fireman’s carries! Jacy elbows free then ROCKS Leon again! Jacy runs, but into a fireman’s carry and ROLLING DEATH VALLEY! Both women are down and fans fire up!

Jacy crawls, hot tag to Gigi! Hot tag to Feroz, she gets around, ripcord and arm-drag! Then another! Then a SHOTGUN dropkick! Fans fire up with Feroz as she goes up top, for a HUGE CROSSBODY! Cover, TWO! Feroz can’t believe it, but she hurries to bearhug! Gigi tags Jacy before the roll-up, Jacy hits a NECKBREAKER! Jacy DECKS Leon, then she runs and CYCLONE BOOTS Feroz down! Cover, Toxic Attraction wins!

Winners: Toxic Attraction, by pinfall

Gigi & Jacy rebound and Mandy gets the mic to speak again. “And that’s how it’s done. Here we stand, even after WarGames, as the baddest bitches in town and still got all the gold.” Mandy knows everyone wants a shot at them, they’re the talk of the town. Honestly, she doesn’t blame them. “When you’re this damn good, it’s expected.” But to get one thing straight, Toxic Attraction doesn’t run from anyone! So if there’s anyone who wants their opportunity, bring it on! Whether it’s little Cora jade, or Io Shirai, or Raquel Gonzalez, they’ll be waiting. “We are Toxic Attraction, and still the attraction.”

But here comes Cora! Her arm is in a sling, but she has a mic to say, “Aw, Mandy., Thank you for talking about me again. I don’t know if you remember or not, but um, two weeks ago, I beat you.” Mandy says Cora got lucky. But then Cora’s team won Wargames, so while Mandy  is throwing shade, Cora wants to see if she’ll handle this face to face. Hate to break it to you, Cora, but you’re not the one. But if she wants Mandy to embarrass her, then get in here so they can settle this right now! But Raquel Gonzalez shows up first, with a chair! Toxic Attraction runs away from this fight! Will the champions have to put up or shut up?

NXT has another Tiffany Epiphany.

Daddy says she’s a natural born athlete. When she said she wanted to do gymnastics, Daddy got her a fulltime trainer to take her to the gym whenever. She dominated every competition. And of course, she ended up on Team USA. But he said she was too good to be on a team. She’s a solo star, just like in NXT. She will get a gold medal, in the form of the NXT Women’s Championship.

Backstage interview with Tony D’Angelo.

McKenzie says Team 2.0 had a great win at WarGames, but things got rather personal between him and Pete Dunne. Tony quickly notes that Tiffany is one nimble lady. But he said the heavy money was on 2.0, and he wasn’t wrong. Did things get personal between him and Petey Poppins? Eh. But he’s not someone you cross. He has Dunne’s mouthpiece on display. Normally he’d sell this to some stunatz, but- Andre Chase applauds. Tony might’ve won WarGames, but if Team 2.0 had listened to him, Tony would’ve been the star, not Waller. A star, huh? Look, “professor,” Tony would normally give Chase a beating right here, but he’s got collections to make.

So next week, why not meet Tony in the ring and we’ll see who the star is? Chase can’t believe Tony talks like that. That grammar would not be acceptable in Chase University. That right there is a teachable moment! But will Chase be the one learning some things from the street wise Tony D’Angelo?

Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez talk backstage.

Cora thanks Raquel for having her back. It’s been crazy since Cora got here. They won at WarGames, Cora pinned Mandy, and she might even become NXT Women’s Champion. Alright, take it easy, now. If anyone has that shot, it’s Raquel. Yeah, but Cora hasn’t been champion before. What if she won? Let’s talk about that later. For now, let’s relax. But then Kay Lee Ray walks over. Before they go, Cora might need this bat more than she does. Trust her. Okay, but then what’ll KLR use? Sweetheart, she’s got plenty. KLR might be crazy, but is Cora on to something about her title chances?

Xyon Quinn VS Santos Escobar w/ Legado Del Fantasma!

The Gentleman Fighter got on Legado’s bad side when he turned won Elektra Lopez. Will the Emperor of Lucha make him pay for that slight? Or will Quinn show everyone what happens when he gets angry?

