The January 20, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
- Kushida and Leon Ruff def. Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory
- Karrion Kross def. Ashante “Thee” Adonis
- Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) def. Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner)
- Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro def. Toni Storm & Mercedes Martine
- Bronson Reed def. Tyler Rust
- Timothy Thatcher def. Tommaso Ciampa in the Fight Pit.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match
Toni Storm & Mercedes Martinez vs. Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter in a Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match was booked.
This was the first match of the tournament to take place. Unlike the men’s tournament, there are not as many teams in it, which means there won’t be as many matches. There is no second round so the winners of the first-round matches will move onto the semi-finals.
Io Shirai came out and took out Martinez for revenge. Kacey hit a dive off the top rope for the win.
As a result of this win, they will move onto face the winner of Aliyah & Jessi Kamea vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez.
Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match
Kushida and Leon Ruff vs. NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory took place in a Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match.
This opened the show. The heels dominated most of the match. There was a spot where Ruff accidentally took out Kushida that led to a double team spot with Gargano and Theory. The baby faces made a comeback with the finish seeing Kushida pinning Gargano with a suplex.
As a result of this win, they will move onto face the winner of Grizzled Young Veterans. It should be noted that WWE has recently teased Kushida coming after Gargano’s North American Title and with him pinning the champ, this sets up a future title match after the tournament. Something to keep an eye on.
Imperium vs. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado
Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) vs. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado took place in a Men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match.
The match had some fun moments with the babyfaces hitting some high spots. It felt like old school versus new school with the way that each team works, but they made it good. After a commercial break, the babyfaces made a comeback including Metalik hitting a springboard moonsault off the top rope for 2. Imperium hit a double team move to Dorado for a near fall.
Dorado hit a shooting star press for the win. Many people would consider this was an upset as Imperium were one of the favorites to win the match.
As a result of this win, they will move onto face the winner of Legado Del Fantasma.
Fight Pit Match
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher took place in the fight pit, which is a fan favorite after the company booked this gimmick themed match earlier this year. Thatcher was also involved in the first match by defeating Matt Riddle this May. Kurt Angle was the special guest referee for it.
The match featured them beating the heck out of each other. They brawled on top of the structure then into the cage. The finish saw Thatcher pin Ciampa’s leg in between the cage and Thatcher pulled on it until Ciampa tapped out. It was a brutal match. Now, Thatcher moves to a 2-0 record in the fight pit.
Ciampa defeated Thatcher in their match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames earlier this month. On last week’s episode, Leon Ruff got a surprise win by pinning Thatcher with a cradle. Post-match, Thatcher beat down Ruff until Ciampa ran out to make the save. Ciampa laid out Thatcher with the Willow’s Bell DDT. This is when Ciampa laid out the challenge.