Jim Cornette is a fairly outspoken personality in the wrestling world, his views on the ‘modern’ style of pro wrestling ala The Young Bucks have been in the news once again and as always are fairly disparaging.
In a slight change to usual proceedings Cornette has some praise for a match from this week’s NXT show. The main event for the WWE UK Championship between Tyler Bate & Pete Dunne has been garnering plaudits from fans online and now Cornette has described the two young superstars as “WAAY beyond their experience level” and that they “mix modern style/WOS style well, at their ages they will be stars for years to come.”
Did you enjoy the WWE UK Title match from this week’s NXT? How far do you think Bate & Dunne can go in the WWE? Let us know in the comments.
Both guys are WAAY beyond their experience level & mix modern style/WOS style well, at their ages they will be stars for years to come. https://t.co/fTVNIr5V2H
NXT Tag Team Championship: SAnitY (c) vs Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
Eric Young and Killian Dain of SAnitY defended their NXT Tag Team Championships against Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish of The Undisputed Era. It was announced that Alexander Wolfe had still not been medically cleared from injuries that happened during the match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
Bobby Fish and Killian Dain started off the match. Fish connected with a kick and then retreated back to the corner and tagged in O’Reilly. O’Reilly didn’t want to challenge Dain and kept his distance while connecting with a couple of punches. Fish was tagged back in and he hit a series of forearms but they had no effect on the massive Killian Dain.
Fish locked in a Sleeper Hold and shouted “I got him!” but wound up getting launched across the ring. Eric Young got in the match and was completely in control until O’Reilly swept his legs out from under him. Young crashed to the ring apron as NXT went to a commercial break.
When NXT returned, Fish and O’Reilly were in control and had Young trapped in their corner. Fish and O’Reilly controlled the next few minutes of the match. Fish blasted Dain on the ring apron and Killian tried to get into the ring and retaliate but the official prevented him. Young finally escaped and was able to tag in Dain. Killian went crazy and dominated both O’Reilly and Fish for a bit.
Young was tagged back in and he made his way to the top rope. Adam Cole knocked him down and then Nikki Cross hit Cole with a Crossbody. Dain attacked Cole outside the ring but Cole got the upper-hand and sent him into the ring post. Back in the ring, Fish and O’Reilly hit their finisher on Eric Young to capture the NXT Tag Team Championships.
Winners & New NXT Tag Team Champions: Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly
Lars Sullivan vs Roderick Strong (Fatal 4-Way Qualifier)
The much smaller Roderick Strong started off the match by throwing everything he had at the gigantic Lars Sullivan. Lars shrugged it off and decked Strong with a Clothesline. Strong continued to hang in there and hit a few shots to Sullivan’s midsection. Lars caught Strong and locked him in a Bear Hug. Strong escaped and Sullivan tried to boot him in the face but instead got hung up on the top rope for his troubles.
Sullivan quickly took control back of the match and made his way to the top turnbuckle. Strong joined him up there and planted him with a ridiculous Superplex. Strong thought he had the match won and went for the cover but Sullivan kicked out at tone. Sullivan then quickly connected with the Freak Accident for the pinfall victory. Sullivan now joins Johnny Gargano, Killian Dain and Aleister Black in the Fatal 4-Way match to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Championship.
United Kingdom Championship: Pete Dunne (c) vs Tyler Bate
Pete Dunne defended his United Kingdom Championship against Tyler Bate. Dunne targeted Bate’s hands early but Tyler was able to wrestle him to he mat. Dunne stomped on Bate’s hand and Tyler responds with a Dropkick. Dunne and Bate then went back and forth for the next few minutes until both Superstars got out of the ring.
Dunne connected with a big forearm outside the ring. Bate battled back and slammed Dunne’s hand into the steel steps and stomped on it. Dunne shook off the pain and planted Bate with a Suplex off the steel steps. The action returned to the ring and Dunne applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring. Bate slowly made his way to the bottom rope to break the hold.
Dunne stomped on Bate’s hand again a couple of times and then hit a series of kicks. Bate shook it off and planted Dunne with a Suplex. Bate followed it up with an uppercut, a Shooting Star Press and then another Suplex.
Bate went for the Tyler Driver 97 but Dunne countered into a Triangle submission. Bate powered out and lifted Dunne onto his shoulders in a Fireman’s Carry and proceeded to spin around until he couldn’t maintain his balance anymore. Both Superstars fell to the canvas and Bate went for the cover but Dunne kicked out at two.
Dunne is busted open a bit now and Bate remained in control with another powerful Suplex for a two count. Dunne and Bate trade kicks until Dunne connected with the Bitter End out of nowhere. Dunne went for the cover but Bate kicked out just before the referee’s hand hit the mat for the third time. Pete Dunne was completely shocked and could not believe that Bate was able to kick out.
Bate and Dunne then proceeded to trade shots and beat the hell out of each other. Bate tried to leap off the top rope onto Dunne but Dunne was ready and hit a big right hand. Dunne then connected with an X Plex for a two count. Bate responded with a Tyler Driver 97 and went for the cover but Dunne was able to kick out. Dunne then was able to hit the second Bitter End of the match and this time Tyler Bate didn’t kick out.
Winner & Still United Kingdom Champion: Pete Dunne
Several top independent talents are believed to be on their way to NXT next month. According to a report from PWInsider, the word around the Performance Center is that a top cruiserweight and a top tag-team are expected in NXT for January and possibly another top female talent as well.
Hanson & Ray Rowe of War Machine and Ricochet are the wrestlers expected to debut in WWE soon. The top female talent name was not mentioned in the report, but Tessa Blanchard is a possibility. Blanchard was in the Mae Young Classic and is dating Ricochet. She does have independent dates booked for 2018, however, indicating she’s not headed to WWE soon.
Candice LeRae is another name which has been rumored, though she does have independent dates booked for 2018 as well.
War Machine and Ricochet
War Machine and Ricochet have been on WWE’s radar for some time. In the case of Ricochet, his Lucha Underground contract was preventing him from signing with the company. Now that season three has fully aired and his no-compete clause is up, the popular high-flyer is free to sign with WWE.
War Machine recently finished up with Ring of Honor at the last set of TV tapings.
A number of WWE and NXT contracted stars have been making appearances for independent promotions across the United States and UK over the past year, most notably Kassius Ohno and Noam Dar for ICW. Apollo Crews will also be making his way to PCW in February of next year.
Now another NXT star has been confirmed for an independent event…Oney Lorcan will be making his way to Beyond Wrestling’s ‘Heavy Lies The Crown’ event on New Year’s Eve at The White Eagle in Worcester, MA.
Lorcan will be performing in front of the live crowd however he will not be making an appearance for the On Demand feed.
This past week on USA Network was billed as WWE Week and NXT was broadcast on the network for the very first time. The show was headlined by Aleister Black taking on Adam Cole and also featured appearances from the NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas, The Authors of Pain and NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon.
The number for the show was in the region of 841,000. This equates to being the 22nd highest rated cable show of the night and the highest rated programme on all of USA Network on Wednesday night.
As a comparison, the more established Total Divas show on the E! Network drew 517,000 viewers on Wednesday night, gaining the 43rd highest cable spot.
Andrade connected with a Dropkick right when the match started. Fabian battled back and hit a Backbreaker. Aichner remained on the attack and planted Almas with a Tornado DDT. Aichner followed it with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Almas kicked out at two. Almas got frustrated and slung Aichner into the steel steps outside the ring. The action returned to the ring and Almas quickly hit the Hammerlock DDT for the pinfall victory.
Winner: Andrade “Cien” Almas
A vignette was shown for Aleister Black. He will face Adam Cole later during the show.
A vignette of Ember Moon’s journey to capture the NXT Women’s Championship was shown.
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Authors of Pain
Danny Burch and Akam started off the match and Akam quickly took control. Lorcan was tagged in and he knocked both Akam and Rezar to the canvas. Burch joined Lorcan in beating down Akam and Rezar. AOP then turned the tables on Lorcan and Burch and planted them both with Death Valley Drivers. Akam and Rezar followed it up with the Super Collider and then hit the Last Chapter for the easy pinfall victory.
Shayna Baszler was revealed to be the Superstar hyped up last week with the spades vignette.
Adam Cole vs Aleister Black (Fatal 4-Way Qualifier)
Adam Cole controlled the match early as he took Black down to the canvas. Cole taunted Black and that pissed him off. Aleister launched Cole across the ring and connected with a flurry of kicks that knocked Cole out of the ring. NXT went to a commercial break with Aleister Black sitting in the middle of the ring as Cole was on the outside.
When NXT returned, Cole was back in control of the match and had a Chin Lock applied in the middle of the ring. The crowd cheered on Black as he fought through the pain and slowly made his way towards the bottom rope. Cole then stomped on Black several times while talking trash at the same time.
Cole backed off his attack and allowed Black to get back up to his feet. Black used the opening to hit Cole with some ridiculous kicks and then Aleister followed it up with a springboard Hurricanrana. Aleister went for the Black Mass but Cole was able to dodge it. Black connected with a kick for a two count. Cole planted Black with a Backstabber for a two count.
Both Superstars traded punches in the middle of the ring. Cole got the upper-hand and connected with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Cole attempted to knee Black in the face but Aleister blocked it. Cole then went for a Superkick but Black once again blocked it. Cole once again started barking at Aleister and wound up getting caught with Black Mass for the pinfall victory.
This match was shown on the WWE Network broadcast. Ember won the match but was attacked by Billie Kay after her victory. Peyton Royce joined in on the fun and started beating down Ember Moon as well. Nikki Cross came down to the ring to save Ember Moon.
As seen above, the word “soon” is shown with two spades replacing the O’s in “soon.” For what it’s worth, Mae Young Classic competitor Shayna Baszler was known as “The Queen of Spades” during her time wrestling on the independent scene.
Baszler is under contract with WWE and began training full-time at the Performance Center in Orlando back in late September. During an interview with WWE.com, Baszler said, “I’m looking forward to getting out there and twisting limbs off and breaking bodies. I can’t wait.”
A member of the ‘MMA Four Horsewomen’ and former training partner of Ronda Rousey, Baszler described WWE as the next step in her progression as a combat athlete.