NXT returns and Escobar is given his introduction. Quinn makes his entrance, gives a look to Lopez, then gets in the ring. The bell rings and they both look to Lopez before they tie up. Quinn slams Escobar down, glances at Lopez, and Escobar turns it around. Quinn kips up, Escobar throws body shots and windmilling haymakers! Fans fire up as Escobar CHOPS Quinn down! Escobar then goes corner to corner, into DOUBLE FOREAMS from Quinn! Quinn drags Escobar up, cravats and puts Escobar in a corner to scrape against ropes! The ref counts, Quinn lets go, and he CLUBS Escobar on the neck. Quinn scoops and SNAKE EYES Escobar down!

Escobar crawls, Quinn brings him up and DECKS him! Escobar throws body shots but Quinn CLUBS him again! Quinn stalks Escobar to a corner, throws body shots and haymakers, then CLUBS him to another corner. The ref has Wilde & Mendoza stay back while Quinn digs his knee into Escobar. Quinn lets off as the ref counts, and he throws heavy body shots. Quinn CLUBS Escobar down, then glances at Lopez. Quinn gets Escobar up, Escobar fires body shots but Quinn CLUBS him again. Fans rally, Quinn scoops and SLAMS Escobar, then goes to the apron. Legado lurks and distracts, Escobar BOOTS Quinn!

Escobar goes out but Quinn whips him into the desk! Quinn puts Escobar in the ring, but Escobar slips right back out to get a breather with Legado. Wilde & Mendoza are frustrated for Escobar as NXT goes picture in picture.

Quinn storms out but Escobar hurries away. Legado keeps their distance as Quinn stalks Escobar around the way. Quinn CLUBS Escobar and he goes tumbling to Lopez. Quinn refreshes the ring count, stalks behind Escobar, and drags him up to whip, only for Escobar to reverse and send Quinn into steel steps! Escobar refreshes the count now, drags Quinn up and puts him in the corner. Escobar gets in to stomp Quinn, step on him and then VADER BOMB Quinn’s back! Cover, TWO! Escobar CLUBS Quinn in the back, then brings him up to RAM him into the corner! Escobar stomps a mudhole, lets off as the ref counts, and then bumps Quinn off buckles.

Escobar climbs up to rain down fists on Quinn! Escobar rolls back and KNEES Quinn down! Escobar brings Quinn up, ROCKS him to a corner, then shoves Quinn to ropes to ROCK him with a forearm! Escobar takes a bow before he kicks Quinn around. Quinn is in a corner, NXT returns to single picture as Escobar DOUBLE KNEES him! Escobar turns Quinn around, runs in, DOUBLE KNEES to the back! Escobar clamps onto an arm and tortures it from wrist to elbow. Quinn endures, fights up, but Escobar CLUBS Quinn in the ribs. Escobar pulls the arm to stretch Quinn more. Quinn fights up, breaks free and fires off body shots and a HEADBUTT! Then he atomic drops to run and LARIAT!

Fans fire up as Escobar crawls to a corner. Quinn is on him and TOSSES him corner to corner! Escobar flounders, Quinn runs in to RAM a shoulder in! Escobar falls, Quinn covers, TWO! Lopez is hard to read, is she worried for Escobar or impressed by Quinn? Quinn runs in but Escobar dodges to fire off forearms and a GAMANGIRI! Escobar fires himself up, goes corner to corner again, DOUBLE KNEES! Then a fireman’s carry, but Quinn fights free to ROCK Escobar, fireman’s carry back, and SWINGING SAMOAN DROP! Lopez distracts Quinn by grabbing ropes, and Escobar shoves Quinn away. Quinn RAMS Escobar into another corner, and RAMS his shoulder in again!

The ref counts, Quinn lets off, then hoists Escobar up top. Quinn throws haymakers, ROCKS Escobar with an uppercut, then climbs up, but Escobar hits back! Quinn HEADBUTTS Escobar! Quinn brings Escobar up, but Escobar fights free to ROCK Quinn with haymakers! Escobar climbs back up, they’re on the very top, SUPER STEINER!! Fans lose their minds, and Lopez puts brass knuckles on Quinn’s hand?!? Quinn slowly comes to, he sees what she’s done, but will he use them? Wilde points things out, the ref sees the knuckles and reprimands Quinn! Quinn throws the knuckles to Wilde then DECKS him!

