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NXT TV REPORT
SEPTEMBER 19, 2018
ORLANDO, FL AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY HARLEY R. PAGEOT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson
Video package touting “the biggest match in NXT television history”, tonight’s main event with the UK and North American titles both on the line.
-Opening theme.
-In the arena we kicked things off with Dakota Kai’s music. She wore a jean jacket over her usual ring gear.
(1) LACEY EVANS & ALIYAH vs. DEONNA PURRAZZO & DAKOTA KAI
Evans and Purrazzo started things off. Lock-up. Wrist-locks exchanged. Headlock from Purrazzo took Evans down to the mat. Evans with a headscissors. Purrazzo handstood out of it and did her Virtuosa curtsy. Evans tagged to Aliyah. Kick to the spine of Purrazzo. Purrazzo with a boot and a tag to Kai. She immediately tagged back out. Purrazzo worked over Aliyah’s left arm but Evans made a tag. Purrazzo countered a tilt-a-whirl into an armbar attempt. Evans escaped and hit a forearm to the back of the head. Tag to Aliyah. A series of strikes from Aliyah and she let out a fierce scream. Tag to Evans but Aliyah pulled Purrazzo backward over the bottom rope by the hair. The referee yelled for her to let go but she took until the five-count. Aliyah kicked away Kai’s outstretched hand when she looked for a tag. The heels worked over Purrazzo in their corner. Frequent tags in and out. Purrazzo made the hot tag. Kai with strikes to Aliyah, followed by her running kicks in the corner. Evans broke up the pinfall. Evans made a blind tag and hit the Women’s Right to Kai.
WINNERS: Aliyah & Evans in 7:36.
(Pageot’s Perspective: I’m playing Renee to Justin James’ Coachman this week but rest assured he’ll be back next Wednesday to gush over Velveteen Dream. Nothing particularly special about this one. Aliyah’s new heel persona got the biggest spotlight and Purrazzo was given a long stretch to show off her ability to sell while Evans’ knockout punch continues to be put over as one of the top finishers in the women’s division. As for Kai, she hit her two running kicks in the corner before getting pinned and that was about it…)
-Velveteen Dream was backstage surrounded by a cluster of microphones and iPhones. A reporter asked how he intends to carry forward the momentum from his TakeOver win over EC3. Dream of course pointed out that he’s beaten Johnny Gargano since then. They tried to ask about the Aleister Black investigation but Dream had no interest in discussing anyone other than himself. He walked off.
-A Street Profits video played with Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford walking down a suburban sidewalk at night, heading home from the basketball court. The camera approached them, being carried by an unseen girl. She asked who won the basketball game but they laughed it off. Lightning flashed in the background. She said they lost their last match because The Mighty stole their chains. Why did they care? They were just chains. Ford said they’re not just chains, they’re a symbol of his struggle to success. [C]
-Video recap of Bianca Belair vs. Nikki Cross from last week and the double count-out and subsequent brawl.
Last week, after we went off the air, Sarah Schreiber met up with Belair backstage. She asked what happened. Belair called Cross crazy but admitted she took it to a level she wasn’t expecting. She said she’s not backing down and is still undefeated.
(2) JAXSON RYKER vs. HUMBERTO CARRILLO
The former Gunner of TNA hurled Carrillo across the ring. He was aggressive in the early moments, stomping away on Carrillo in the corner. He rubbed Carrillo’s face back and forth across the mat. Carrillo springboarded into a right hand from Ryker. Ryker bounced Carrillo off the top rope in powerbomb position and then turned and released him into a jackknife.
WINNER: Jaxson Ryker in 2:11.
(Pageot’s Perspective: The Eric Young-esque beard + crazy eyes combo that Ryker did before the match certainly doesn’t help fight the Sanity 2.0 vibes that Forgotten Sons have so far. He was aggressive here but it’s hard to show off anything in particular in just two minutes. The absence of Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler from ringside was odd in that you’d think they’d want to really be selling us on the trio as a faction in these early stages. Carrillo is the former Último Ninja, Mexican luchador and member of the Garza family.)