“It’s very serious to me and, in some ways, a lot more important [than MMA] based on where I come from,” Baszler said. “Waving the banner of my coaches is a heavy flag to wield, so it’s something I take very serious.”
“Because of that, I wanted to start at the beginning and show that I’m willing to start at the bottom and prove myself and work my way up, so there’s no excuse when I get here and I’m breaking these girls in half. I didn’t get any ‘gimmes.’”
NXT GM William Regal announced that the #1 contender for the NXT Championship will be determined by an 8 man tournament and two matches will be happening tonight. There will be four matches and the four winners will qualify for a Fatal 4-Way to determine the #1 contender. Killian Dain will face Trent Seven. Regal added that Kassius Ohno was supposed to face Velveteen Dream tonight in the tournament, but Dream cannot compete due to injury. Regal stated that he has found a suitable replacement for the match later tonight.
NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega came down to the ring for a championship celebration. Zelina Vega instructed the crowd to rise for their champion. Almas grabbed the microphone and shouted “I told you” and then shouted “I am the new NXT Champion” to the crowd on every side of the ring. Almas then jokingly apologized for hurting Drew McIntyre and posed with the title.
Lars Sullivan vowed to destroy Roderick Strong in their match in two weeks and advance in the tournament to determine the #1 contender for the NXT Championship.
Killian Dain vs Trent Seven (Fatal 4-Way Qualifier Match)
Dain connected with a massive Dropkick to start off the match that knocked him to the mat. Dain followed it up with a Body Slam for a one count. Seven battled back and planted Dain with a DDT. Dain hit Seven with the Divide (Crossbody) for a two count. Trent connected with the Seven Star Lariat for a two count. Dain slammed Seven to the mat and hit followed it up with a Senton and a Vader Bomb for the pinfall victory.
Trent Seven is now eliminated from the tournament and Killian Dain has advanced to the Fatal 4-Way match to determine the new #1 contender for the NXT Championship.
Ruby Riott vs Sonya Deville (No Holds Barred Match)
Deville started off the match in control and planted Riott with a Gutwrench Suplex. Riott battled back and beatdown Deville in the corner. Sonya knocked Riott to the canvas and applied an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Riott eventually broke the hold but clutched her leg in pain as NXT went to a commercial.
When NXT returned, Deville poked Riott in the eyes and then booted Ruby in the midsection for a two count. Deville remained on the attack and connected with a sliding knee to Riott’s back for a two count. Deville then hit a Clothesline for another two count.
The crowd chanted “Ruby!” as Deville locked in a Triangle submission hold in the middle of the ring. Ruby broke free and planted Deville with an STO. Riott elbowed Deville in the face and then connected with a springboard DDT for a two count. Deville rolled out of the ring and Riott hit her with a Suicide Dive. Riott brought Sonya back into the ring but Deville booted her in the face on the ring apron. Deville locked in a Triangle choke while Riott was hung up on the bottom rope. Riott couldn’t escape and passed out.
Ember Moon was interviewed and Moon said that she wanted to be the best NXT Women’s Champion of all-time. Billie Kay and Peyton Royce interrupted and said that Ember didn’t pin her at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Kay and Royce then started arguing about who will face Ember Moon next week. Royce won the argument after saying she had unfinished business with Moon. Kay asked Royce not to beat up Moon too badly because she wants to finish her off.
A vignette was shown for a new Superstar coming to NXT in the near future.
Kassius Ohno vs Johnny Gargano (Fatal 4-Way Qualifier Match)
Dueling “Johnny Wrestling!” and “Kassius Ohno” were chanted throughout the crowd as the two Superstars stared at each other. Ohno extended his hand and the two shook hands before the match started. Ohno launched Gargano across the ring to start off the match. Gargano quickly got back up and hit Ohno with a Dropkick.
Gargano went for a slingshot Spear but Ohno caught him and connected with a forearm that knocked Johnny out of the ring as NXT went to a commercial break. When NXT returned, Ohno was still in control of the match. Gargano fought back for a brief moment but Kassius booted him right in the face for a two count.
Johnny escaped a Suplex attempt by Ohno and then hit a Hurricanrana off the second rope. Gargano followed it up with an Enziguri that knocked Ohno out of the ring. Kassius got back into the ring and Gargano connected with the slingshot Spear for a two count. Gargano missed with a kick and Ohno connected with a Senton. Gargano rolled to the ring apron and Ohno shouted “you’re done” at Gargano. Ohno then hit a massive kick that knocked Gargano out of the ring.
Ohno tried to flip onto Johnny outside the ring but Gargano avoided it and Kassius landed on his feet. Gargano then connected with a Tornado DDT onto the entrance ramp. The action returned to the ring and Ohno hit the Cyclone Kick but Gargano kicked out at two. Ohno lifted Gargano up onto his shoulders but Johnny escaped with a roll-up for a two count.
Ohno connected with another massive kick and followed it up with a ridiculous forearm but Gargano somehow was still able to kick out. Gargano connected with a Superkick and then hit a flying Headscissors into the Gargano Escape for the pinfall victory in a terrific match. Gargano advances to the Fatal 4-Way and Kassius Ohno is eliminated.
The USA Network has released its programming guide through mid-December and a WWE NXT special is scheduled for Wednesday, December 13th at 7pm (Eastern).
While it is unknown what WWE is planning to air in this block, the belief is that it will be part of the annual “WWE Week” that airs on the network each December.
WWE Week on the USA Network begins with RAW on Monday, December 11th and continues with SmackDown Live on Tuesday, December 12th and the annual Tribute To The Troops special on Thursday, December 14th.
Lio Rush removed WWE/NXT references from his Twitter profile
Rush did not work Wednesday’s NXT TV tapings, which run through late December
Remains under contract, per PWInsider
NXT star Lio Rush received a wave of negative attention on Twitter in late October after a tweet about Emma’s WWE release backfired spectacularly. In response to the news of Emma’s release (following two competitive matches with Asuka), Rush tweeted, “I guess these are the things that happen when you’re not TRULY ready for @WWEAsuka ??”
Rush was slammed on social media by many of his peers and later followed up with a half-hearted apology. He has not been seen on NXT TV since and his status with the company remains in question. On Wednesday night, he made several changes to his Twitter account that have some fans wondering if he’ll be returning at all.
In addition to removing all references to WWE and NXT from his Twitter bio, Lio Rush also changed his hometown from Orlando (where the WWE Performance Center is located) to Baltimore. He has since tweeted:
Despite this social media activity, Lio Rush remains under contract with WWE, according to PWInsider. It will be interesting to see how this young man’s career progresses after these recent issues.
Prior to joining WWE, the 23-year-old high flyer has wrestled for promotions such as Ring Of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling. Lio Rush was signed to NXT back in July and was engaged in a brief feud with his former tag team partner, Velveteen Dream.
– During the latest edition of The Ross Report Podcast, Jim Ross interviewed his former commentary partner Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler. When asked who was the most difficult celebrity to deal with at WrestleMania, Lawler took the name of Aretha Franklin:
“Aretha Franklin is still alive. Remember what a pain in the butt she was at WrestleMania that year? Oh my gosh! Way passed her glory days, but still the biggest diva that we’d ever seen. Very high maintenance, Aretha Franklin.”
– As noted before yesterday was the first night of the final NXT Tapings of this year. After the tapings, Triple H sent out the following tweet, commenting on the final NXT Tapings of 2017:
Thanks to Will Henderson (@willh94) for texting us the following WWE NXT TV spoilers from tonight’s tapings at Full Sail University:
There will be 4 qualifying matches to advance to a Fatal 4 Way to determine the new #1 contender to NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas tonight. Other matches announced before the tapings are Ruby Riot vs. Sonya Deville in a No DQ match, Tyler Bate vs. WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne plus Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly vs. NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY.
