WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the NXT Great American Bash show on USA Network. One of the standout bouts on the card was between Timothy Thatcher and Oney Lorcan, which Bully Ray had huge praise for.
“I’m watching Timothy Thatcher and Oney Lorcan. I’m like, ‘man, this is really good’” Bully Ray began on the show. “This is what it was meant to be back in the day; a spirited contest, a fight, aggression, everything looks tight and snug and everything means something.”
Bully Ray on Lorcan vs Thatcher
Bully Ray continued, saying “they blew me away with something that they did last night that nobody else does. They made something so small and normally thrown away in wrestling matches, and they made it mean something. It was something so small that normally we take for granted in wrestling matches, and we don’t even care about anymore because they really don’t mean anything.”
Ray would then elaborate on the point, saying “it’s chops. When they were chopping each other? They weren’t chopping each other just to make a sound. Or even just for a crowd to go ‘woo,’ or for one guy to chop somebody, and then just wait five minutes to chop them again. It was like they would chop each other to open each other up to go for a move.”
Bully Ray would finish by praising the match even further, saying “they [Lorcan and Thatcher] used something so basic as a chop to make psychological sense of their offence. I love that.”
Did you enjoy the match? Let us know in the comments
Current NXT Superstar Velveteen Dream was involved in a car accident last Friday. Although it required a trip to the hospital, Dream would be released the same day.
According to Wrestling Inc., the accident occurred on Friday afternoon at approximately 4 pm. The Superstar reportedly failed to stop at a red light when he crashed into another car. The owner of the other car did sustain injuries, but it is not known how serious they are. The Velveteen would subsequently be issued with a citation. He will not have to appear in court over the incident.
It’s worth noting that The Velveteen Dream has not been featured on WWE programming since NXT: In Your House. He lost an NXT Championship match against Adam Cole. A few weeks ago, allegations came out naming Velveteen Dream during the #SpeakingOut movement.
Back in April, allegations were brought up against Velveteen Dream regarding an inappropriate image being sent to an underage fan. Dream released the following statement at the time:
“Be assured I did not communicate inappropriately with anyone. A private photo of mine was shared without my consent or knowledge and I am working with a third party to look into this matter.”
Since the #SpeakingOut movement, reports from the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast and Fightful have stated that Dream’s time in WWE could be coming to an end.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes was a recent guest on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. During their conversation, he was asked about WWE using the Great American Bash name in association with its upcoming special two-week NXT event.
Cody admitted he wasn’t angry about it. He mused on how some people mistakenly think Dusty Rhodes simply named Starrcade and the Great American Bash. Cody argued how it goes beyond just devising an event name. Instead, “It’s a matter of booking them, of marketing them, of the creation.”
According to Cody, Dusty Rhodes once told him that Starrcade was for his sister and that Great American Bash was for him. For that reason, both events hold a special place for them. Cody noted how it doesn’t anger him in any way as it’s an excuse for people to once again talk about his father in a positive way.
Cody Rhodes On WWE’s Marketing Nostalgia Efforts
“The American Nightmare” likened WWE’s recent use of In Your House and Great American Bash to Disney’s nostalgia marketing strategies.
“The marketing of the event reminds me a lot of what Disney currently does. If you go to Disney World, they still sell Haunted Mansion shirts and they’re all done retro-style. They market nostalgia.”
He acknowledged how his sister found NXT’s sudden Great American Bash announcement strange. Cody then reflected on how the announcement seemed to be “willy nilly, last-minute, in the strangest of ways.”
Cody Rhodes pointed to WWE’s decision to utilize the Starrcade name for a WWE Live Event. He believes this decision diminished the name value of the event and was done because “they weren’t selling any tickets in North Carolina.” He shared his hope that WWE would instead do “something special” with Great American Bash.
NXT’s Great American Bash is a two-week special airing on USA Network. It competes head-to-head with AEW’s Fyter Fest on TNT. Both events begin tonight.
WWE has suspended NXT UK Superstar and Gallus member Joe Coffey. The decision was made following allegations made about Coffey during the #SpeakingOut movement on Twitter.
Furthermore, WWE also released two NXT UK referees. Both Joel Allen and Chris Roberts have been officially let go by the promotion. “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher, Ligero, and Travis Banks were previously released following #SpeakingOut allegations.
NXT UK Conference Call
A conference call was recently held with NXT UK. Triple H reportedly emphasized WWE’s protocols regarding sexual abuse allegations and stressed that there would be zero tolerance for inappropriate behavior or conduct.
It was also noted that NXT UK tapings would resume once it is safe to do so. At the time of writing, there is no indication as to when WWE intends to kickstart the NXT UK brand post-coronavirus. WWE NXT UK has not filmed content since March.
Amidst the #SpeakingOut movement, rumors began to circulate that WWE may consider shutting down the United Kingdom-based brand. Given its purported plans, that does not appear to be the case. As it stands, the company is reportedly looking to restart recording within the next two months with shows potentially taking place in an empty arena.
