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Coming off last week’s mini Takeover special on the USA Network, NXT looks to brighten up WWE casual fans’ moods coming off the lacklustre Hell in a Cell PPV. For the first time the NXT Cruiserweight Championship will be up for grabs as Drew Gulak defends his title against Lio Rush.
In another first, WWE United Kingdom Champion Walter clashes with Kushida in single’s action. How will NXT Champion Adam Cole respond after the surprise returns of Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa. Plus who will step up to the plate and challenge Shayna Baszler for her NXT Women’s Title.
Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuiness and Beth Phoenix will call the action as NXT will broadcast live on the USA Network from Full Sail University. Here’s what currently advertised for tonight’s show:
- Lio Rush challenges Drew Gulak for the NXT Crusierweight Championship
- Kushida and Walter to clash tonight on NXT
- How will Finn Bálor’s arrival impact NXT?
- How will Tommaso Ciampa’s quest to regain the NXT Title continue?
- Can anyone stop Shayna Baszler?
Matches and Segments
NXT Cruiserweight Championship Match: Drew Gulak vs. Lio Rush
Lio Rush made a surprise return to WWE as he appeared on NXT and defeated Oney Lorcan in a Number One contenders match. The question remains is the time now for the “Man of the Hour” or will Drew Gulak put Lio’s rush on hold.
https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1181553777440120833
Tomorrow night on #NXTonUSA, watch @itsLioRush catch the beating of a lifetime as I defend MY #Cruiserweight title! The longer I am CHAMPION the more dangerous I become. IF CHANGE IS THE RULE, I AM THE LAW! pic.twitter.com/2HLAUh8cnC
— Drew Gulak (@DrewGulak) October 8, 2019
Amin’s Analysis: This should be a very good match and I also expect the fans to give this match a chance. Gulak and Rush know they finally have the platform to showcase their ability and show what kind of matches the WWE Cruiserweight’s are capable of delivering.
Kushida clashes with Walter Tonight on NXT
WWE United Kingdom Champion Walter had made his presence felt since NXT debut on the USA Network. Kushida has taken exception to Imperium presence and warned Walter that he’s on the Japanese sensation’s time. Walter wasn’t pleased as he laid out Kushida right after he had a hard fought victory over Imperium in a six-man tag team match. The question what will happen with Kushida and Walter clash for the first time on NXT.
Time is coming⌚️⌚️⌚️
The Wednesday is coming.
Tomorrow 8pm〜 @USA_Network pic.twitter.com/cTeikQLKNy— KUSHIDA (@KUSHIDA_0904) October 8, 2019
TOMORROW !@WWENXT pic.twitter.com/sE6YPXus6H
— WALTER (@WalterAUT) October 8, 2019
(Amin’s Analysis: AEW and NXT on USA is the best thing to happen for wrestling fans as they are actually giving us Kushida vs. Walter on TV. Kushida and Walter are two amazing wrestlers and I expect to see great things from this match. This will be Kushida’s biggest match since joining NXT and a victory over Walter can elevate him to main event status and could lead to a possible championship match.)
How will Finn Bálor’s arrival impact NXT?
The biggest surprise on Wednesday night came immediately after Cole successfully defended his NXT Title against Matt Riddle. Mauro Ranallo said, to the surprise of most fans, “Finn Balor has returned home!” The question is what does Balor have in store for Cole and will he look to join Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe as the only two-time NXT Champion.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1179552971362668545
All smiles, because my show (@WWENXT) airs tomorrow night live on USA Network. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, #UndisputedERA is NXT. #AdamColeBayBay pic.twitter.com/nb6TT9WcY0
— Adam Cole (@AdamColePro) October 8, 2019
August 1, 2014. October 2nd, 2019. #WelcomeHome @FinnBalor #WWENXT #WeAreNXT #NXTonUSA pic.twitter.com/bSPggPDGqh
— Triple H (@TripleH) October 3, 2019
(Amin’s Analysis: This was amazing and totally unexpected to see Balor back in NXT. Since relinquishing the Universal Championship in 2016, Balor has been completely under used on WWE TV. This can be really exciting for fans as a run in NXT can totally refresh Balor’s character and in due time as possible heel turn could be on the horizon as well. This adds more star power and Balor can now face a whole different variety of challengers before going after the NXT Title.)
How will Tommaso Ciampa’s quest to regain the NXT Title continue?
Adam Cole’s night wasn’t done as the surprises kept coming with the return of former NXT Champion Tomasso Ciampa who had to relinquish the title due to neck surgery. The question is what is Ciampa willing to do to get “Goldie” back in his possession. Will Ciampa be the one to end The Undisputed Era’s prophecy?
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1179580822711492608
March 7 – Neck Surgery
October 2 – NXT Return
October 3 – WWE2K20 Return
??? – GOLDIE Returns pic.twitter.com/3UmXhuWO3P
— BLACKHEART (@NXTCiampa) October 3, 2019
No matter who you are, you can’t end this prophecy. #UEisNXT pic.twitter.com/TvGlltzbkS
— Adam Cole (@AdamColePro) October 3, 2019
(Amin’s Analysis: Ciampa has been posting video of him training to make a comeback. With the addition of Balor, the NXT Championship picture got even more exciting now as Cole now has challengers lined up. With weeks remaining before TakeOver: WarGames it will be intriguing to see who get the championship opportunity first.)
Who can stop Shayna Baszler
After successfully defending the NXT Women’s Title against Candice LeRae last week the question is who will challenge Shayna Baszler as the Queen of Spades has had the NXT Women’s Title firmly in her grasp since October of last year.
…can anyone dethrone @QoSBaszler? It doesn't seem likely. #AndStill pic.twitter.com/LH5ei9vlua
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) October 3, 2019
#ShaynaTwoTime #AndStill https://t.co/TXdMyLBhkn
— Shayna Baszler (@QoSBaszler) October 4, 2019
(Amin’s Analysis: My guess is Rhea Ripley would be next in line to challenge Baszler. I think it’s too early for both Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox who are back from injury. I would love to see my favourite wrestler Io Shirai get another chance but I don’t think that’s happening because Baszler is a heel and I’m guessing they don’t want to two heel to face off. My thinking is they are waiting for the right time before they put the title on Shirai. Shirai is the best wrestler and the star of the division who doesn’t need the title. She’s that great. I can’t say for sure but my guess is that’s Triple H thinking as well.)
The Big Takeaway from last week’s show
With the use of his cast, Adam Cole defeated Matt Riddle in a terrific match to retain the NXT Title. The bigger story was the return of Finn Balor who made his intention clear that he’s NXT. In a hard fought battle, Baszler defeated LeRae to retain her NXT Women’s Title. Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly defeated The Street Profit to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles. The big angle came after the match as Tomasso Ciampa retuned as he confronted Cole to remind him he wants “Goldie” back.
Closing Thoughts
This should be another exciting episode of NXT with two great wrestling matches on deck. The return of Balor and Ciampa should also bring tons of intrigue to the show. I also wouldn’t be surprised if those are the only two additions you see on the show with NXT on USA fans should expect the unexpected. As a wrestling fans, I can’t wait to see the show. When it comes to the “Wednesday Night Wars” it will be interesting to see if NXT will bounce back this week when it comes to the ratings. AEW won the first week but the real winners are fans of professional wrestling. Enjoy the ride because it just started and Wednesday night is the best night for fans of Professional Wrestling.
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