December 6th Episode:
* It’s announced that Drew McIntyre cannot compete for the title at “Takeover: Philly” and that there will be 4 qualifying matches leading to a Fatal 4 Way to determine a new #1 contender. New NXT Champion Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega are out. Zelina demands we rise for our new champion. Everyone, including the announcer, stands. Andrade says he told us all he would be champion. Andrade makes fun of Drew being hurt and says he is gone for a long time. Andrade cuts a promo in Spanish to his next contender
* Killian Dain defeated Trent Seven to advance to the Fatal 4 Way #1 Contenders match. Trent tries to attack at the start, but Dain overpowers him. Dain hits the running crossbody for 2. Trent hits the rainmaker clothesline for 2. Killian hits the running senton and the middle rope splash for the win
* Sonya Deville defeated Ruby Riott in a No Holds Barred match. Sonya locks the ankle lock in on Ruby early, but Ruby gets to the ropes and necks Sonya on them to break the hold. Stiff strikes from Sonya. Back and forth strikes. Ruby hits a suicide dive on Sonya. Sonya catches Ruby in a gogoplata-like hold as she comes back into the ring and Ruby passes out in the hold, forcing the referee to call for the bell
* Johnny Gargano defeated Kassius Ohno to advance to the Fatal 4 Way. Incredible match. Huge dueling Johnny Wrestling/Kassius Ohno chants before they lockup and throughout the match. They shake hands in response. Nice chain wrestling to start. Gargano goes for the middle rope spear, but Ohno catches him, ties him up in the ropes and hits a brutal elbow to knock Johnny outside. Ohno is playing the aggressive big man. Ohno with more brutal shots at ringside. Gargano tries to fight out of the corner, but Ohno nails a boot to the face for the near fall. Gargano fights back after getting his knees up on the running senton and gets the middle rope spear for a 2 count. Gargano hits a suicide dive into a tornado DDT on the ramp. Ohno hits the cyclone kick but Gargano kicks out. Ohno hits a boot on the ropes and an elbow to the back of the head, but Gargano kicks out again. Gargano blocks the rolling elbow with a series of superkicks, then turns a tilt-a-whirl into the GargaNo Escape for the win. “That was awesome” chant after the match, and the two show respect
December 13th Episode:
* Lars Sullivan defeated Roderick Strong to advance to the Fatal 4 Way. Roddy runs at Lars to start but to no avail. Lars dominates. Roddy turns the tide and tangles Lars up in the ropes and hits a series of elbows to knock him out of the ring. Roddy hits a superplex off the top but Lars kicks out at 1. Lars hits a big clothesline. Roddy hits the Angle Slam for a nearfall. Lars hits a pop-up power slam and the Freak Accident for the win
* NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon defeated Peyton Royce (w/Billie Kay) in a non-title match. Ember gets the upperhand to start, and hits a dive off the top rope to the outside onto the Iconic Duo. Billie grabs her ankle getting back in the ring and Peyton applies a submission in the ropes. Ember takes control back. Nice series of reversals. Peyton gets a nearfall. Ember ducks a spin kick and gets Peyton into a powerbomb position, but Peyton holds the ropes. Ember kicks Peyton’s leg out from under her and hits the Eclipse for the win. After the match Billie hits the ring and boots Ember in the face. The Iconic Duo hit their double team knee move, when Nikki Cross runs in out of the crowd for the save. Nikki spies the Women’s Title laying in the ring and teases attacking Ember, but instead runs the ropes crazily before running back out into the crowd
* NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas defeated Fabian Aichner in a non-title match. Andrade nails a dropkick at the bell, but Fabian hits a tilt-a-whirl slam and then his springboard dive to the outside and a springboard tornado DDT. Andrade with a hard chop. Fabian hits a rough powerbomb. Fabian goes up top but Zelina distracts him. Andrade knocks him outside, throws him into the stairs, and rolls him back hit to hit El Idolo for the win
* Aleister Black defeated Adam Cole to advance to the Fatal 4 Way. Good match. Mat wrestling to start. Cole locks in a crossface but Black gets to the ropes. Cole jaw jacks and Aleister unloads with strikes. Cole rolls out of the ring to avoid the Black Mass and necks him on the ropes. Black hits a kick to the head as Cole jumps off the top rope for a 2. Aleister catches Cole’s foot and hits a big kick. He lifts Cole up for the Black Mass and Cole starts yelling for him to do it and Aleister nails Black Mass for the win
* The Authors of Pain defeated Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch. Lorcan and Burch are affectionately known as Ones & Twos by the audience. They unload with chops and uppercuts before the AoP just destroy them. Super Collider and Last Chapter for the squash win
December 20th Episode:
* The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) defeated SAnitY (Killian Dain & Eric Young) to win the NXT Tag Team Titles. Killian starts for SAnitY as Fish and O’Reilly try to take him down. Dain tags in Young and he takes control. Fish takes out Young behind the referee’s back and Undisputed Era go to work isolating him. Fish with a suplex for 2. Bobby and Kyle keep tagging in and out attacking EY. EY rebounds with a swinging neckbreaker. EY fends off both Undisputed Era and gets a hot tag to Dain. Dain runs wild. Dain hits the corner dropkick/senton combo and his power slam onto both guys for a nearfall. Adam Cole runs out and crotches EY on his elbow attempt. Nikki Cross runs out and hits a crossbody on Cole and unloads with punches to Cole until refs pull her off. Cole reverses a powerslam by Dain on the outside and pushes him into the ringpost. EY hits a dive onto Cole but gets hit with Total Elimination when he rolls back into the ring and Undisputed Era pick up the win to become new champs
* Ember Moon defeated Sonya Deville to retain the NXT Women’s Title. They did not do the title match introductions, which was weird. Okay back and forth match. Some very tough looking spots for both ladies. Crowd was not into this at all following the title change. Ember hits a springboard dropkick and an absolutely brutal running elbow into the corner, then hits the Eclipse for the win
After the match, Kairi Sane’s music hits. She comes out and signals she wants the title, when Shayna Baszler comes up behind Kairi and chokes her out on the stage while Ember looks on
* Pete Dunne defeated Tyler Bate to retain the WWE UK Title. Another great match. Good mat wrestling and limb work to start. Good back and forth as they trade 2 counts. Dunne with a tough forearm. Bate stomps Dunne’s arm on the stairs, but Dunne responds by suplexing him off the stairs to the floor. They trade chops. Dunne stomps on Bates hand and Tyler has to pop his finger back into place. Pete goes back after the arm. Tyler with a nice overhead belly to belly suplex. Tyler hits the cartwheel kick and goes for the Tyler Driver, but Dunne reverses it into an armbar. Tyler deadlifts him with one arm into a powerbomb but Pete holds on. Bate lifts him again and puts him between the ropes and slingshots him. Tyler does the airplane spin spot but adds a third rotation at a faster speed. Bate is bleeding from his ear. Tyler hits a deadlift fisherman from the apron into the ring for a nearfall. Dunne ducks a kick and hits Bitter End but Tyler kicks out. Dunne turns Bate inside out with a clothesline. They go from seated to standing trading strikes. Pete rolls out of the ring and they trade strikes on the apron until Tyler hits the cartwheel kick on it. Dunne knocks Bate out of midair with a forearm and hits a suplex powerbomb for a near fall. Tyler keeps Dunne from taking a count out by hitting a plancha, then hits the Tyler Driver 97 for a nearfall. Bate goes to the top rope, and hits spiral tap to Dunne’s back but only gets 2. Tyler goes for a backdrop off the top rope, but Pete lands on his feet and hits Bitter End for the pin
* The Street Profits defeated two unnamed enhancement talents. Quick squash. Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins win with the spinebuster/frogsplash combo. After the match, The Profits go into the crowd to celebrate and cut a promo from the top of the bleachers, saying in 2017 they came, they saw, and in 2018, they’ll conquer. They run down AoP, SAnitY, and Undisputed Era and say in 2018, they’re coming for the belts
* They filmed a new episode crowd chant intro, but it seems they’re filming randomly tonight
* Johnny Gargano defeated Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, and Aleister Black to become #1 Contender to the NXT Title. Lars catches Black on a corner moonsault and slams him into the apron, then catches Gargano on a dive and does the same, but Killian does a suicide dive and wipes out Lars. Lars throws Dain into the steps. Aleister kicks him up the ramp, but gets tossed off the stage. Lars then tosses Gargano onto Black. Lars tries to powerbomb Gargano through the announce table but Gargano grabs the set scaffold and holds on. Gargano kicks Lars and gets him on the table. Killian runs and dives off the stage and through Lars on the table. We get a great few minutes in the ring with Black squaring off against Gargano and the crowd goes nuts, until Dain comes back and cleans house. Black and Gargano powerbomb Dain off the ropes and while all three are down, Lars returns to the ring. Dain and Lars square off and we’ve got a hoss fight on our hands. Dain is bleeding from his elbow. Black returns to the ring and goes nuts. Black hits the Black Mass on Lars but Undisputed Era comes down and attacks Aleister. Cole lays out Black, then Gargano hits a suicide dive to Cole. Johnny sidesteps Lars who runs into the steps, then hurricanranas Dain into Lars. Johnny then hits his jumping DDT on Aleister and scores the pinfall. Huge pop for the win. Fun match. Gargano goes into the crowd to celebrate to end the tapings
Dawkins and Moss started off the match. Moss shoved Dawkins and then rolled out of the ring and had a conversation with Sabbatelli. Moss got back in the ring and leveled Dawkins with a shoulder tackle. Moss followed it up with a Body Slam and started to trash talk Dawkins.
Dawkins connected with a shoulder tackle and a slam of his own and then tagged in Montez Ford. Montez locked in a Headlock but Sabbatelli was able to tag himself in. Sabbatelli connected with a Crossbody and then started barking at the crowd. Ford got back up and hit Sabbatelli with a Dropkick. Moss sprinted in the ring and the Street Profits knocked him back out of the ring with a Clothesline and posed in the ring as NXT went to a commercial break.
When NXT returned, Ford booted Moss on the ring apron but Sabbatelli connected with a forearm that knocked Ford to the floor outside the ring. Sabbatelli brought Ford back into the ring and hit him with a flurry of right hands. Sabbatelli once again got distracted by the crowd for a moment but still launched Ford into the corner.
Moss was tagged in and he hit a Splash onto Ford in the corner. Moss stood over Ford and started dancing like the Street Profits. Moss hit Ford with a right hand and started taunting Dawkins on the ring apron. Moss connected with an elbow for a two count and then punched Ford in the face a few times.
Moss applied a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring and the crowd started chanting “lets go Profits!”. Ford slowly powered to his feet and connected with a couple of punches to Moss’ ribs. Ford tried to leap across the ring to tag in Dawkins but Moss blocked him and sent him to the corner. Moss charged at Ford in the corner but missed and slammed into the ring post.
Sabbatelli and Dawkins were tagged in and Dawkins planted Tino with a Bulldog. Dawkins connected with a Splash to both Moss and Sabbatelli. Dawkins leveled Sabbatelli with a right hand and went for the cover but Moss broke it up. Dawkins launched Moss out of the ring and went for a roll-up on Tino but Sabbatelli kicked out.
Moss hit Dawkins with a forearm and then Tino went for the cover. Moss tried to hold Dawkins’ feet down so he couldn’t kick out but the referee caught him. Ford booted Moss in the face from the ring apron and then the Street Profits teamed up on Sabbattelli. Dawkins slammed Tino to the mat and then Ford hit a Splash off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
Mark Andrews stated that he was teaming up with Pete Dunne tonight under one condition. Andrews said that if they win, he will become the #1 contender for the UK Championship. Dunne and Andrews will face Trent Seven and Tyler Bate later tonight.
Billie Kay accompanied Peyton Royce down to the ring for this match. Royce connected with a forearm that knocked Sane to the mat to start off the match. Royce planted Sane with a Hip Toss and went for another one but Sane reversed it into a roll-up for a two count. Sane connected with a Dropkick for a two count.
Billie Kay distracted Sane and Royce connected with a spinning kick for another two count. Royce went for a Suplex but Sane countered into another roll-up and Royce kicked out at two as NXT went to a commercial break. When NXT returned, Royce was in control and had Sane in a Chin Lock in the middle of the ring.
Sane broke free but Royce knocked back to the canvas with a kick. Royce launched Sane into the corner and charged at her but Sane ducked and Royce bounced off the turnbuckle. Sane connected with a Spear and both Superstars fell to the mat. Both Superstars got back up and Royce went for a punch but Sane blocked it and hit a Blockbuster.
Sane then marched to the corner of the ring and connected with a sliding forearm as Royce was leaning against the bottom turnbuckle. Kairi leaped off the top rope but Royce got out of the way and hit a running knee for a two count. Sane knocked Royce to the mat and beat her down with a series of stomps. Billie Kay hopped up onto the ring apron but Sane quickly knocked her to the floor with an elbow to the face. Sane then climbed to the top rope and hit the Insane Elbow for the pinfall victory.
