6/19 NXT TV REPORT: Undisputed Era vs. Dream, Riddle, & Breeze, Priest’s re-debut

NXT TV REPORT
JUNE 19, 2019
TAPED IN ORLANDO, FL. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
STREAMED ON WWE NETWORK
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Beth Phoenix

Undisputed Era start the night coming to the ring, showing united and new merch. They get a babyface reaction. Adam Cole says that he told us so, and that his victory is the start of fulfilling his prophesy of gold for the Undisputed Era. He says they don’t start at the bottom, they start at the top and take what they want. He says that winning the NXT Championship is the start of them remaking the NXT Universe into an “undisputed image”. Cole runs a new version of the NXT intro package, with nothing but the Undisputed Era wreaking havoc. I have to say, that was clever. Kyle O’Reilly gets the mic and says it wasn’t a big deal, he just threw the video together last night. Roderick Strong is buddying all over O’Reilly as Bobby Fish coddles Cole’s championship. Cole says the other champions need to shine their gold up for Strong, Fish, and O’Reilly. Cole says not even William Regal or Triple H can stop them.

Velveteen Dream cuts Cole off. Dream says, “Adam, no one can touch you? I would like to touch you.” Huge reaction for that. Dream says that it isn’t Cole that has made NXT must-see, but him. Dreams says that the NXT Championship would look amazing paired with his NXT North American Championship. Strong disagrees and tells Dream to “Dream on” and says that Dream has no business being the NXT North American Champion. Matt Riddle comes out. “Bro, seriously, how hard did I hit you at Takeover?” He reminds us that he beat Strong and Cole. Matt cuts Cole off and says “I know, I’m insanely good looking, and I’m a stallion.” Cole responds with “Riddle, shut up you moron, you’re jealous” because Cole has an NXT Grand Slam, Strong has been a champion, and he’s blown his championship matches. Cole tells Riddle to return to writing online reviews for Attitude Era wrestlers. Cole says the Attitude Era is over and there never will be a Riddle Era, because this is the Undisputed Era.

Tyler Breeze’s music hits. We just need one more interruption to get an eight man all-babyface tag team match. Another huge pop. Breeze says he was listening while talking to Regal. He doesn’t care who is undisputed or who is better looking (which, by the way, is him), but he does care about the Undisputed Era taking credit for the success of NXT when he built it before any of them were there. Regal took Breeze’s suggestion and booked Breeze, Dream, and Riddle against three members of Undisputed Era. Dream isn’t happy, but Riddle and Breeze are.

The announcers remind us that next week, Shayna Baszler defends the NXT Women’s Championship against Io Shirai in a Steel Cage match.

This has the feeling of hot shot booking to either get Shirai out of the picture to pave the way for Mia Yim to challenge next, or to get the title off of Baszler to call her up. There is no reason to have this match, never mind for it to be a cage match, at this point in the feud.

Perennial NXT favorite Raul Mendoza is out for a match. He is facing the re-debuting Damian Priest (formerly Punishment Martinez). The announcers treat it as if we have never seen him before. McGuinness describes him as a rockstar who is popular with women.

1. RAUL MENDOZA vs. DAMIAN PRIEST

Mendoza has a harder look to him, with dark ring gear and a beard. Big boot from Priest to start, then big punches in the corner. Stiff whip and an elbow as Mendoza bounces. Mendoza with strikes but Priest absorbs it, boxes the ears and puts Mendoza in the corner again. Mendoza tries a lightning quick babyface rally, reminding us why we like him so much. Mendoza walks the top rope from the corner to the middle then hits a turnbuckle, sending Priest out of the ring. Priest knocks him silly, puts him int he ring, spinning kick to the head, then a spinning cutter ends it.

Winner: Damian Priest at 2:15. Good match as you would expect from these two. I like the new packaging of Priest if you can get past the comparison to Aleister Black and Andrade.

Backstage, William Regal says the Performance Center is overflowing with talent, so there will be an eight-man single elimination tournament called the NXT Breakout Tournament, with the winner getting a championship match of their choice. The competitors are: Jordan Miles (ACH), Boa, Cameron Grimes (Trevor Lee), Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (Shane Strickland), Dexter Lumis (Sam Shaw), Bronson Reed (Jonah Rock), Angel Garza (Humberto Garza), and Joaquin Wilde (DJZ). They make sure to show their former ring names on screen as well, a nice touch.

Video package on Mia Yim. She talks about growing up in the middle of a gang war in Los Angeles in the late 80’s/early 90’s. She says she was rejected because she is part black and part Asian. She thanks the fans and says that she is in NXT because of their support, and she won’t let them down. She calls herself the rose that grew from concrete, and vows to protect the locker room from the bully Shayna Baszler. They have to bleep her out at the end.