NXT UK Landscape
The current United Kingdom Champion is Imperium’s WALTER. Mark Coffey and Wolfgang hold the NXT UK Tag Team Championships. Kay Lee Ray is the current NXT UK Women’s Champion.
Despite #SpeakingOut allegations against him, NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin is still the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, having never been formally stripped of the belt.
WWE has not filmed content for the NXT UK brand since March. In light of recent allegations made against multiple members of the brand, some fans weren’t sure if NXT UK would be returning at all. According to social media comments by Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda, however, the plan is to return to filming content for NXT UK within the next two months.
“I’ve had several people asking NXT UK,” Cassidy wrote. “Last month, I reported on how talents were “working from home” and that there was a plan to tape content when safe to do so. A couple of weeks ago, I was told there’s a tentative plan to tape empty arena shows within roughly two months…”
The plan is for the brand to film empty arena shows but a venue has not been determined. The company does have the WWE UK PC available in Enfield, North London, however.
I’ve had several people asking NXT UK.
Last month, I reported on how talents were “working from home” and that there was a plan to tape content when safe to do so.
A couple of weeks ago, I was told there’s a tentative plan to tape empty arena shows within roughly two months…
The current United Kingdom Champion is WALTER from Imperium. Mark Coffey and Wolfgang hold the brand’s tag titles. Kay Lee Ray is the current Women’s Champion in the UK as well. NXT UK’s Jordan Devlin is still technically the holder of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship as well, having never been formally stripped of the belt.
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee released a statement on social media yesterday. Lee tells the story of having been at a bar one night and possibly having been drugged. He said that even people close to him are not aware of the story but he felt compelled to share in the hopes that it helps others.
“I’m going to share a story with you that very, VERY few know. I am watching friends and associates #SpeakOut. I am noticing how much strength it is taking for them to bring forth their stories. I shall share one of my own.”
Lee continues to tell the story about being in Dallas for a show in either 2016 or 2017. He met a young lady while doing karaoke at a bar. Lee details the woman letting him know she was interested in him but he declined her advances due to not being single at the time.
“Unfortunately… it’s right around here things become extremely fuzzy for me. No matter how much I rack my brain, all I find myself able to recall is struggling to make it to the stage…and stumbling toward a car. After that… I recall waking up naked in a hotel room (I don’t even recall if it was my own room), confused and in a panic. I was fortunate enough to have my essentials such as wallet and phone. But…who knows what all I lost.”
NXT’s Finn Balor revealed on Instagram over the weekend that his father has beat COVID-19.
Balor also noted that within the last year, his father has had triple bypass heart surgery, a replaced hip, and now has overcome a battle with the coronavirus. In the video posted to Balor’s Instagram, his father says that next up he wants to take on Brock Lesnar.
“In less than a year he had a triple heart by pass, a replaced hip and beat Covid-19. Brock Lesner is next #happyfathersday“
You can see the Instagram post embedded below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBtutjZBcQJ/
Finn Balor Selling Black Lives Matter T-Shirts
Balor also noted on Twitter recently that his clothing line, SMILE IT’S PE&K, has come out with Black Lives Matter t-shirts. All proceeds from the shirts will go to the NAACP.
The message is very simple. Black lives matter. Until there is equality for everyone, there is equality for no one.
Balor will challenge for the NXT North American Championship this week on NXT. A triple threat match between Keith Lee, Johnny Gargano and Balor was booked by GM William Regal on last week’s show. The winner of the title match will go on to face Adam Cole for the NXT Championship on July 8th. Cole’s title defence will go head-to-head with the second night of AEW’s Fyter Fest on TNT.
Tag-team wrestling was on full display during the Wednesday night war last week. Both shows featured tag matches in the main event. On Dynamite, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara took on the Best Friends. On NXT, Sasha Banks and Bayley defended their belts against Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart. This led to Chris Jericho and Sasha Banks having an interesting exchange on Twitter about TV ratings for the segments.
Banks has recently been claiming that her team with Bayley is the best of all time. She noted on Twitter that they are better than Jericho and Guevara’s team as well.
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) June 21, 2020
Banks was responding to a Tweet regarding the NXT main event beating the AEW main event in the ratings this week. Jericho then noted on Twitter, however, that AEW still won for that segment in the key demo (18-49, which advertisers consider to be the most important demographic.)
Congrats guys, proud of you! But don’t forget to add that you got SMOKED in the all important p18-49 demo (which is what advertisers care about the most) 367k to 264k! You did good…Just not good enough! ? https://t.co/3qcGIjxdck
It seemed as though both promotions chose to feature tag-team wrestling last week. On Dynamite, Kenny Omega & Hangman Page retained their titles over the Natural Nightmares. The Young Bucks defeated Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc. The Best Friends then defeated Le Sex Gods in the main event.