There will also be a celebration for new NXT Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas next week.
A new chapter in #WWENXT will begin with a Championship Celebration for #NXTChampion @AndradeCienWWE and his business manager @Zelina_VegaWWE, NEXT WEEK! pic.twitter.com/5fvsV97Xeg
Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs Pete Dunne & Mark Andrews
Bate and Dunne started off the match as the crowd chanted “UK!”. Dunne wrestled Bate to the mat but Bate escaped and both Superstars got back to their feet and stared at each other. Dunne pretended that he was going to tag in Andrews but instead turned around and clocked Bate in the face. Dunne then did tag in Andrews and Bate greeted him with a Dropkick.
Bate connected with an uppercut and tagged in Trent Seven. Bate leaped off of Seven’s shoulders and hit a Senton Bomb. Seven went for the cover but Andrews kicked out at two. Andrews connected with a Dropkick for a two count and then locked in an Arm Bar on Seven. Dunne tagged himself in and started twisting Seven’s fingers.
Seven hit a chop and then a DDT for a two count. Dunne elbowed Seven in the face and tagged in Andrews. The referee didn’t see the tag and prevented Andrews from getting the ring. Seven was distracted by this and Dunne leveled him with a Clothesline as NXT went to a commercial break.
When NXT returned, Andrews was tagged in and he locked in the Arm Bar again on Seven. Andrews launched Seven to the corner and tried to leap onto him but Seven caught him. Dunne tagged himself in and planted Seven with a Backstabber for a two count. Dunne stomped on Seven’s shoulder as he screamed in pain. Dunne then hit Double Knees into Seven’s lower back.
Andrews tagged back in for a moment but Dunne slapped Andrews in the back to tag himself back into the match. Dunne booted Seven in the face and stared at Andrews on the ring apron. Seven leveled Dunne with the Seven Stars Lariat and crawled across the ring to tag in Tyler Bate.
Bate connected with a series of uppercuts and then planted Dunne with an Exploder Suplex. Bate hit a standing Shooting Star Press for a two count. Andrews tagged back in and hit a Double Stomp onto Bate’s midsection. Andrews charged at Bate in the corner but Tyler blocked it and kneed Andrews in the chest. Both Superstars were on the top rope and Dunne tagged himself in.
Andrews hit a Frankensteiner on Bate and Dunne caught Bate in midair and planted him with a Powerbomb in an absolutely ridiculous sequence. The crowd chanted “fight forever” as Dunne and Bate traded shots in the ring. Seven was tagged in and he connected with a Suplex. Bate was quickly tagged back into the match.
Dunne hit an Enziguri to Seven that knocked him out of the ring. Bate lifted Dunne in the air and Andrews tagged himself in. Bate planted Dunne with a German Suplex and Andrews connected with a Splash off the top rope for a two count. Bate lifted Andrews up onto his shoulders and spun around several times. Dunne tagged himself back in and went for a roll-up but Bate kicked out at two. Bate hit a massive Clothesline and followed it up with the Tyler Driver 97 for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Dunne attacked Mark Andrews from behind and knocked him to the canvas with a forearm to the back of his head. Dunne went to walk backstage but sprinted back into the ring and hit Andrews with the Bitter End as NXT went off the air.
Former NXT Champion Drew McIntyre will be out of action for the remainder of the year after suffering an injury at NXT Takeover: WarGames earlier this month.
McIntyre dropped the gold to Andrade “Cien” Almas at Takeover, ending his 3-month reign. The Scottish Superstar suffered what’s believed to be a torn biceps during that match. Should McIntyre require surgery to repair the tear, typical recovery time for that procedure is four to six months.
He tweeted the following on Monday afternoon, promising to return better than ever in 2018.
One of the most exciting things coming out of WWE Programming this week was the surprise debut of five female NXT Stars on both Raw and SmackDown Live.
According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, it was Vince McMahon’s call to bring these five women to the main roster because the Boss felt that the Women’s Division on both the shows had gone stale.
McMahon made the decision shortly after Mae Young Classic wrapped up so we can say that their arrival was well planned and it wasn’t a last minute call.
Many believe that their debut is part of a long-term plan leading to a Women’s Royal Rumble match. While a Women’s Rumble could still take place, the site notes that currently, they haven’t heard anything about it.
For those who don’t know, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville made their debut on Raw, led by a returning Paige this week and similarly Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan and Ruby Riot made their debut on SmackDown Live.
Sonya Deville made her main roster debut on RAW this past Monday as a part of Paige’s entourage. Ruby Riot also debuted on the main roster last night during SmackDown. Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan attacked Becky Lynch, Naomi, Natalya and Charlotte last night during SmackDown.
The match started out back and forth. Deville got the upper-hand and attacked Riot’s knee as NXT went to a commercial break. When NXT returned, Deville was still in control and had Riot trapped in the corner. Riot attempted a roll-up but Deville kicked out and then planted Riot with a Spinebuster for a two count.
Deville connected with a roundhouse kick to Riot’s midsection and then went for the cover but Riot kicked out at two. Riot connected with an elbow but Deville knocked her to the ring apron. Riot leaped back into the ring and planted Deville with a DDT and both Superstars fell to the canvas.
Ruby hit a series of chops and then followed it up with three Clotheslines in a row. Riot followed it up with an STO and a Senton for a two count. Deville knocked Riot to the mat with a knee and followed it up with a Shining Wizard. Sonya applied the Triangle Arm Bar and then transitioned into an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring.
Riot slowly made her way towards the bottom rope and broke the hold. Deville flipped out at the referee and took her focus off of Ruby Riot. Ruby then hit a roundhouse kick for the pinfall victory.
Lars Sullivan was interviewed following his victory over Kassius Ohno at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Sullivan challenged anyone to step in his way and they to will be destroyed by his hands only.
Ember Moon was interviewed after capturing the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver WarGames. Moon said that this was a dream come true for her and that all her hard finally work paid off.
Drew McIntyre was interviewed after losing his NXT Championship and also suffering an injury at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. McIntyre said that he knowns his injury isn’t good and that he won’t know how long he will be out until he talks to his doctor. McIntyre vowed to return and reclaim his NXT Championship.
Moss and Sabbatelli versus Street Profits was announced for next week. Kairi Sane versus Peyton Royce was also announced for next week’s episode of NXT.
Dueling “Johnny Wrestling!” and “Bruiserweight!” chants echoed throughout the crowd in Houston as the match started. Dunne connected with a big time punch and followed it up with a chop. Gargano hit a Dropkick that knocked Dunne out of the ring. Gargano followed it up with a Cannonball off the ring apron onto Dunne outside the ring.
Gargano went for a Tornado DDT off the ring apron but Dunne reversed it into a Suplex of his own and Gargano crashed off the ring apron as NXT went to a commercial break. When NXT returned, Dunne was still in control and stomped on Gargano’s fingers in the ring. Gargano Suplexed Dunne into the turnbuckle and followed it up with a chop.
Gargano connected with a slingshot Spear from the ring apron for a two count. Dunne rolled out of the ring and Gargano leaped onto him and planted Dunne with a DDT outside the ring. The action returned to the ring and Gargano went for another slingshot DDT but Dunne caught him and slammed Gargano to the canvas for a two count. The crowd chanted “NXT!” as Dunne made his way back to his feet.
Dunne lifted Gargano up but Johnny countered it into a DDT. Johnny then applied the Gargano Escape in the middle of the ring. Dunne took out his mouthguard and started biting Gargano’s fingers until he broke the hold. Dunne went for the Bitter End but Gargano reversed it into a roll-up for a two count. Dunne hit an Enziguri but Gargano bounced off the ropes and leveled Dunne with a Clothesline.
The crowd chanted “this is awesome” as Gargano had Dunne’s mouthguard in his hand. Gargano grinned and then connected with a Superkick to Dunne’s face for a two count. Dunne and Gargano traded punches in the middle of the ring. Dunne threw Gargano to the ring apron. Gargano tried to leap onto Dunne from the apron but Dunne caught him with a forearm to the face. Dunne then connected with the Bitter End for the pinfall victory.
2 Superstars who recently made their main roster debuts will face each other tonight on NXT.
Sonya Deville made her Raw debut on Monday along with Mandy Rose. Tonight, she will face Ruby Riot, who made her main roster debut last night on Smackdown.
Ruby Riot vs. Sonya Deville
Matches for tonight’s NXT were taped from the Toyota Center in Houston this weekend.
Neither Deville nor Riot qualified for the Fatal 4-Way match at Takeover to determine a new NXT women’s champion. They had each been in a triple threat qualifying match which was won by Ember Moon. Recent backstage segments on NXT have shown Deville blaming Riot for the results of that match. Their score gets settled tonight.
NXT TakeOver: WarGames aired on the WWE Network on November 18th, 2017 from the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. Here are 5 takeaways from NXT TakeOver: WarGames:
Lars Sullivan Is Unstoppable
Lars Sullivan and Kassius Ohno started off NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Sullivan drove Ohno into the corner. Kassius responded with a big right hand and a boot to the face but Sullivan didn’t fall down. Sullivan connected with a shoulder tackle that knocked Ohno to the canvas. The action spilled out of the ring and Sullivan leaped off the ring apron and hit a shoulder block onto Ohno.
Back in the ring, Ohno hit a big boot and followed it up with an Enziguri. Sullivan shrugged it off and leveled Ohno with a Clothesline. Ohno charged at Sullivan and Lars connected with a ridiculous pop-up Powerslam for a two count. Kassius connected with a flurry of shots but could not knock Sullivan down. Kassius hit the Cyclone Kick but Sullivan kicked out at two.
Ohno stomped on Sullivan’s face and then hit a Senton for a one count. Sullivan and Ohno traded punches in the middle of the ring. Ohno hit a discus elbow and went for another one but Sullivan countered it into the Freak Accident for the pinfall victory.
This match was a quick and decisive victory for Lars Sullivan. Ohno was simply overpowered by Sullivan. Lars is a monster in NXT and he will continue to be one once he joins the main roster. Sullivan will continue to improve in NXT and I can’t help but look forward to a match between Sullivan and Braun Strowman in the future.