-In the general manager’s office Candice LeRae was wrapping up her Aleister Black investigation interview with William Regal and his secretary. She apologized for not being much help but said she, Kassius Ohno, and Kairi Sane couldn’t see anything from where they were seated at the time. However, cowardly attack + disregard for authority + attempt to ruin somebody’s life… Who does that remind them of? Regal very delicately said that they’ve already cleared Tommaso Ciampa as being the culprit and asked LeRae about the whereabouts of her husband during the attack. She said she and Johnny Gargano have been trying to keep their work lives separate lately but he showered after that week’s NXT show and then they drove home together.
-Pete Dunne was shown backstage with his UK title, then Ricochet elsewhere backstage with his North American title.
-Video package on the Ricochet-Dunne feud and Undisputed Era’s involvement. [C]
-Keith Lee vignette. He spoke in platitudes about what “limitless” means while seated on ring steps and posing in the ring.
-Video recap of EC3 accusing Lars Sullivan of being the Aleister Black attacker at TakeOver and Sullivan responding by attacking EC3 three weeks ago.
-Ricochet entered first, then Dunne. Kayla Braxton handled full championship introductions. This was the first-ever champion vs. champion match in NXT, winner takes all.
(3) NXT UK CHAMPION PETE DUNNE vs. NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION RICOCHET – TITLE VS. TITLE
Dueling “one and only”/”bruiserweight” chants. Dunne worked Ricochet to the mat quickly and did his joint manipulation. Ricochet came back with some mat wrestling and leg-locks of his own. The fans continued to chant non-stop rather than engage with and respond to the actual in-ring developments. More mat-based holds and reversals from both men. Dunne with a surfboard at 4:45. Dunne ducked into the ropes to force a break of a wristlock but then followed with a cheap shot, which the referee admonished. That changed Ricochet’s approach to the match who decided that if Dunne wasn’t going to mat-wrestle him cleanly then he’d meet him with his own style.
Suicide dive wiped out Dunne on the floor but he took control again immediately in the ring. Dunne bent back Ricochet’s fingers and arm with Ricochet down on the mat. More of the same from Dunne. Ricochet with a somersault clothesline. 619 on Dunne in the corner. Springboard back elbow. They dodged each other’s offense. Ricochet avoided The Bitter End and hit a running shooting star press to Dunne’s back. Dunne avoided a standing moonsault a short while later. He stomped repeatedly on the outstretched hand of Ricochet. Ricochet with a knee to the jaw but he springboarded into a right hand. Explex but Ricochet kicked out. Ricochet avoided The Bitter End again. Enziguiri sent Dunne to the floor. A second explex to Ricochet on the apron. Reverse hurricanrana to Dunne in the ring.
Trades of strikes. Handspring into a DDT from Ricochet. Ricochet went up top but Dunne met him on the top rope. With both men standing on the top ropes Ricochet leapt even higher into a hurricanrana that sent them both plummeting to the mat. Ricochet looked for the 630 but Dunne caught him with a triangle choke. Ricochet powered him up into a powerbomb. Dunne cracked Ricochet’s fingers and locked in the kimura but Ricochet powered out again into a brainbuster. From a kneeling position they threw hands at each other until Undisputed Era ran out for the obvious interference and jumped both men.
WINNER: No contest in 21:40. Both men retain.
-War Raiders followed close behind and chased Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly from the ring. They regrouped amid the crowd and laughed until War Raiders pursued them. Ricochet and Dunne came to in the ring. The referee handed both title belts back to their respective owners. They stood with their belts over their shoulders and looked at one another to end the show.
(Pageot’s Perspective: Not quite the “fight forever” all-time classic Full Sail wanted it to be but a great match on the back half. The story of Ricochet wanting to show he can do more than just fly and meet Dunne in a straight-up wrestling match to start was fun and it was the quasi-heel Dunne who broke the fair competition first with a cheap shot, thus giving Ricochet permission to break the rules himself and take to the air. The Undisputed Era double DQ finish was something you could see coming from two miles away, so much so that I was convinced they had to know this and have something more intriguing in mind. Plus now we just got two non-finishes in the main event two weeks in a row.
Dunne still wants the North American title and Ricochet must still want to prove he can beat him one-on-one, right? So a rematch with UE banned from ringside? Or in a steel cage? I’m sure it won’t happen but I’m also obligated to point out that it makes absolutely no sense for them to just to go their separate ways and never speak of this again. Or maybe this is all just setting up these two + War Raiders vs. the four Undisputed guys in War Games.)
-Next week: it’s Lars Sullivan in action and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Otis Dozovic in a non-title affair.
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