On NXT, Imperium retained their titles over Breezeango. Bayley and Banks defeated Blackheart and Nox in the main event as well.
NXT Superstar Shotzi Blackheart has been enjoying success within WWE’s black-and-gold brand as of late. Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Blackheart shared her experiences performing on the indies prior to WWE. She also reflected on her in-ring style and what she brings to the ring.
Shotzi Blackheart commented on her time in the indies, admitting she had a lot of time to find herself as a wrestler and performer. It remains something she is thankful for. She believes it gave her a lot of independence and helped her to become a “well-rounded businesswoman.” Shotzi Blackheart confessed her time on the indies was a lot of fun and was even silly at times. One thing it helped show her was how much heart you needed to make it in pro wrestling.
Shotzi Blackheart’s In-Ring Style
When it comes to her in-ring style, Blackheart compares herself to Evil Knievel. She purposeful wants to channel a “daredevil spirit” and bring that into the ring with her. “That’s how I see my character. I kind of have tunnel vision and I just do it. I try not to think about it. It’s more, ‘This sounds crazy! Let’s go!’”
The Undisputed Era will turn 3-years-old this summer. The faction debuted in August of 2017. During their time in NXT, they have frequently held championships including Adam Cole’s current 1-year long reign as NXT Champion. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the faction won’t be leaving the promotion anytime soon.
“WWE made sure to sign a lot of the NXT key talent to new long-term deals which included all four members of the Undisputed Era,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He would continue to say that they won’t be free agents for “multiple years from now.”
A previous report from PW Insider stated that Cole’s contract had 18-months left on it.
The 4-wrestler faction has captured all gold available to them in NXT. The combination of Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly and sometimes Roderick Strong are 3x NXT tag team champions. Both Adam Cole and Roderick Strong have won the NXT North American Championship on one occasion. Adam Cole is the current NXT Champion, having held that title since TakeOver: XXV on June 1st, 2019.
On the most recent episode of NXT, Adam Cole wrestled Dexter Lumis in the main event.
Drake Maverick was among the names which were released by WWE in April as part of the coronavirus budget cuts. However, the high flying star was able to turn his luck around and he was recently signed to a new contract by Triple H.
The Game recently took part in a media conference call where he talked about a number of things and also explained why they decided to re-hire the former 205 Live GM.
Triple H mentioned how Maverick managed to capture people’s hearts. He said that they had the option to ignore it or turn it into something and they chose the latter:
“When the release happened, he wasn’t involved in anything but it just happened the way it did, during the process of this tournament, he captured people’s hearts and their imagination and he earned that spot.
It was already out there so you either ignore it or you turn it into something.” said Triple H “We turned it into something based on him and his performances.”
Drake Maverick had been announced for the cruiserweight title tournament before his release. WWE decided to work this into a storyline and built a story where the high flying star was fighting to get his job back.
The former TNA star managed to win people’s hearts through his storytelling abilities in the tournament. Even though he couldn’t win the title, the buzz he created forced the WWE management to change their decision and Triple H re-hired the NXT star.
This week’s episode of NXT saw a big reveal in the masked man kidnapping storyline. Former Lucha Underground star El Hijo del Fantasma unmasked and revealed himself to be the leader of the mysterious group.
The episode saw the new Cruiserweight Champion come to the ring for an interview about his win over Drake Maverick last week in the finals of the title tournament.
Maverick was the next to come out and demanded a rematch against the masked star. The two mystery man who have been involved in the kidnapping storyline in NXT then came out as well.
It looked as if Drake and Fantasma will team up to take on this challenge as both stood in the ring together, that was until the current champion turned on the former 205 Live general manager and three men took down the high flying star.
El Hijo del Fantasma then went on to remove his mask and announced that he will now be known as Santos Escobar. The two masked men who stood with him were revealed as Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde of NXT.
"I am Santos Escobar. I am the #WWNXT#Cruiserweight Champion, and NO ONE can touch me."
The segment then ended with Escobar hitting a Phantom Driver on Maverick before his peers hit top rope splashes on the former TNA star at the same time.
There is no word yet on what the company is planning for Fantasma after this big reveal and it would be interesting to see if their group adds more members in the near future.
You can check out the complete NXT results at this link.
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.
One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was recently re-hired NXT Superstar Drake Maverick. The British Superstar was one of the unlucky talents who were released as part of Black Wednesday; and following his announced release by WWE he uploaded a video to Twitter that seemingly helped to save his job with the company.
Following his loss in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament final, Triple H appeared to give Drake Maverick a contract and confirm that the former Rockstar Spud was not going anywhere else in the pro wrestling world. There has been some backlash to the angle, as some have felt that it was in poor taste to play off a real world situation where a number of people lost their ‘dream’ jobs.