Aleister Black Finally Said Velveteen Dream’s Name
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Velveteen Dream came down to the ring sporting tights with Aleister Black’s face on one leg and his own face on the other. Black controlled the match early and launched Dream out of the ring. Black took a seat in the ring to mock Dream. Velveteen started swaying his hips and danced right in front of Black. Aleister wouldn’t look at Dream and Velveteen decided to sit directly in front of Dream. Aleister then slithered towards Dream and Velveteen had a shocked look on his face.
Dream went for a roll-up and then connected with Arm Drag. Dream responded with a Clothesline that knocked Black to the mat. Dream connected with a flurry of punches that knocked Black out of the ring. Back in the ring, Dream connected with a Superkick for a two count. Velveteen hit the Rude Awakening for a two count. Black connected with a knee and then slung Dream into the corner.
Dream hit a Death Valley Driver for a two count. Aleister connected with a big time knee strike for a two count. Black remained on the attack and charged at Dream but Velveteen connected with a beautiful modified DDT for a two count. Dream connected with a Superkick and Black bounced off the ropes and connected with a knee. Aleister then hit the Black Mass for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Aleister Black grabbed a microphone and sat next to Velveteen Dream. Black said “enjoy infamy, Velveteen Dream” and walked away.
Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream put on an excellent match tonight at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. The build to this match was very interesting and Black and Dream absolutely delivered. In the end, both Superstars won. Aleister Black remains undefeated and he finally acknowledged Dream, which is all Velveteen wanted in the first place.
Ember Moon Is The New NXT Women’s Champion
Nikki Cross, Kairi Sane, Peyton Royce and Ember Moon battled in a Fatal 4-Way for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship. Billie Kay offered some words of encouragement for Peyton Royce on the entrance ramp and then did not accompany her to the ring.
Ember Moon leaped onto Nikki Cross outside the ring and Peyton Royce avoided it. Kairi Sane then hit a flying forearm onto Peyton Royce. Ember Moon sprinted across the ring and connected with a Suicide Dive onto Royce and Sane. Nikki charged at Moon but Ember caught her and connected with a Powerbomb onto the floor outside the ring.
Sane connected with a Spear to Ember Moon back in the ring in the corner. Sane then went for another Spear onto Moon but Ember leaped over her and Sane Speared Royce instead. Ember went for a Superplex onto Sane but Peyton Royce leaped on the turnbuckle behind her. Royce hit a Belly to Back Suplex onto Moon as she connected with a Superplex on Sane at the same time. Cross then climbed to the top rope and hit a Crossbody onto all three Superstars.
Cross Clotheslined Royce out of the ring and then hit a Swinging Neckbreaker on Sane. Cross went for the cover on Sane but Ember Moon broke it up at two. Ember connected with a big boot that knocked Cross to the canvas. Nikki hit a Swinging Neckbreaker onto Moon and Ember rolled out of the ring. Royce then hit a Fisherman’s Suplex on Cross but Sane broke up the cover.
Sane slammed Royce on top of Cross and then climbed to the top rope. Sane connected with the Insane Elbow onto both Superstars but Ember Moon broke up the pinfall attempt on Nikki Cross. Ember Moon then hit the Eclipse onto Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross at the same time. Moon then covered Nikki Cross and won the NXT Women’s Championship. After the match, Asuka and NXT GM William Regal presented Ember Moon with the title in the ring.
This watch was completely unpredictable leading up to NXT TakeOver: WarGames. Each Superstar in this match would have made sense to become the new NXT Women’s Champion. Ember Moon pushed Asuka to the limit at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III but came up just short. She is very deserving of a run with the NXT Women’s Championship.
Andrade “Cien” Almas Won The NXT Championship
Zelina Vega got in McIntyre’s face before the match and started shouting at him. The match then began with Almas trying to avoid McIntyre by leaning in between the ropes. Drew then Almas towards the ropes and Andrade caught himself in between the ropes and posed. McIntyre didn’t like that too much and booted Andrade in the face. Vega tried to hit the Hurricanrana on McIntyre out of the ring but Drew caught her. Almas then attempted a Suicide Dive but McIntyre was ready and elbowed Almas in the face.
McIntyre went charged at Almas in the corner but Andrade got out of the way and McIntyre slammed into the steel post. McIntyre lifted up Almas for a Suplex but ultimately decided to launch Almas across the ring. McIntyre followed it up with two Belly to Belly Suplexes. McIntyre then hit a Clothesline off the top rope. McIntyre hit the Celtic Cross for a two count.
Almas hit a Dropkick and followed it up with an Tornado DDT for a two count. Almas went for a Hurricanrana but McIntyre caught him and planted Almas with an inverted Alabama Slam. McIntyre made his way up to the top rope but Almas hit him with a Dropkick that knocked McIntyre out of the ring. Almas launched McIntyre into the ring post and then followed it up with a Moonsault off the top rope onto McIntyre outside the ring. Almas brought McIntyre back into the ring for a cover but McIntyre kicked out at two.
Andrade hit the Double Stomp onto McIntyre while Drew was hung up in the ropes and then followed it up with Double Knees for a two count. Almas missed with an Enziguri and McIntyre planted him with a Powerbomb for a two count. McIntyre followed it up with the Future Shock DDT for a two count. McIntyre lifted Almas up onto his shoulders and climbed up the turnbuckle. Almas escaped an connected with another Double Knees to the back of McIntyre’s head for a two count.
Almas became frustrated and clubbed McIntyre across the back of the head. Almas left the ring and celebrated with the NXT Championship outside the ring and the referee became distracted. Vega got into the ring and hit McIntyre with a Hurricanrana and McIntyre’s head bounced off the canvas. Almas then got back into the ring and hit the Hammerlock DDT for a two count. McIntyre then hit the Claymore and went for the cover but Vega placed Almas’ foot on the bottom rope.
McIntyre went for another Claymore and missed and crotched himself on the top rope. Almas then hit the Hammerlock DDT off the top rope for the pinfall victory. Andrade “Cien” Almas is the new NXT Champion.
I didn’t see this one coming at all. Almas and Vega have been one of the best parts of NXT recently, but I didn’t think WWE would take the NXT Championship off of McIntyre so quickly. This could mean that McIntyre is on his way to the main roster soon. Zelina Vega has completely revitalized Almas’ career and it is awesome to see a talent like Andrade be rewarded.
The Undisputed Era Survived WarGames
SAnitY, The Undisputed Era and The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong competed in a WarGames match tonight. Eric Young, Adam Cole and Roderick Strong started off the match as the rest of the Superstars were locked inside shark cages on the top of the entrance ramp.
Strong and Young surrounded Cole in one of the rings. Strong knocked Cole to the mat and then got in a shoving match with Eric Young. Young knocked Cole to the mat and then Strong planted Young with a Backbreaker. All three Superstars battled while standing on the top rope. Cole was knocked down but he bounced off the ropes and both Young and Strong were crotched on the top rope.
Cole then stomped on both Young and Strong. Cole threw Strong into the other ring and focused on Eric Young. Cole planted Young with a Neckbreaker over his knee and then got into the other ring with Strong. Cole beatdown Strong in the corner and then shoved his boot in his face while taunting him.
Cole stood on the metal partition between the rings and punched Young in the face. Adam Cole connected with a Suplex on Strong and then shouted “I run this world”. Cole hit Strong with a Neckbreaker and then delivered another one to Eric Young. Strong got back to his feet and connected with a couple of chops to Cole. Strong followed it up with a Clothesline to Cole.
Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly of The Undisputed Era were the first team to be let out of the shark cage. Fish and O’Reilly beatdown both Young and Strong in the ring as Cole watched on in the corner for a minute. Cole, O’Reilly and Fish connected with three Splashes onto Eric Young while he was on the ring apron up against the steel cage surrounding the ring.
Akam and Rezar of the Authors of Pain were the next team released from their cage on the entrance ramp. The Authors of Pain cleaned house and launched Adam Cole into the second ring. The Authors of Pain then launched Strong onto everyone else in the second ring. Strong, Akam and Rezar spent the next couple of minutes beating the hell out of everyone as Dain and Wolfe watched on in their cages.
Wolfe and Dain from SAnitY were the final team released. Wolfe brought a club into the ring and attacked Akam and Rezar with it. Dain grabbed some chairs, trash cans, chains and kendo sticks into the ring. SAnitY started bashing everyone with chairs as the crowd chanted “we want tables!”. Killian Dain obliged and grabbed two tables from under the ring as the crowd chanted “yes!”.
O’Reilly tried to hit Wolfe with a chair but missed and the chair bounced off the top rope and he bashed himself in the face. Dain finally got into the ring and chained the cage door shut. Dain then swallowed the key to the cage and then went after Akam and Rezar. Dain climbed up to the top rope and connected with a Crossbody onto everyone.
Cole dared Dain to come after him and tried to hit him with a kendo stick but Dain blocked it. Dain lifted Cole in the air but Fish and O’Reilly attacked Dain from behind. Dain shrugged them off and continued to dominate the match. Dain and Rezar traded punches on the partition between the two rings. They then traded big boots in one of the rings. Dain connected with a Crossbody but Akam booted Dain in the face and then connected with a Powerslam.
O’Reilly and Fish connected with kicks to Dain that finally knocked him to the mat. Kyle O’Reilly then hit a big time forearm to Wolfe that knocked him to the canvas. O’Reilly tied up Wolfe with a chain and applied an Arm Breaker but Eric Young leaped off the top rope and broke up the hold with an Elbow Drop. Bobby Fish then hit a Moonsault off the top rope onto Eric Young.
Authors of Pain hit the Super Collider onto Fish and O’Reilly and bashed into Dain on the partition in between the rings. Eric Young hit Rezar with a Death Valley Driver onto Akam. Strong delivered a Backbreaker to Young, Cole and Wolfe. Strong then lifted up the gigantic Killian Dain and planted him with an Olympic Slam but Adam Cole broke up the pinfall.
Akam and Rezar planted Young, Fish, O’Reilly, Wolfe, Strong and Dain off the top rope and Adam Cole escaped. Cole then posed between the rings but was quickly surrounded by Akam and Rezar. Cole wound up being crotched on the top rope and the Authors of Pain set up two tables.