This is the exact thing they needed to do with Yim a few months ago. Better late than never, but she has been swimming uphill without these few minutes to present her mission statement.

2. TAYANARA CONTI vs. XIA LI

Handshake show of respect out of the bell from the two babyfaces, then a test of strength. Conti slips inside, takedown for one, then Li does the same. They trade waistlicks. Judo toss from Conti, schoolgirl from Li for two. Another judo throw from Conti, she teases Li, who backs her to the ropes with a flurry of kicks and bows. They speed things up a touch. Dropkick puts Conti down, but Li gets her foot stuck in the ropes and Conti knocks her down and says “Latinas do it better”. Conti covers for two, some kicks, then another two. Conti is acting more heeling here. Conti drags Li around by the hair then nails leaping double knees in the corner, a rolling throw, cover for two. Conti locks in a seated bow and arrow. Li gets to her feet so Conti kicks her in the corner. Li dodges a double knees then sweeps the leg. Big boot then a variety of kicks and Conti is reeling. Conti ducks one roundhouse, takes a second delivered with no hesitation which is good for the win.

Winner: Xia Li at 4:30. Good match to put them both over and re-establish Conti as a heel or maybe a tweener.

Video package with new NXT Tag Team Champions Street Profits. Montez Ford has traed his hat for a crown. Angelo Dawkins says next week they face the Forgotten Sons. They accidentally knock Ford’s crown off. They greet NXT fans from the top of a car outside of Full Sail Arena, including superfan Kyle.

3. UNDISPUTED ERA (NXT Champion ADAM COLE & RODERICK STRONG & BOBBY FISH w/Kyle O’Reilly) vs. NXT North American Champion VELVETEEN DREAM & MATT RIDDLE & TYLER BREEZE – Six Man Tag Team Match

Good to see Fish not wearing a sling. Riddle and Cole start. Riddle hits a pair of waistlock takedowns then a kneebar, Strong enters the ring to distract Riddle, letting Cole put Riddle in the corner. Rapid tags bring in Fish then Strong. A gutwrench suplex and then another let Riddle cover strong but it is only one. Dream tags in, double axe handler and hip shimmies. Dream poses some more. Strong lands a shot to the middle to Dream coming off the top, then tags Fish. Fish backs Dream to the corner, Dream fights out. Dream knocks Cole and Strong off the corner, bulldog to Fish, springboard moonsault for two. Breeze tags in and gets sent to the corner, where Cole knocks him silly. Breeze has a dropkick then brings Riddle in. Riddle hits a suplex and gets two. Riddle drops knees on the mat to Cole. Cole elbows away from a gutwrench suplex, Riddle dodges an enziguri, the action breaks down a bit. Riddle has bit strikes to Cole, exploder suplex, senton, a distraction lets Fish interfere in the match. Tag to Strong, backbreaker to Riddle. Riddle ends up in the corner and the tags catch up with him. Fish has rapid strikes and Cole is back in. Riddle makes a comeback, but Cole reverses some sort of overhead move into a backstabber for two, and makes a tag to Strong. High angle suplex earns Strong two.

Strong delivers strikes on the mat but Riddle covers himself. Fish is tagged, slingshot senton then a snp suplex for two. Fish settles into a body scissors on Riddle. Cole cheapshots Dream off the apron, but that lets Riddle finally make a comeback. Cole steps on Riddle’s foot, then kicks the knee. Riddle catches himoff the top, tag to Breeze and Breeze is on fire. Supermodel kick to the apron, enziguri to Fish, and a leaping elbow in the corner. Breeze hits the Beauty Shot, cover, but Strong yanks Fish out of the ring. Dream tags in just as Breeze thinks of a dive to the outside. They argue in the ring. Cole cheapshots Riddle, Dream and Breeze hit a double superkick to Cole, Strong gets in it, leaping knee, suplex into a backbreaker to Dream for the full three count.

Winners: Undisputed Era at 9:16. Really hot match here without a moment of downtime or the extended beatdowns that can bore a crowd.

Post-match, Riddle and Dream have a bit of an argument.

If NXT is looking to counter AEW, episodes like this, and eight-man tournaments featuring well-known talent they brought in recently from the independent circuit is the way to do it. The absence of Johnny Gargano is notable, though it is almost an afterthought at this point. With Undisputed Era, Riddle, Dream, and now Breeze sitting at the top of the card I don’t even notice that Gargano wasn’t there.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 6/12 NXT TV REPORT: Lorcan & Burch vs. Undisputed Era, KUSHIDA vs. Gulak in a submission match