Shawn Michaels on Drake Maverick
“I gotta say, look I know it’s not a breakout star? But? I’m thrilled for Drake Maverick” Shawn Michaels said on The Bump. “I’m thrilled to have him, we’ve, you know, we’ve wanted to keep Drake for a long time. So I’m glad we got him.
HBK would go on to mention some more talent from the NXT roster who he sees could be ‘breakout’ stars. “Karrion Kross has made a huge impact in NXT. I think it’s obvious that there’s a lot more to come from him. I think Dexter Loomis does a great job. Fantastic. I think has been fantastic.”
The tag team of Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne collectively known as the Broserweights had become a fan favourite but their pairing came to an abrupt end due to COVID-19.
The former UFC star recently had an interview with TalkSport, where he discussed a number of things and also revealed the original plans for their tag team.
Riddle revealed that their pairing was originally not supposed to last for long but they were kept together because the fans loved them and they were working well together:
“Bro, all my eggs were in that Broserweight basket, I’ll be honest, they put us together and we formed a team and I don’t think we were supposed to last more than a couple of weeks.
But the fans loved us, we were working really well together and me and Pete get along pretty well” said Matt Riddle “we have pretty good minds for wrestling. Be it on the indies or NXT/WWE, we had it going on and we had a history.”
The Broserweights were originally put together for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in January but they ended up sticking together after winning the tournament and the duo went on to win the NXT Tag Team Championships in February.
However, Pete Dunne ended up being stuck in UK due to coronavirus related travel restrictions. WWE then made Timothy Thatcher the temporary partner for Riddle. They lost the NXT titles to Imperium in May and Matt was called to the main roster.
During the interview, the former NXT star also talked about his main roster debut on SmackDown and Matt Riddle said that the real money would have been in him attacking Kurt Angle. You can check out his comments at this link.
NXT lead announcer Mauro Ranallo recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Showtime Boxing and Bellator MMA commentator took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. Mauro Ranallo discussed a number of topics from his career at the commentary booth for WWE SmackDown and NXT.
One of the points brought up with Mauro was his passion for injecting pop culture references into his commentary style. “I tend to compartmentalise because I have the great pleasure of not only calling NXT events but also Bellator MMA and Showtime Championship Boxing” Mauro Ranallo began.
Mauro Ranallo on Pop Culture
“And so I try to compartmentalise, and yes I’m a pop culture junkie. Throughout my career I’ve always tried to enhance or add a little different flavour, especially for people that may be casual fans. Just the repetition in terms of calling thousands of matches and fights? We say the same thing over and over again; which again for some works, but for me I always try to paint a different picture.”
Mauro Ranallo would elaborate further, saying “and a lot of it is preparation, but I’ll tell you, I think some of my most memorable calls have been in the moment. There is definitely preparation, even comedians make notes. When I’m walking? When I’m watching certain programmes or listening to music? I think I want to pay tribute not only to them, but to our Superstars. Many of them are pop culture junkies like myself.”
Ranallo also took the time to apologise to Tegan Nox, who he recently referred to as Captain America mistakenly on NXT. “And yes Tegan Nox, I know you’re Captain Marvel and not Captain America like a certain Italian announcer may have mistakenly said weeks ago! And hey, I’m not even on social media anymore and I heard about it!”
WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Heartbreak Kid took part in an NXT Takeover: In Your House themed episode of the WWE Network show. HBK discussed a number of topics from his career both in and out of the ring.
One of the points that Shawn Michaels addressed was NXT Champion Adam Cole. The leader of the Undisputed Era faction has had fans and critics alike drawing comparisons between NXT’s Champion and HBK.
Shawn Michaels on Adam Cole
“I certainly see what everybody is talking about” Shawn Michaels would say; discussing how alike he and Cole are/were as performers. “He’s unbelievably talented, he’s charismatic. And so yes, I do, I see…I certainly see the comparisons.”
Shawn Michaels would then talk about how ‘flattering’ it is being compared to a talent such as Adam Cole. “I’m always flattered by that, Adam is an absolutely fabulous dude. He’s an incredible champion, he has carried the banner of NXT and the NXT Championship in a way that is going to be tough to match.”
HBK elaborated further, saying “especially from just being a pro and being there for everything and doing everything as a Champion. It’s already been impressive how long he stayed there [on top] but you gotta wonder when that shoe is gonna drop and when that luck is gonna run out.”
Adam Cole would defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream at the Takeover: In Your House event this past weekend. Cole was successful in the Backlot Brawl match, hitting a Panama Sunrise onto a huge stack of chairs to defeat Dream.
Do you see the comparisons between Shawn Michaels and Adam Cole? Let us know in the comments
Velveteen Dream was defeated by Adam Cole in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl at NXT Takeover: In Your House this past weekend.
One of the stipulations to the match was that if Dream failed to win the title, he could no longer challenge for it while Cole is the champion. His loss has led some to speculate whether Velveteen Dream could be getting called up to the main roster soon.