Cole escaped to the top of the cage as Wolfe hit a Germain Suplex to one of the members of the Authors of Pain. Cole continued to slither on top of the cage as Dain leveled O’Reilly with a massive Clothesline. Killian Dain then hit the coast-to-coast Dropkick onto O’Reilly and a trash can. Cole then stood up on top of the cage and Roderick Strong climbed up towards him.
Strong joined Cole on top of the cage and Superplexed Cole on top of everyone in the ring. Strong went for a cover on Adam Cole but Cole kicked out at two. Dain and Akam traded punches on the partition between the rings. Rezar came out of nowhere and leveled Dain with a Clothesline. O’Reilly and Fish took out Rezar in the ring. Wolfe and Young then took out O’Reilly. Young bashed Strong into the cage and then Cole hit Young with a kendo stick. Cole then hit Eric Young with a Shining Wizard into a chair for the pinfall victory.
This match was pure chaos. There was blood all over place and too many incredible spots to remember. The Superstar that was the most impressive in this match was Killian Dain. He dominated the majority of the match and showed off ridiculous athleticism for his size. In the end, it was Adam Cole who pulled out the victory for The Undisputed Era in a match that lived up to it’s expectations.
WWE’s first-ever NXT TakeOver: War Games took place on November 18th, 2017 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX.
– We see a nice “War Games” themed video package to kick off the broadcast before Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson and Nigel McGuinness welcome us to the Toyota Center. The two rings are set up side-by-side, and Kassius Ohno comes out to kick things off.
– Kassius Ohno vs. Lars Sullivan: They’ll be wrestling in the ring set up closest to the entrance stage. They brawl into the corner off the opening bell and trade stiff strikes. Lars gets the upper hands and throws Kassius outside for a beat-down at ringside. Back in the ring, Lars blocks a big boot, but Kassius connects with an enziguri. Lars comes back with a lariat to cut off Ohno. Ohno fires back with a big boot, but Lars answers with a pop-up powerslam for a two count. Lar goes up top for a splash and Kassius rolls out of the way. They trade elbows and Kassius hits a series of shots to the face and back of the head. Kassius hits the spinning big boot for a two count. Lars sits up and Kassius boots him back down. Lars sits back up and he gets another boot to the face. Lars fires up and tells him to bring it, so Kassius stomps a mud hole in him and then hits a senton drop for another two count. Kassus hits an elbow shot, but when he goes for a second one, Lars grabs him and hits the Freak Accident for the win.
Winner: Lars Sullivan
– Lars yells and tells Kassius “this is what you wanted” as he heads to the back.
– UK wrestlers Tyler Bate, Trent Seven, Mark Andrews and Wolfgang are seen sitting at ringside.
– The Undisputed Era is backstage in the locker room talking with NXT GM William Regal, but we don’t hear what they’re saying.
– The Velveteen Dream vs. Aleister Black: For this match, they’re wrestling in the ring farthest from the entrance ramp. The opening bell sounds and they lock up after a stare-down. They trade back-and-forth wrestling holds in the opening moments, with Black taking over. Black puts Dream in a submission hold then pins for a two count. Dream fires back with an elbow to the face and follows up with more strikes. Black throws Dream outside and runs at him, but he sees Dream move, so Black backflips off the ropes and sits down in the ring. Dream comes in and dances in front of Black then sits down with him. They get up and Dream takes over with strikes on black. Dream beats Black out to ringside then teases going for a suicide dive, but he decides against it. Back in the ring, Dream superkicks Black for a two count. Dream pummels on Black then hits a neckbreaker for another two count. Dream ties up Black in the ropes and the ref backs him off. Black kicks him away and hits a springboard moonsault for a two count. Black kicks Dream down again, but Dream fires back with an elbow. Black hits another kick and a knee, but Dream shuts him down with a Death Valley Driver for another two count. Dream takes Black up to the top rope for another Death Valley Driver, but Black escapes and kicks out Dream’s leg. Black looks to go for the finish, but Dream drops him with a spinning DDT. Dream goes up top for the Purple Rain Maker, but Black blocks it with a kick and Dream falls back into the ropes. Dream gets tied up in the ropes so Black boots him in the face, and the ref gets in Black’s face. Dream comes up behind the ref and kicks Black, then Black hits back with a kick of his own. Black hits another kick for the three count.
– After the match, Black sits down next to Dream and tells him to “enjoy infamy Velveteen Dream.”
– We see Regal walking in to Sanity’s locker room in the back.
– Asuka, Funaki and Finn Balor are shown sitting at ringside.
– NXT Women’s Title: Nikki Cross vs. Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce vs. Ember Moon: This one is for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship and is under Fatal 4 Way rules. The opening bell sounds and Nikki and Kairi go at it while Peyton and Ember go at it. Peyton starts dropping people with kicks, and the fights spills out to ringside. Sane hits a flying forearm from the apron onto Peyon on the floor, then Ember runs the ropes and hits a suicide dive on Sane and Peyton. Nikki and Ember start brawling on the floor and Ember powerbombs her down at ringside. Ember goes for a superkick on Sane back in the ring, but Sane blocks it and drops Ember. Sane goes for a spear on Peyton but Peyton evades it and locks in a submission on the ropes. Ember breaks up the hold and starts brawling with Peyton. Sane, Ember and Peyton now brawl into the corner and there ends up being a big pyramid slam off the turnbuckle. Cross comes back in the ring and hits a big crossbody on all three of her opponents as they get up. Cross gets fired up and starts cleaning house. Ember fires back with a big boot on Cross. Cross follows up with a forearm shots and a neckbreaker on Ember for a two count. Peyton comes in and hits a Fisherman’s suplex on Cross for two. Sane hits the Alabama Slam on Peyton on top of Cross. Sane goes up top and hits the elbow on Cross and Peyton. Ember breaks up the pin attempt and goes up top. Peyton nocks her down, then Peyton starts fighting with Cross. Ember comes off the top and hits the Eclipse on Peyton and Cross at the same time, then she covers Cross for the win.
Winner and New NXT Women’s Champion: Ember Moon
– After the match, Regal and Asuka present the Women’s Title to Ember.
– Regal is seen backstage speaking with Roderick Strong and the Authors of Pain.
– Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe are shown (separately) sitting at ringside.
– NXT Title: Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Drew McIntyre Zelina Vega is at ringside in Almas’ corner. Almas pie-faces Drew away from him as the ref holds up the NXT Title. The ref keeps the apart then calls for the opening bell. After a series of back-and-forth strikes in the opening moments, Almas starts taking control and locks Drew in an armbar over the ropes. Drew starts coming back and hits some overhead suplexes on Almas. Drew kicks up to his feet and misses a shot on Almas, leading to Almas rocking him in the corner. Almas follows up with a tornado reverse DDT for a two count. Almas goes for a reverse hurricanrana on Drew, but the Champion reverses it into an Alabama slam for a two count. Drew climbs up top, but Almas runs up and dropkicks him down, and the Champion falls down to the floor. Almas jumps down onto Drew but Drew catches him in the powerbomb position. Almas reverses this into a hurricanrana into the ring post. Almas goes up top and follows up with a moonsault off the top rope onto Drew on the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Almas goes up top but Drew stops him with some right hands. Drew goes for the superplex, but Almas escapes. Almas crotches Drew on the top rope then hangs him in the tree of woe. Almas stomps Drew down then hits a running double knee strike. Almas pins for a two count. Almas goes for a kick but Drew ducks and answers with a sit-out powerbomb on the challenger for a two count. Almas hits a chop to the chest and McIntyre fires back with a headbutt. Drew hits the Future Shock for another two count. Drew takes Almas to the middle rope for a flying Celtic Cross, but Almas escapes and drops Drew in the corner. Almas charges and hits another double knee strike on Drew for a two count. The ref distracts Almas and Zelina runs in and hits a hurricanrana on Drew. Almas runs in and DDTs Drew for a two count. Drew fires back with a running big boot and pins, but Zelina helps Almas get his foot on the bottom rope to break the count. They get up and Drew goes for another big boot, but Almas ducks and Drew crotches himself on the top rope. Almas sits Drew on the top rope then hits draping DDT off of it and Drew lands flat on the top of his head. Almas pins to score the three count, and we have a new champion.
Winner and new NXT Champion: Andrade “Cien” Almas
– Andrade and Zelina celebrate with the NXT Title belt up the ramp and on the stage.
– Sirens go off in the arena and big double-wide cage lowers over the two rings. We see a video package highlighting what lead up to this War Games match.
– Dustin Rhodes and Arn Anderson and shown sitting at ringside.