Escobar KNEES Quinn down! Fireman’s carry, PHANTOM DRIVER!! Cover, Escobar wins!

Winner: Santos Escobar, by pinfall

And that smirk says it all! Lopez cheated Quinn by making him think she was on his side! Will this be the end of Legado’s grudge with the Gentleman Fighter?

Diamond Mine heads out.

NXT Media asks about the coming match of Strong VS Breakker. Bivens says Strong will beat Bron because Strong is THE Champion in NXT. Oh no no, Melo ain’t hearing that. Melo says they can’t talk about who is THE champion in NXT without mentioning his name. Seriously? His name? Yes, his name. Melo doesn’t care if the weight limit was lifted, Melo is worried about checks and championships. Well listen up Melo ‘n’ Trick. Strong beat Odyssey Jones and Joe Gacy, and he will beat Breakker. How about that, playboy?

Melo says Strong is good. He is the foundation of NXT and the last man standing in that group. But you know what he isn’t? THE A CHAMPION. That’s all it is, that’s all it’s gonna be. Bivens angrily asks, “Why is everyone so disrespectful around here?!” Will the Cruiserweight Champion have to teach the North American Champion the true pecking order of the titles?

Boa speaks.

“Edris Enofe. You don’t understand the fire you have ignited. Once I become one with these powers, impending doom awaits you. As quickly as you came into NXT 2.0, I will take you out of it. Next week!” The power of Tian Sha is coming, will the Epitome of Excellence feel its wrath?

Johnny Gargano heads to the ring!

As he promised in a digital exclusive after WarGames, Johnny Wrestling will put his rebel heart on his sleeve and explain everything about his future in NXT. The CWC is fired up and he already looks emotional as he gets the mic. “Heartbreak told me I can go as long as I want. Chucky isn’t coming on at 10, I think London Has Fallen is coming up next but they can wait.” He was always more a Le Fem Nikita guy. But anyway, he loves the fans. Fans chant, “Please Don’t Go!” but he apologizes, this won’t be his most eloquent promo since he just wanted to live in the moment. If there is one regret he has these last six years, he didn’t enjoy this more.

He always worried if his match wasn’t good enough, if his promo wasn’t good enough, if he wasn’t good enough. He wanted us to have the best, they deserve things they can be proud of, and he hopes he gave us that. We have no idea what we’ve given him. The first time he was here was 2015 and a WWE tryout where he was told he would never be in NXT. He hasn’t been blessed with the best genetic gifts, but William Regal brought him back for a dark match against Apollo Crews. The fans at Full Sail chanted, “Johnny Wrestling!” so loud, they brought him back every single week, even though he wasn’t under contract. This is all thanks to the fans.

TakeOver main events, video games, action figures, all of that. The fans helped Johnny live a dream. In his heart is still that same, shy, chubby wrestling fan. He’s dealt with self confidence issues his entire life, and is dealing with them even now. But the only place he’s ever felt important or special is in the ring in front of all of the fans. And for years, people have sked why he’s been in NXT for so long. it’s because he loves it and believes in it so much. Fans chant, “We Love You!” back.

Johnny’s family may be in Cleveland, hi mom who is crying and hi dad who is sleeping. But he has family back there. Hunter, Shawn, others we don’t even really know, like Steve Corino, Matt Bloom, Terry Taylor, Sara Amano, Vic Joseph even right here is a best friend. JB, Jimmy, Dustin, all the coaches, so many people. “This is like my family here. This is my family, that’ll never change. And I know change is scary, but sometimes it needs to happen.” There’s one message Johnny wants to leave for us: you’ll never fail if you bet on yourself. He doesn’t know what his immediate future holds, that’s up in the air. He might do things here and there.

But he does know one thing: February, he’ll start the most important job of his life. He’ll be a dad. Fans chant, “Baby Wrestling!” and Johnny is sure his son will watch this back and thank them all. Johnny knows he’ll love that little guy so much. But he’s going to focus on Candice, and his son, and teach his son how to be the best man he can be. Fans are reacting to something but it isn’t Johnny! SMACK from a chairshot to the back! GRAYSON WALLER ruins Johnny’s moment!! Waller says this isn’t Gargano’s house no more!  Waller throws Gargano out of the ring, brings the chair along and dares Vic to do something about his boy.