According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, Dream will not be debuting on either RAW or Smackdown anytime soon.
“Velveteen Dream is not coming up,” Dave Meltzer said bluntly. “I was pretty much told that’s not happening now. Someday, of course, it will happen but it’s not in the plans today.”
Velveteen Dream In WWE
Patrick Clark Jr. was signed to WWE in 2015 after participating in the 6th season of Tough Enough. In 2017, Clark would debut his Prince-inspired gimmick of the Velveteen Dream. Since then, the 25-year-old won the 2017 NXT Feud of the Year award for his angle with Aleister Black.
Dream is a former 1x NXT North American Champion as well. He defeated Johnny Gargano for the belt on the January 30th, 2019 edition of NXT. Dream held the title for 231 days before dropping it to Roderick Strong.
Keith Lee defeated Johnny Gargano last night at NXT In Your House. Following the show, Triple H was asked about the possibility of Keith Lee one day winning a World Championship during the post-event media call.
“Look, it certainly wouldn’t shock me, right? I mean Keith has every tool,” Triple H said.
Triple H continued to praise Lee on the call.
“Such a great guy. Hard-working, humble, just wants to deliver,” he described Lee. “Great human being, locker room leader, everything you could want. An ultimate pro, right? He’s just the kind of guy you want to work hard for and you want to deliver for him.”
Finally, Triple H confirmed that he too is enthusiastic about the idea of Keith Lee being a future World Champion.
“Again, I love working with him,” he continued. “You say ‘Keith Lee, world champion’ and if you ask me what my opinion is I say ‘Hell yeah!’”
Keith Lee signed with WWE in 2018. He was awarded the NXT Breakout Star of the Year award in 2019. Lee defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship on January 22nd, 2020. He is the 6th person to hold the title in its 2-year history.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House aired from Full Sail tonight on the WWE Network. Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl. Charlotte Flair put the NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in the main event.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House Results
Tegan Nox, Mia Yim & Shotzi Blackheart def. Candice LeRae, Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
Finn Balor def. Damian Priest
Keith Lee def. Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT North American Championship
Adam Cole def. Velveteen Dream to retain the NXT Championship
Karrion Kross def. Tommaso Ciampa
Io Shirai def. Rhea Ripley & Charlotte Flair to win the NXT Women’s Championship
Here are 6 takeaways from TakeOver: In Your House:
Tegan Nox Pinned Dakota Kai
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart battled Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez in the fist match of the night.
Match Recap: Tegan Nox beat Dakota Kai down to start off the match and then tagged in Shotzi. Kai battled back and tagged in Candice. LeRae went for a Senton but Blackheart got out of the way and connected with a kick to the face. The action spilled out of the ring and Yim hit a Suicide Dive. LeRae hit a Crossbody and then Tegan Nox flipped onto everyone.
Back in the ring, Gonzalez hit Shotzi with a cheap shot as Dakota Kai tagged in. Dakota bounced Shotzi’s face off the turnbuckle and beat her down in the corner of the ring. Mia Yim and Candice tagged in and Yim planted LeRae with a Neckbreaker. Yim connected with a Dragon Suplex and went for the cover but LeRae kicked out at two.
Gonzalez and Tegan then tagged in and traded shots in the middle of the ring. Gonzalez hit a massive Powerbomb and went for the cover but Mia broke it up at the last moment. Yim and LeRae then battled up the entrance ramp and backstage. Dakota Kai accidentally booted Gonzalez in the face and then Nox hit Kai with the Shiniest Wizard for the pinfall victory.
Finn Balor Defeated Damian Priest In A Great Match
Finn Balor faced Damian Priest tonight at In Your House.
Match Recap: Balor started off the match in control and hit him with a Dropkick in the corner. Priest went for a Splash but Finn got out of the way and booted Damian out of the ring.
Finn followed Damian out there and Damian sent him flying into the steel steps. Damian slammed Balor on the ring apron with a massive Side Slam from off the steel steps. Priest brought Balor back into the ring applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Priest connected with the Broken Arrow but Finn quickly hit a Double Stomp and both superstars fell to the canvas. Balor hit the Pele Kick and went for the cover for a near fall. Finn Clothelined Damian out of the ring but Priest hopped right back onto the apron and booted Finn in the face. Damian Priest hit a Razor’s Edge on the ring apron and went for the cover back in the ring but Balor was able to kick out at the last moment.
Balor connected with a Slingblade but Priest quickly caught fin with two roundhouse kicks. Finn hit another Slingblade and followed it up with a Dropkick in the corner of the ring. Balor made his way to the top rope but Priest caught him. Priest planted Balor with a massive Chokeslam for a near fall.
Damian went for a Razor’s Edge off the apron but Finn broke free. Balor hit a forearm to the face and Priest fell onto the steel steps outside the ring. Balor hit Priest with a Coup de Grace on Priest as he got back into the ring. Finn went right back to the top rope and hit another Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: The bump on the steel steps looked unbelievably painful for Priest. Balor picked up the win but I’m sure Priest impressed a lot of people and earned new fans tonight.