– War Games: SAnitY vs. The Undisputed Era vs. The Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong: Eric Young, Adam Cole, and Roderick Strong will start this one off. Paul Ellering shouts at one of the refs before things start. The three men in the ring come face to face before starting the fight. Cole swings first but Strong drops him. Young goes to beat down Cole, but Strong pulls him away and drops him next. They face off again before Young decks Strong, then turns his attention to Cole. Strong recovers nad hits a backbreaker on Young, then he starts brawling with Cole. Strong blocks a dropkick then launches Cole in the cage wall. Cole latches on to the cage, but Young and Strong meet him on the top rope. Cole crotches them both on the top rope and they fall down to the mat. Cole takes control of the match now until Strong fires up and starts laying into both opponents with chops and running knee strikes. We see the countdown, and Fish and O’Reilly are released into the match next. They hit the ring and go right for Strong. They triple team Strong and Young and control the next moments of the match. The timer starts up again, and Akam and Rezar are released into the match now. They rush the structure and start beating down everyone except Strong. They start throwing Undisputed Era members onto the metal platform between the two rings, and delivering Fireman’s Carries onto other opponents’ bodies. The timer starts again, and now the rest of Sanity hits the ring. Wolfe climbs in and reveals that he brought a night stick with him, then he starts beating down the Authors with it. Dain starts throwing in weapons then he grabs a table from ringside. Sanity is now in control of the match as Young and Wolfe start laying everyone out with weapons. Dain finally feels there are enough weapons in the ring, and he gets and locks the door behind him. Dain appears to swallow the key to the door. Dain now starts beating everyone down while Young and Wolfe recover. Dain dropkicks Akem and falls onto Rezar with a senton drop. Dain climbs up top and hits a diving cross body onto the opponents down in the ring. Dain now turns his attention to Cole. Cole swings a kendo stick at Dain and Dain blocks it. Dain grabs Cole for a chokeslam but Fish makes the save. Fish tries a sunset flip on Dain but doesn’t have any luck. Cole charges at Dain for a cross body, but Dain catches him and piledrives him on top of Fish. Dain picks up Cole for a Fireman’s Carry, then Strong charges for a cross body and Dain catches him too. Dain then delivers a Samoan Drop-Fallaway slam combo. Dain starts trading strikes with Rezar now until Dain drops him with a cross body. Akam now runs in with a right hand and a powerslam on Dain for a two count. O’Reilly hits a tornado DDT on Akam, and Dain drops Cole. The Undisputed Era drops Dain and double teams him with kicks. O’Reilly chokes Wolfe with a chain then puts him in an arm bar, but Young breaks it up with a flying elbow drop. Fish then hits a moonsault on Young. The authors hit the Super Collider with Dain caught between them. Dain is now bleeding but it’s not clear where the cut is. Young decks Strong, then Death Valley Drivers Akam onto Razar. Strong hits the Lumbar Check on Cole, then starts laying out other opponents with kicks and knees. Strong hits a backbreaker on Wolfe next, then a knee to Dain. Strong hits the Olympic Slam on Dain but Cole breaks the pin. Young and Strong start fighting on the opposite ring corners, and the other competitors run up behind them and it leads to two tower of doom super-powerbombs, one in each ring. Adam Cole was the one not caught in the chaos, but the Authors are able to grab him and crotch him on the top rope. The Authors set up two tables now next to each other. The Authors look to set up Cole for a superplex, but Wolfe breaks it up. Cole climbs to the top of the cage to escape the Authors, while Wolfe German suplexes one of the authors off the top rope through both tables. Young hits a leaping neckbreaker on the other Author. Cole is still on the top of the catch for a breather. O’Reilly starts hitting people with a garbage can in the ring. He hits a series of strikes on Dain, but Dain decks him with a lariat. Dain sets a garbage can up in front of O’Reilly in one corner, and he climbs up the climbs up to the opposite corner. Dain hits the coast-to-coast Van Terminator on O’Reilly. Strong climbs to the top of the cage and grabs Cole. Strong superplexes Cole off the top of the cage into the ring onto a crowd of their opponents below. The Authors hit a clothesline/Russian leg sweep on Dain on the metal platform between the rings. Wolfe gets up and appears to be bleeding from the head. Wolfe and Young double team O’Reilly, then Strong sneaks up behind Wolfe and suplexes him. Strong and Cole trade strikes until Young grabs Strong and slams him into the cage. Cole drops Young with the kendo stick. Young starts getting up with a chair in his hands, and Cole hits a running knee that drives the chair into Young’s face. Cole pins for the three count.
NXT TakeOver: WarGames will air on November 18th from Houston, Texas. The event will begin with a kickoff show at 7 p.m. ET and then the main card begins at 8 p.m.
Lars Sullivan Will Overpower Kassius Ohno
On the November 8th episode of NXT, Kassius Ohno approached NXT General Manager William Regal backstage. Ohno stated that he wanted to prove that he belonged in the NXT Title picture and asked if he could take on Lars Sullivan. Regal agreed to make the match and shook Ohno’s hand. On the November 15th episode of NXT, Lars Sullivan demolished Raul Mendoza. After the match, Sullivan went to beatdown Mendoza some more but Ohno rushed the ring. Lars Sullivan laughed in Ohno’s face and then exited the ring.
Even though Ohno is currently on a winning streak, Lars Sullivan is simply unstoppable. Ohno will put up a good fight, but in the end Sullivan will emerge victorious. Both Ohno and Sullivan are very athletic for their size and this should be a very entertaining match.
Velveteen Dream has been determined to get Aleister Black’s attention for some time now. On the September 20th episode of NXT, Aleister Black spoke for the first time. Black discussed his 15 year journey in wrestling that brought him to NXT. Velveteen Dream interrupted Black and said that Black’s biggest problem was fear.
Aleister Black was scheduled to face Lio Rush on the October 4th episode of NXT. That match never took place because Dream attacked Rush from behind in an effort to get Aleister’s attention. Velveteen Dream then faced Lio Rush the following week and defeated Rush with the Purple Rainmaker Elbow Drop. After his victory, Dream mocked Black and sat cross-legged in the middle of the ring.
Things escalated when Dream appeared behind Black during his entrance on the October 25th episode of NXT. Dream attacked Black from behind and tied him up in the ropes. Dream shouted at Black to say his name and then slapped him across the face. Aleister broke free and went for the Black Mass but Dream escaped and retreated up the entrance ramp.
Black finally addressed Dream on the November 1st edition of NXT. Aleister said that he make sure nobody ever forgets Velveteen Dream’s name at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
This has been an absolutely fascinating feud from the start. Velveteen Dream has tried his hardest to get inside Black’s head and we will see if his antics were successful this Saturday night. All it takes is one Black Mass on Saturday night and Aleister is walking out of WarGames with another victory.
Photo Credit: WWE.com
The New NXT Women’s Champion Will Be Iconic
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Asuka vacated the NXT Women’s Championship due to injury after defeating Ember Moon at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. This Saturday night at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, Sane, Moon, Cross and Royce will compete to determine who will become the next NXT Women’s Champion. Kairi Sane was the first Superstar announced for this match after she won the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament.
Peyton Royce and Ember Moon earned their spots in the match this Saturday by emerging victorious in Triple Threat matches. NXT GM William Regal announced that Nikki Cross will be added to a Battle Royal on the October 25th episode of NXT to determine the final participant in the Fatal 4-Way this Saturday night.
Cross had previously competed in one of the Triple Threat qualifying matches, but was screwed out of her opportunity when the Undisputed Era tricked Taynara Conti into costing Cross the match. Cross wound up winning the Battle Royal and claimed the final spot in the NXT Women’s Championship match at WarGames. On the November 15th episode of NXT, Ember Moon picked up a victory over Mercedes Martinez. After the match, Cross, Royce and Sane appeared while Ember Moon was still in the ring.
This match is a difficult one to predict, as you could make a case for any Superstar to win it. I don’t think Kairi Sane will get the title so quickly, but anything is possible. Ember Moon gave Asuka everything she could handle at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, so there is no doubt that she could walk out of Houston the new NXT Women’s Champion. Nikki Cross is insane and won’t back down from anyone. However, I think the x-factor in this match is Billie Kay. I think she will interfere in this match and ensure Peyton Royce picks up the victory. The Iconic Duo (Royce and Kay) will then brag about Royce’s victory over and over again on NXT. This match is completely unpredictable and I have zero confidence in my prediction, which is exactly how it should be.
Drew McIntyre Will Overcome Andrade “Cien” Almas & Zelina Vega
Photo Credit: WWE.com
The key figure in this feud hasn’t been Drew McIntyre or Andrade “Cien” Almas. Zelina Vega has led Almas to the best run of his NXT career and he is now in prime position to become the new NXT Champion. Almas has been avoiding McIntyre for the past few weeks, but Vega has confronted McIntyre a couple of times.
Last week on NXT, McIntyre and Almas were scheduled to have a contract signing. Andrade attacked McIntyre from behind while Vega encouraged him. On the November 15th episode of NXT, Drew McIntyre came down to the ring and called out Almas. McIntyre challenged Almas to be a man and finally confront him. Vega and Almas made their way down the entrance ramp. Almas charged the ring and traded punches with McIntyre.
McIntyre got the upper-hand, but Zelina Vega once again got involved. Vega leaped off the top rope and McIntyre caught her. This allowed Almas to take advantage of the situation and he connected with a chop-block to McIntyre’s knee. Almas then planted McIntyre with the Hammerlock DDT as Vega held the NXT Championship and ensured that Almas will become the next NXT Champion.
Zelina Vega has completely revitalized Almas’ career in NXT. Vega has added so much to Andrade’s character and he is now a legitimate threat for the NXT Championship. Zelina’s impeccable work on the microphone and her ability to become physical in Almas’ matches have made the tandem must-see television. Vega’s Hurricanrana on Roderick Strong ensured a victory Almas recently and it was just awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGuvJ3LsfZA
Having said all of that, I don’t see Drew McIntyre dropping the title yet. I can’t wait for this match on Saturday night because I think Almas and Vega will try anything to get the victory. McIntyre will fight through it all and walk out of WarGames with his NXT Championship. If it were up to me, I’d have Almas and Vega on the main roster as soon as possible.
WarGames Will Be The Best Match Of The Weekend
Photo Credit: WWE.com
The WarGames match features two rings, side-by-side, surrounded by a gigantic steel cage. One member from each team will start off the match inside the cage, while remaining Superstars are locked inside of shark cages by the entrance ramp. After five minutes, two members from one team are released into the cage and that gives that team a clear advantage for a brief period of time. After three additional minutes pass, another team’s final two Superstars are released from their cages. Three minutes later the final team has their remaining two Superstars released from their shark cages and all nine Superstars will be inside the steel cage.
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) arrived in NXT at TakeOver: Brooklyn III. Fish and O’Reilly attacked the SAnitY after they defeated The Authors of Pain to claim the NXT Tag Team Championships. Adam Cole arrived and Superkicked Drew Mcintyre to close the show. Eric Young, Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe spent the next few weeks trying to get revenge on The Undisputed Era.
Adam Cole tried to recruit Roderick Strong to join The Undisputed Era after Strong lost to his NXT Championship match against Drew McIntyre. Cole, Fish and O’Reilly once again approached Strong after his loss to Andrade “Cien” Almas.
On the November 1st episode of NXT, Roderick Strong came down to the ring after The Undisputed Era attacked SAnitY and The Authors of Pain during their NXT Tag Team Championship match. Strong put on an Undisputed Era arm band and made it seem like he was going to join the group. However, Strong attacked Cole, Fish and O’Reilly. A massive brawl broke out and NXT GM William Regal came down to the entrance ramp. Regal announced that the 9 Superstars will settle their differences in a WarGames match.
This match may wind up being the best match of the entire weekend. NXT TakeOver’s have routinely been excellent and I expect these three teams to try and tear the house down. I’m think that The Undisputed Era is going to escape WarGames with a victory. They said that this is their era in NXT, it is time to prove it Saturday night.