Fans call Waller an A-Hole, but he sits Gargano up. “This is your NXT?” Waller puts the chair around Gargano’s neck and RAMS him into steel steps!! “This is your house, huh!?” Waller pulls the desk hook off and clears the desk while talking trash to Vic. Waller gets Gargano up, reels him in, POWERBOMB through the desk!! Waller says if you want views, come to him! This isn’t Gargano’s house, it’s Waller’s! Fans boo and call him a “Piece of Sh*t!” but Waller just soaks it all up. Has Waller just broken the rebel heart of NXT?

My Thoughts:

A great NXT to follow up WarGames. The cage match opening was a bit of a surprise, but really good. Especially since we just saw a cage match on Raw last night. Von winning makes sense with Kyle on his way out, and him going even more Heel by using the low blow was a nice touch. Joe Gacy was clearly talking about 205 Live in his promo, and I am looking forward to the rebrand, since I’d been talking about that right up until I stopped doing 205 Live coverage a few weeks ago. I’ll definitely want to see what Gacy has in store for it, but I still say it should just become NXT Lite. I’ll definitely make time to cover the episode of 205 Live Gacy gets his hands on.

Bron Breakker having a detour to face Roderick Strong is definitely a good way to tie stories together, as is Bivens calling Strong “THE champion of NXT” and Melo countering. Melo VS Lumis was a great match, even with Trick “ruining” things. I’m pretty sure we’ll get Lumis VS Trick before we get Lumis VS Melo for the North American Championship. It would be awesome if Lumis got that title to start following in Gargano’s footsteps, but I feel like Melo’s going to hold onto the title until he can have a match with Strong. It still feels like Vince wants to do away with the Cruiserweight Division again, and Melo winning the belt off Strong could be a step towards that.

Briggs & Brooks winning over the Creed Brothers while Imperium was watching and GYV tries to cheat them was a great bit of tag team story interweaving. Pretty sure we’re going to get more of Europeans VS Muricans antics with a feud between Briggs & Brooks and Imperium. Handing off GYV to Jacket Time in that promo was pretty clever. But NXT 2.0 sure is a randy place, ain’t it? Almost everyone’s hooking up with someone somewhere. Briggs & Brooks go on a double date with KC Squared, Tony takes a liking to Tiffany Stratton and Knight snipes Tesha Price from Waller. I feel like there could be something that builds to the return of NXT Vengeance Day for Valentine’s.

MSK’s Shaman being Matt Riddle seems a bit like a cop-out to me, but I suppose it makes sense on some level. I would’ve liked if they brought RVD back but WWE took the easy road. And while Riddle is going to be with MSK along the way, he’s still Raw Tag Team Champion so he’ll be traveling a lot in real-life. He might just do more of these vignettes so that they can record them in chunks and debut them a week at a time. It’ll also be a good way to keep MSK building up without them in the ring since the NXT Tag Team Championships are very busy with all the other teams.

Toxic Attraction of course win their match, but it was all a vehicle to bring back the title conversations. Cora does have a point that beating the champ means she gets a shot, but I feel like Toxic Attraction will cheat her. I’m thinking KLR gets her shot, and not to be mean to Mandy, but I feel like KLR should go ahead and dethrone Mandy so KLR can join Rhea Ripley in history as having held both NXT UK and NXT prime women’s titles. Not quite sure on the tag titles, though. Quinn VS Escobar had a very good main event match, and Lopez doing the brass knuckle trick was very clever. But I feel like this extends things, and we might get the real blow-off at New Year’s Evil.

Gargano had a great closing promo. We were all sensing he was leaving NXT, and I figured it would be because of the baby on the way. But I don’t think he’s going to be gone just yet with that attack from Grayson Waller. Waller, being burned by Tesha and angered by Knight, is going for that top Heel spot by going after one of NXT’s true top guys. Gargano VS Waller is going to be awesome, could be for New Year’s Evil, and could be Gargano’s good-bye whether he wins or loses since the baby is due in February. Then who knows, maybe we’ll see Johnny Wrestling, the heart of NXT, return once again and accomplish stuff no other great NXT superstar’s done before.

My Score: 8.9/10