Keith Lee Retained The NXT North American Championship
Keith Lee defended his NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano tonight at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Match Recap: Gargano knocked Johnny out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive but Lee caught him. Johnny escaped and went for a Cannonball off the apron but once again Keith caught him. Gargano escaped again by raking Lee’s injured eye but Keith caught Johnny with a punch to the face.
Johnny tried to exit through the door on the set but it was locked. Keith Lee bounced Johnny’s face off the door and threw him back down the entrance ramp. Gargano continued to attack Lee’s injured eye and beat him down in the corner of the ring.
Gargano kept Lee grounded for the next several minutes as “Johnny sucks!” chants broke out. Keith connected with a massive Clothesline for a two count. Lee went for a Powerbomb but Gargano countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Keith Lee lifted Gargano up into a Fireman’s Carry but Johnny once again countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Johnny planted Lee with a DDT outside the ring. Gargano got into the ring and broke up the referee’s count so the match could continue. Keith Lee hit Gargano with a Pounce that sent Johnny flying through the plexiglass.
Candice LeRae tried to distract Keith Lee but Mia Yim attacked her. Gargano grabbed the key from his trunks and dug it into Keith Lee’s eye. Gargano hit One Final Beat and went for the cover but Lee kicked out at two. Gargano hit Lee with several kicks to the face but Lee kept kicking out at two.
Lee grabbed Gargano by the throat and lifted him up to his shoulders. Keith planted Johnny with the Spirit Bomb and followed it up with the Big Bang Catastrophe to retain the NXT North American Championship.
Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl tonight at TakeOver: In Your House. If Velveteen Dream did not defeat Cole tonight, he wouldn’t get another shot at the title as long as Cole was champ.
Match Recap: Dream cosplayed Negan from The Walking Dead and Cole arrived in a monster truck. Velveteen got in the ring with a baseball bat and Cole demanded that he put it down.
Velveteen rolled up Cole a few times in a row but Adam kicked out at two each time. Cole leveled Dream with a boot to the face and said he was leaving with the title. Cole hopped in a car but Dream climbed on top of it and started swinging the bat.
Cole got out of the car and the two superstars started trading shots. An Uber driver showed up and Dream bounced Cole’s face off the car. Dream launched Cole into a trash can and then tried to throw it at him but the champ got out of the way. Cole ran away and Dream followed him. Dream opened an unlocked door and Cole sprayed him in the face with a fire extinguisher.
Dream battled back and sent Cole flying into the ring post. Velveteen leaped off the top rope but Cole was ready and caught him with a Superkick. Dream returned the favor and hit a Superkick of his own after Cole leaped off the apron.
Velveteen beat Cole down on top of a car and then set up a ladder next to him. Dream climbed to the top rung but Undisputed Era showed up for a distraction. Dream shoved Cole off the ladder and onto the windshield of the car. Undisputed Era attacked Dream and beat him down.
Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish threw tons of steel chairs into the ring that were stored in the monster truck. Dexter Lumis slid out from under the ring and attacked Fish and Strong with a steel chair. Dexter put Fish and Strong in his trunk and drove away.
Adam Cole crawled towards the ring and climbed to the top rope. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise but Velveteen countered into the Dream Valley Driver for a near fall. Cole hit Dream with a low blow and then the Panama Sunrise on top of the steel chairs for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I was looking forward to this match and was surprised when it wasn’t the main event. After watching it, I now understand why it wasn’t. There were fun moments here and there but the setting didn’t work for me. I thought the ring surrounded by cars was cool looking but Dream and Cole stumbling through the backlot for several minutes was boring. It was overproduced as well with a ton of camera cuts that felt unnecessary. The match wasn’t bad by any means but I was just underwhelmed by it.
Karrion Kross faced Tommaso Ciamps tonight at In Your House. Scarlett was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Tommaso got in a little offense early but Kross quickly took control of the match and brutally slammed Ciampa onto the ring apron. Kross then planted Ciampa with multiple Suplexes in the ring.
Kross put his hands behind his back and dared Ciampa to hit him. Tommaso swung but Karrion avoided it and connected with a Northern Lights Suplex. Kross leveled Ciampa with a Clothesline but Tommaso battled back with an Enziguri.
Ciampa delivered a knee to the face that sent Karrion to the ring apron. Tommaso hit a DDT and went for the cover but Kross kicked out at two. Ciampa went for Fairy Tale Ending but Karrion countered with a slam. Karrion then locked in the Kross Jacket and Ciampa passed out.
Match Recap: Charlotte rolled out of the ring and Rhea & Io locked up. Flair hopped in the ring and attacked Ripley from behind. Ripley and Shirai then teamed up and beat Flair down in the corner of the ring.