The War Games match on Saturday will not follow the traditional format completely. A few rules have been tweaked.
On a media call yesterday, Triple H clarified there will be no roof on top of the cage as there has been in previous matches in addition to rule-changes which had previously been announced.
Triple H on the War Games Match Having A Roof
On Rule Changes:
“Anytime that you’ve had 20 years between something, you have the opportunity to do it in a slightly modified way. Whether that’s making it better, which is hopefully what [we’ve done],” he said. “I’m not saying that there were things that needed to be fixed but there were things that there were some concerns about and we wanted to change those and tweak them up.”
On having 3 Teams:
“It worked for us in this 3-team scenario because of the way the storyline was written. When the opportunity came up to do WarGames, the storyline naturally fit with the three groups being in there.”
On not having a roof:
“We’re not going to have a roof,” he said. “I think it’s a little bit limiting, I think the style has changed. I’m not saying that anyone’s going to do it in this match, but I think going forward, I try to think about the future. Look, Arn Anderson wasn’t doing moonsaults off the top of a cage. This allows for there to be a little bit of a different opportunity there to do some things.”
On a side note, HHH had previously mentioned Vince McMahon did not like the idea of having a roof when he pitched it to him.
On keeping true to the War Games Concept
“I don’t think personally that we’ve changed the concept of what it is, there are some small tweaks but I think they work better in today’s generation than it did in the format that was originally used.”
Official War Games Rules for Saturday
WWE has published the official rules for Saturday’s War Games Event:
“The rules of the match are as follows:
The three-member teams of SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain), Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly), and The Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) & Roderick Strong will wage war inside a massive steel cage that surrounds TWO rings.
All three teams will be contained inside separate shark cages by the entranceway, with a member from each team (as chosen by his respective squad) starting the match.
After five minutes, the remaining members from one team will be released from their shark cage and allowed to enter the match.
When another three-minute period elapses, the remaining members from a second team are released from their shark cage and enter the match.
Following another three-minute period, the final team’s members are released from their shark cage and enter the match.
Once all three teams have entered the WarGames Match, a victory can be attained via pinfall or submission.”
Dawkins and Sabbatelli started off the match. Dawkins connected with a shoulder tackle and tagged in Montez Ford. Dawkins and Ford Dropkicked Moss out of the ring. Sabbatelli clubbed Ford in the back of the head and then tagged in Moss who had made his way back to the ring apron. Moss planted Ford with a Belly to Back Suplex and then posed for the crowd.
Sabbatelli was tagged back in and continued the beatdown of Ford. Sabbatelli took a break to mock Dawkins on the ring apron. Ford leaped across the ring and tagged in Dawkins. Sabbatelli got distracted by Ford on the ring apron. Tino knocked Ford off the ring around but turned around into a big time punch from Dawkins for the pinfall victory.
Lars trapped Mendoza in the corner and connected with a massive Splash. Sullivan followed it up with a ridiculous Powerslam and then stood over Mendoza. Lars lifted Mendoza up by his head and bashed him in the face several times. Sullivan then slammed Mendoza to the mat and covered him for the easy victory.
After the match, Lars grabbed Mendoza again but Kassius Ohno came down to the ring. Lars laughed in Ohno’s face and left the ring. Sullivan and Ohno will battle at NXT TakeOver: WarGames this Saturday night.
Moon and Martinez locked up to start off the match. Martinez got the upper-hand and applied a Headlock. Moon broke free but Martinez knocked her to the canvas with a shoulder tackle. Martinez locked in another Headlock on the mat in the middle of the ring. The crowd cheered Moon on as she powered to her feet. Martinez broke the hold and punched Moon in the face. Ember responded with a boot to Martinez’s face.
Ember connected with a Dropkick for a two count. Moon launched Martinez into the turnbuckle and hit a Clothesline. Moon charged at Martinez but Mercedes was ready and planted Ember with a Spinebuster for a two count as NXT went to a commercial break.
When NXT returned, Moon went for a roll-up but Martinez kicked out at two. Moon missed with a kick and Martinez hit a chop that echoed throughout the arena. Moon fell to the mat in pain and Martinez picked Ember back up and planted her with a Suplex. Martinez didn’t let go and followed it up with two more Suplexes for a two count.
Mercedes went for another Suplex but Moon blocked it and connected with an Enziguri. Moon followed it up with a Hurricanrana then sent Martinez out of the ring. Ember then hit a Suicide Dive as the crowd chanted “NXT!”. The action returned to the ring and Moon climbed up to the top rope. Martinez got back up and booted Ember in the face. Martinez connected with the Tower of London for a two count. Martinez quickly went for another cover but Moon kicked out again.
Martinez went for another Suplex but Moon reversed it into a roll-up for a two count. Martinez got tangled up in the ropes and Moon connected with a knee that knocked Mercedes to the canvas. Moon then hit the Eclipse for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce and Kairi Sane appeared as Moon stood in the ring. Those four Superstars will compete for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match at NXT TakeOver: Wargames.
NXT Champion Drew McIntyre came down to the ring. McIntyre grabbed the microphone and congratulated Almas on getting his title shot at NXT TakeOver: Wargames. McIntyre said that Almas and Vega are now in trouble. McIntyre wondered if Almas was ready for the big stage at WarGames. Drew then challenged Andrade “Cien” Almas to come down to the ring and face him like a man. McIntyre joked that Zelina Vega may not let Almas off the her leash for the night.
Zelina Vega then came down to the entrance ramp and twirled her hair while staring at McIntyre. Almas finally joined her and he quickly took off his suit jacket and charged the ring. McIntyre took off his shirt and launched it into the crowd. McIntyre and Almas traded shots as Vega climbed up to the top rope. Vega leaped onto to McIntyre but Drew caught her. Almas chop-blocked McIntyre in the knee and then planted him with the Hammerlock DDT. Vega then grabbed the NXT Championship and shouted at Almas that the title will be his. Vega then tossed the title on top of McIntyre and exited the ring with Almas.
Drew McIntyre will defend his NXT Championship against Andrade “Cien” Almas this Saturday at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
Dozovic dominated early and then did the worm across the ring and dropped an elbow on Payne. Tucker Knight was tagged in and he connected with a Splash in the corner. Knight followed it up with a springboard Elbow Drop. Dozovic was tagged in and Maluta charged at him from the ring apron. Dozovic knocked Maluta to the canvas and then Knight joined him in the ring. Heavy Machinery then connected with the Compacter on Payne for the pinball victory.
Ember Moon was interviewed backstage and was asked what she thought of Mercedes Martinez saying that she doesn’t have what it takes to win a big match. Moon challenged Martinez to a match next week and said that she would prove Martinez wrong.
Peyton Royce accompanied Billie Kay to the ring. Billie Kay controlled the beginning of the match and locked Sane in the Torture Rack. Sane broke free and connected with a Spear. Sane followed it up with a couple of chops that knocked Kay into the corner. Sane hit another flurry of chops and then marched across the ring.
Sane connected with a sliding forearm for a two count. Royce hopped up the ring apron and Sane quickly knocked her to the floor outside the ring. Sane hit a punch that knocked Kay to the mat and followed it up with the Insane Elbow off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
Kassius Ohno approached NXT GM William Regal and said that he wants to be in the NXT Championship picture again. Ohno said that he wanted to face Lars Sullivan at NXT TakeOver: WarGarmes to prove that he should in line for a title shot. Regal agreed to make the match and shook Ohno’s hand.
Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega were interviewed backstage. Almas was asked about his relationship with Vega. Zelina immediately interrupted and said that Almas didn’t need to answer that and said that she has known Almas for 7 years. Vega then added that nobody can defeat the new Almas and Andrade vowed to become the next NXT Champion at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
Dream dominated this match. Dream stomped on Bononi in the corner and the referee shoved him off of Bononi. Dream then shouted “don’t touch me!” and then planted Bononi with a Death Valley Bomb for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Velveteen Dream grabbed a microphone and said that he will make Aleister Black say his name at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.
Ruby Riot and Sonya Deville had a confrontation back in the training room. Riot was informed that she needs 1 or 2 more weeks to heal from her injury caused by Deville. Riot challenged Deville to a match when she was healthy and Sonya accepted.
Strong connected with a few chop sand then charged at Cole in the corner but Cole was able to get out of the way. Strong then hit a Dropkick that knocked Cole out of the ring. Strong leaped off the ring apron and kneed Cole in the face. Strong brought Cole back into the ring but Cole booted him in the face and Strong fell back out of the ring and to the floor as NXT went to a commercial break.
When NXT returned, Cole was still in control of the match and had Strong in a Chin Lock. The crowd chanted “Roddy!” as Strong powered back to his feet and broke the hold. Cole once again applied a Chin Lock and brought Strong back to the canvas. Strong once again broke free and hit a Backbreaker on Cole and both Superstars fell to the mat.
Cole was first to his feet but Strong blocked his punch and connected with a chop. Strong leveled Cole with a Clothesline and followed it up with another Backbreaker for a two count. Cole connected with an Enziguri for a two count. Strong then connected with an Enziguri of his own but Cole immediately hit a Super Kick. Cole followed it up with a Neckbreaker for a two count.
Strong connected with a knee to the face and then perched Cole up on the turnbuckle. Roderick Strong hit a ridiculous Backbreaker that slammed Cole’s back across the top turnbuckle. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly ran down to the ring and attacked Strong. The Authors of Pain and SAnitY then joined the party and a brawl broke out in the ring. NXT went off the air with Strong Superplexing Adam Cole onto the Author’s of Pain, SAnitY and Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly outside the ring.
WWE announced the following rules for the upcoming WarGames match set taking place at NXT Takeover later this month. The match will feature two rings inside a massive steel cage.
– Each group selects one member to start the bout inside the cage, while the remaining team members are locked inside shark cages by the entranceway.
– After five minutes, the final two members from one team enter the match, giving that group a brief yet brutal advantage.
– Three minutes later, the second team’s members are released, followed by the final team’s competitors following another three-minute period.
– Once all nine Superstars are inside the ruthless steel structure, the first competitor to pick up a pinfall or submission earns the victory for his side.
The three teams participating in the match include:
NXT Tag Team Champions SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain)
The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish)
