The March 25, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
- Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart def. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez.
- Pete Dunne (w/Oney Lorcan) def. Bobby Fish.
- Mercedes Martinez def. Zayda Ramier.
- Franky Monet def. Cora Jade.
- NXT Champion Karrion Kross def. Finn Balor
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Franky Monet’s In-Ring Debut
Franky Monet made her “world premiere” in-ring debut against Cora Jade in a short match.
Money dominated the match and went over with her finisher.
WWE started airing videos a few weeks ago where a Pomeranian dog was shown entering the WWE Performance Center and running around the building. The latest video showed the dog coming up to a woman in high heels.
The dog in the videos was Valkyrie and John Morrison’s Pomeranian Prince Presley. WWE also filed for the ring name in February.
Bobby Fish Returns
Bobby Fish returned to the ring against Pete Dunne.
WWE gave these guys plenty of time to work and this could have easily been the main event on any other show. Dunne went over. After the match, Oney Lorcan attacked Fish.
This marked the first time Fish has wrestled since undergoing triceps surgery following the WarGames match last December. This is where Undisputed Era defeated Pat McAfee, Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch at TakeOver: WarGames.
Two weeks ago, Fish returned to NXT TV to save Kyle O’Reilly from an attack by Dunne and Lorcan. Post-match, O’Reilly thanked Fish for saving him, but he told Fish that he’s doing his own thing now.
Last week, Fish was interviewed on NXT and said last week had little to do with O’Reilly, but mostly with getting revenge on Dunne and Lorcan for injuring him.
#1 Contender’s Match
Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzales vs Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon to determine the top contenders to the WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship was booked.
The match opened the show and was a fast-paced match that was fun. Moon pinned Kai with her finisher for the win. Post-match, Raquel attacked Moon and Blackheart. The heels stood tall.
As a result, these ladies will get the first shot at Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell’s NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles at an unknown date. Ironically, Gonzalez & Kai were the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, but they lost the titles to Blackheart & Moon on the same night that the titles were introduced.
Just three weeks ago, LeRae & Hartwell became NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions by defeating Blackheart & Moon in a street fight.
Stare Him Down
Ted DiBiase and Cameron Grimes had a “Million Dollar Faceoff.”
This came after DiBiase distracted Grimes last week, which caused him to lose a match against Jake Atlas. Over the past few weeks, DiBiase had appeared in videos where he used his wealth to upstage Grimes.
They did so in the ring. Grimes asked why Ted was doing the things to him and reminded the Hall of Famer that he wasn’t always rich. He said he looked up to Ted and tried to be him so he now knows he shouldn’t meet his idols. Ted said he sees himself in Grimes. Ted said he is here and looking for someone who embodies what he stands for. Ted said it’s not all about money, but also in-ring performance. Ted said that Grimes had lost his focus.
LA Knight came out and cut a promo about how he’s more important than Grimes, who is a nickel and dime. Ted said LA had a million dollar body and mind. Grimes told LA to get out of the ring or he will kick his ass to the moon. LA laid out Grimes. Ted told Grimes that he’s never going to get it then laughed.
Bronson Reed
New NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed addressed the fans after beating Johnny Gargano to win the title inside of a Steel Cage last week.
Reed stated that he is proof if you grind it out then you can get whatever you want. He wished good luck to anyone trying to take it from him. This led to Santos Esobcar and Legado Del Fantasma coming out to the ring.
Escobar said that Reed brought tears to their eyes, but can’t relate to anything Reed said because he was born a champion. He said this business belongs to him. He said that he is the pride of lucha libre. When he sees the North American Title, he sees the US and Mexico.
As the heels were circling Reed, MSK came out and cleared the ring. Reed hit a shoulder check to Escobar to end the segment.
Main Event
Finn Balor challenged Karrion Kross for his NXT Title, which ended up being saved as the main event and it went about 20 minutes.
The match saw them go back and forth early until Kross beat him down for a few minutes. Throughout the match, Balor worked over the midsection of Kross.
At one point, Kross had Balor in the rear-naked choke, but Balor got out of it. They brawled around the ring then Kross hit a few suplexes. Balor did a quick rollup for 2. Balor had his own sleeper in, but Kross hit a powerbomb to get out of it. Kross with some clubbing shots to the back of the head then locked in the rear-naked choke for the win.
Kross dethroned Balor as the NXT Champion last month at the NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver special, which marked the start of his second title reign.