Ripley knocked Flair out of the ring and went for a Cannonball but Charlotte got out of the way. Flair launched Ripley into the barricade but turned around into a Frankensteiner off the apron from Io. Flair shrugged it off and launched Io onto Ripley against the barricade.
Back in the ring, Charlotte locked in a Boston Crab on Io in the middle of the ring. Ripley broke it up and hit Flair with a Dropkick. Shirai dropped Rhea with a kick to the face and hit Charlotte with a 619. Shirai followed it up with a Double Stomp and a Dropkick to Flair for a near fall.
Ripley and Shirai connected with a punch at the same time and collapsed to the canvas. Flair connected with a Spear on both superstars and went for the cover but they both kicked out. Flair went for a Moonsault but Io got her knees up. Rhea went for the Riptide but Shirai countered.
Io applied a Crossface to Charlotte in the middle of the ring but Rhea broke it up with a boot to the face. Flair leveled Rhea with a big boot for a two count. Flair went for Natural Selection but Ripley blocked it. Shirai hit a springboard Dropkick that sent Ripley to the canvas.
Flair hit Shirai with Natural Selection and went for the cover but Io kicked out at two. Charlotte locked in the Figure Four but Ripley dragged Charlotte out of the ring. Io hit Ripley with an awesome Crossbody through the ropes. Charlotte sent Io flying through the windows on the In Your House set.
Charlotte took Ripley down and unloaded several punches. Shirai climbed to the top of the set and hit them both with a massive Crossbody as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. The action returned to the ring and Charlotte went for a Spear but wound up crashing into the turnbuckle.
Ripley hit Io with several chops and perched her up on the top turnbuckle. Ripley went for a Superplex but Io blocked with a couple punches to the ribs. Io went for a Frankensteiner but Ripley stopped it and Charlotte hit Shirai with a boot to the face.
Charlotte hit Ripley with several chops and joined her on the top rope. Rhea hit the Riptide but Shirai broke up the cover. Flair brought a kendo stick and hit Ripley in the back with it. Flair hit Io as well and then continued to beat the hell out of Ripley.
Flair connected with a Spear on Ripley and locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Charlotte bridged into the Figure Eight as Io climbed to the top rope. Shirai connected with a Moonsault onto Ripley for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Io Shirai capturing the title was awesome to see . I thought this match was very entertaining and once again NXT put on a great TakeOver event. Backlash has a tough act to follow next week.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Velveteen Dream and the upcoming NXT Takeover: In Your House event that will be taking place this weekend.
The show will be airing live on WWE Network Sunday night, and the main event will see NXT Champion Adam Cole defending his title against Velveteen Dream in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Velveteen Dream cannot defeat Cole, then he will be unable to challenge again for the NXT Championship.
Velveteen Dream vs Adam Cole
That stipulation will stay in place as long as Cole is Champion. With the stipulation confirmed, there have been rumblings of Velveteen Dream finally making his rise to WWE’s ‘main roster’ and joining SmackDown or RAW. Although WWE has previously said that NXT is on par with both of the traditional main brands, it’s clear that WWE still classes SmackDown and RAW as the two main programmes for the company.
“I want to see Velveteen Dream stepping up” Mark Henry began on Busted Open. “He’s always entertaining and flamboyant and kinda like a loose cannon, if you will, sometimes.”
Henry would elaborate further, saying “I want to see him elevate his work. I want to see him be the Velveteen that we’ve seen, BUT I also want to see something else. I want to see everything, I want to see more from Velveteen Dream.”
Here’s the full card for NXT Takeover: In Your House
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT North American Championship Match
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – NXT Women’s Championship Match
Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream – Last Chance Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship
Do you think that Velveteen Dream will win the Championship this weekend? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed NXT Champion Adam Cole and his prospects on WWE’s ‘main roster.’ There have been reports that WWE management are concerned at the size of Adam Cole, who some deem as ‘too small’ to be taken seriously as a main eventer on WWE’s biggest stage.
“There’s the misconception that Adam Cole is not big enough to be on RAW or SmackDown” Mark Henry would begin. “When I say big enough? I mean his stature? It is great, incredibly big enough. But size wise?”
Adam Cole (Baybay)
Henry would elaborate further, saying how he does not agree at all with the assessment of the NXT Champion. “I think that’s unbelievably unfair. Because you think about the match he had with Daniel Bryan; and him beating Daniel Bryan, I might add to that [November 2019]. The dude was stellar, and you would get more of that if he was to go to RAW or SmackDown.”
The World’s Strongest Man would then talk about the perceived size issue in WWE generally. “I think that the biases about size needs to go away” Henry confirmed. “The dude is unbelievably good. And I want to see him versus Drew McIntyre, I want to see him versus Brock Lesnar, I want to see him versus Randy Orton, Edge, Baron Corbin you name it, he can get the job done.”
Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream this weekend at NXT Takeover: In Your House in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Dream loses then he will be unable to challenge for the belt again, as long as Cole is Champion.
Do you think that Adam Cole could be a big star on WWE’s ‘main roster’ of RAW and SmackDown? Let us know in the comments
Chelsea Green is no longer part of the Robert Stone brand. Green teamed with Charlotte Flair against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in victorious fashion last night. After the match, Green fired Robert Stone in a clip shot exclusively for social media.
“Every since signing with the Robert Stone brand, it’s worked, we’ve worked. After tonight, Chelsea Green is the hottest she’s ever been. That’s why, you’re fired,” Green said to Stone.
At first, Stone seemed to feel Green was joking but it dawned on him at the end of the video that she was being quite serious.
Actually I’m kidding. I don’t wanna fire you. Were you kidding??? Let’s talk. Did you block my number ????
Video of Chelsea Green firing Stone can be viewed below:
A recent segment on NXT also involved Aliyah attempting to convince Robert Stone she would be a good fit with his brand.
Chelsea Green Gone From The Robert Stone Brand
Green debuted in NXT on the January 29th episode. She surprisingly dropped the match to Kayden Carter but would avenge the loss on the February 19th edition of NXT.
Green then qualified for a #1 Contenders ladder match by defeating Shotzi Blackheart on the March 4th show. On April 29th, Green defeated Xia Li to bring her single’s record on the brand to 3-1. Her victory alongside Charlotte Flair last night was her 4th victory in NXT thus far.
Matt Riddle’s main roster debut is imminent and latest reports have now shed some light on which brand the former UFC star will be joining.
Wrestling Observer first reported the news that WWE is looking to call up the NXT star soon and his main roster debut is “scheduled to be imminent.”
Now PWinsider has provided some update on the former MMA star. Matt Riddle is soon headed to the SmackDown brand. WWE has planned this call up since before WrestleMania, but the call-up was delayed coming out of the big event. The talks of finally bringing him to the main roster heated up once again several weeks ago.
Matt Riddle was released from UFC in 2013 after testing positive for marijuana and he started his professional wrestling career in 2014. He was signed by WWE in August 2018 and he made his NXT debut in October that year.
The former MMA fighter has been featured regularly on NXT programming since then and he has made a lot of headlines with his controversial remarks about part-time talents like Brock Lesnar and Goldberg.
There is no word yet on when exactly will Riddle make his main roster debut but it’s believed that his upcoming Cage Fight with Timothy Thatcher on this week’s NXT could be his last match for the Black and Yellow brand.
NXT Champion Adam Cole recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Undisputed Era ‘leader’ appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a plethora of topics across WWE programming.
One of the topics discussed was who the reigning NXT Champion wanted to face next now that Velveteen Dream is seemingly in his “rear view mirror.” Cole defeated Dream on a recent episode of NXT to retain his Championship and lengthen his historic and record breaking reign.
“There is someone I’ve been thinking about recently, because I surpassed his record of being the longest reigning NXT champion” Adam Cole began.
The man Cole was describing was Finn Balor. The ‘Prinxe’ was previously NXT Champion for 292 days, Adam Cole has surpassed that with a reign in excess of 340 days and counting.
“A lot of people keep bringing up Finn Balor as someone that they would love to see challenge once again for the NXT Championship” Adam Cole continued. “And the beautiful thing is? I’ve defended my Championship against Finn Balor, and guess what? Adam Cole BAY BAY beat him.”
Cole would then officially put the challenge out to Balor for the Championshp match. “So if he wants to do another match? Whether it’s NXT television, whether it’s an NXT TakeOver? I’d be happy to wrestle Finn Balor and put to rest finally, that again? Not only did I surpass his record as the longest reigning champ, I’m a better champion than he is. Anything can happen in the WWE.”
Do you want to see another program between Adam Cole and Finn Balor? Let us know in the comments
Karrion Kross and Scarlett made their debuts on NXT TV last week in dominant fashion. Kross soundly defeated EVOLVE wrestler Leon Ruff.
Although Kross did not have a match on this week’s episode, the pair did feature a new vignette for the WWE Universe. The unsettling promo contained a warning to the rest of the NXT locker room. He acknowledged how fans were curious behind their motives in attacking former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.
Kross addressed how the world constantly seeks answers to questions and wants to uncover the motives behind why “terrible people do terrible things.”
Karrion Kross and Scarlett promised that they aren’t in NXT to “shock a system” or save them from their “corrupted black hearts.” Instead, they are there to be the WWE Universe’s “entertainment” and stressed it was time to wake up from the dream.
ccording to Kross, Ciampa was the first but guaranteed he wouldn’t be the last as Kross and Scarlett look to cement themselves in NXT.
The video was accompanied by “The End is Near.” The song was previously used on several WWE Armageddon pay-per-views in the past, as well as a Survivor Series event.
