The May 27, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University and we have the results.
The show was headlined by Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher in a Cage Fight.
WWE NXT Results (5/27)
- Drake Maverick def. Kushida and Jake Atlas – Group A Tournament Finals
- Johnny Gargano def. Adrian Alanis
- Raquel Gonzalez (w/Dakota Kai) def. Shotzi Blackheart (w/Tegan Nox).
- Charlotte Flair & Chelsea Green def. Rhea Ripley & Io Shirai.
- Tommaso Ciampa def. Leon Ruff
- Timothy Thatcher def. Matt Riddle – Cage Fight
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Adam Cole Talks With Mr. Regal
NXT Champion Adam Cole was supposed to celebrate one year of his title reign but instead had a Zoom call with NXT General Manager William Regal to have an open negotiation.
Cole cut a promo about The Velveteen Dream and how he wants him out of his life for good. Regal said that it’s not all about Cole. He said that Cole will defend the NXT Title against The Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Cole complained about Dream having his own spotlight and a couch. Regal said that both Dream and Cole want a spotlight. Cole called that insulting because he’s been the cornerstone of NXT and that The Undisputed Era has made Regal look better than he is.
Cole said that after he beats Dream at TakeOver then he wants the stipulation of Dream never getting a title shot again as long as he is the champion. Regal stated that he will find a setting that is worthy of such a match.
Cage Fight
Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher with Kurt Angle as the special guest referee in a Cage Fight is in the books.
Whatever expectations that fans might have had heading into this contest, it seems based on feedback via social media, that those expectations were exceeded.
It looked like the old lion’s den set up with no ropes but just simply a ring with a steel cage around it and a scaffold above it. They implemented more of a fight style move set and submissions. Thatcher went over when he locked in a rear-naked choke and Riddle went to sleep.
It was even better thanks to Angle being in the ring. While he’s not under contract with the company anymore, it has been reported that many WWE producers who were let go weren’t released outright but rather furloughed with the expectation that some of them could be brought back once WWE starts running more shows.
It’s also been reported that Riddle is headed to the main roster and expected to work on the SmackDown brand. If not the last match on NXT television then one of the last matches, Riddle had a memorable fight.
Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament
A Triple Threat to determine the Group A winner of Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament went down that saw Drake Maverick vs. Kushida vs. Jake Atlas.
WWE gave them the opening slot of the broadcast and around 15 minutes of screen time. The finish saw Kushida put Atlas in an armbar only to lay back on the mat and have Maverick pin Atlas for the win.
It was a clever finish that didn’t take away from Kushida or Atlas while moving the underdog story along with Maverick. As a result of this win, Maverick has advanced to the tournament finals as he’s the winner of Group A.
Maverick will take on El Hijo Del Fantasma, the winner of Group B, on the June 3 episode of NXT.
Tag Team Bout
Charlotte Flair and mystery partner vs. Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in a tag team match took place on this show.
While there were various stars who fans thought were going to serve as the partner of the NXT Women’s Champion, but it turns out that it was Chelsea Green.
It was a fine tag bout that saw Flair and Green go over when Green took a shot from Io then Io knocked Rhea off the apron. This allowed Flair to pin Io by using the ropes in a roll-up for the win.
This was the latest build for this program heading into the Triple Threat Match that will see Charlotte put the NXT Women’s Title on the line when she defends it against Io and Ripley at NXT TakeOver: In Your House special next month.
Feud Continues, Bad Botch
The third match of the night saw Raquel Gonzalez with Dakota Kai in her corner to defeat Shotzi Blackheart with Tegan Nox in her sidelines.
It was a hard-hitting affair with the most notable thing in the match was the bad botch by Shotiz, which saw her attempt to hit a springboard back dive to the floor but she overshot it and landed badly on the back of her head.
After the match, Candice LeRae came out to the ring to have some words with Nox.
This appeared to be a continuation of the Nox-Kai feud that started last November with the addition of LeRae. Perhaps, we’ll get a future match.
