NXT HITS & MISSES 5/13: Riddle & Thatcher vs. Imperium for NXT Tag Titles, Ripley speaks, Kross & Scarlett promo, Thatcher vs. Riddle, Balor vs. Grimes, Cruiserweight Tournament

NXT Tag Team Championship – Broserweights (Timothy Thatcher & Matt Riddle) vs. Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) – HIT: Kicking off this week’s NXT was an action packed tag team classic, pitting these two rival teams against one another. Thatcher started it off for the Broserweights with Barthel in for Imperium, showcasing their technical wrestling and mat work. Some may consider this a slow start, and it was. But for those of us who love this type of technical wrestling, it was an exciting start to the bout. Once Riddle entered the ring is when things really began to speed up. Imperium played their part well and kept Riddle away from Imperium, as you would expect out of a veteran team. They did such a great job of beating Riddle down, you could see the frustration build. It wasn’t until Riddle accidentally threw Barthel into Thatcher, knocking him off the apron, that he abandoned Riddle and walked up the ramp. Leaving this a handicapped match, it wasn’t long before Imperium picked up the win. Without Pete Dunne, I didn’t know how much further the Broserweights would go. Hell, with Dunne I didn’t know how much further it could go. Moving on to a new set of champions will give Riddle and Dunne a story to come back to once international travel is allowed again, and potentially gives Riddle and Thatcher a singles feud to occupy their time until that happens.  After the commercial break, Thatcher was interviewed backstage and asked why he turned on his partner.  He essentially said that he was fed up with Riddle’s immature behavior. When Riddle confronted him, it broke into a brawl that needed to be stopped by officials. Later on in the night, Riddle was Facetiming with William Regal, who made the match official for the night. Thatcher immediately attacked putting the match in question.

Teagan Nox vs. Indi Hartwell – HIT: Glad to see Hartwell getting some more time on TV, even if it was in a relatively short match. She did exactly what she was supposed to do. She gave Nox a formidable opponent that she could ultimately overcome, and she did it very well. A very enjoyable exhibition contest to showcase two talented female wrestlers.

Rhea Ripley Speaks – HIT: She cut a great promo about her loss at WrestleMania and Shirai’s loss to Charlotte just a few weeks ago. Shirai couldn’t get the job done, so Rhea came back to conquer the queen. My biggest complaint: Why would a babyface Rhea call Ric Flair a stupid old man? It seemed very out of place.

NXT Interim Cruiserweight Tournament – Tony Nese vs.  Jake Atlas – HIT: Unable to advance any further in the tournament, Nese was simply in the match to give Atlas an opponent to see if he could. If Atlas loses, he also loses his chances of advancing. This tournament has become my favorite thing on NXT week to week, and this match did not disappoint. Nese gave Atlas a believable fight and hurdle to overcome to advance. Very impressed with Atlas, and looking forward to seeing what the future holds for this up and comer.

The Undisputed Era “Bunch” – HIT: I had to make the obligatory “Hey! We look like the Brady Bunch!” joke whenever people are shown in a Zoom meeting. I’m an IT guy, so maybe I hear it more than most. Anyway. The U.E. had a Zoom call to discuss Cole’s victory over Dream, Dexter Lumis’ attack on Roddy and a slew of other storylines. A really cool “behind the scenes” look at these four great friends and killer stable. You could tell they were just having fun, not scripted, and hitting bullet points. Very entertaining.

A Look At Karrion Kross & Scarlett – HIT : Shot in very cinematic way, Karrion Kross said they aren’t here to “shock the system” or save us. They are our entertainment. Here to bring chaos to the brand. I wasn’t completely sold on the actual verbiage of the promo. But I loved the way it was produced, the way it was delivered, and how it came across to the audience. Really makes this duo feel important.

Kai Speaks on Why She Turned – HIT: Another Borash special, this video package showcases the outline of the feud between Kai and Nox. She said Nox wasn’t able to be a dominant partner, which is why she “Traded her in” for Reina Gonzales. Well produced and a good reminder of this feud that had seemingly been either cancelled or put on the back burner for the time being.

DX Invades NXT to make a major announcement – HIT: In what might be the first time I’ve actually seen a mask used in wrestling for social distancing purposes, a masked Shawn Michaels and unmasked HHH were shown backstage producing the show in “Regal’s absence. Of course, as soon as Michaels went to speak, he lifted the mask. Completely defeating the purpose. Road Dogg came out next, with a mask. Immediately removed it. Terrible, terrible social distancing practices all around here. Of course, its to promote the 25^th anniversary of In Your House. Since we are all stuck at home, NXT Takeover will return. June 7^th, NXT Takeover In Your House! Hit on the announcement. Miss on their social distancing.

Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes – HIT : Last week, Grimes was in the ring cutting a promo and compared himself to Balor. Balor took offense to this, setting up the match this week. Balor isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, though he has revitalized himself recently in NXT. But I certainly enjoyed watching Grimes do everything he could to thwart Balor’s offense. I have been extremely impressed with and entertained by Grimes and you really got to see him shine here tonight. He really brought it to Balor and looked like he could hang with a former Universal Champion. Damian Priest’s interjected himself towards the end of the match, using the nightstick to take out the knee of Balor, allowing Grimes to get the upset victory! I certainly enjoyed the journey these two talents took me on, even if Grimes didn’t get a clean win. It’s still a major win, and arguably his biggest win to date. Priest casually laid a chair in the ring, waited for Balor to stand up and delivered the Day of Reckoning on the chair. He then used the chair to pin Balor down and said that he was the man who attacked Balor weeks back, setting up a very enticing feud.

NXT Interim Championship Tournament – Jack Gallagher vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott – HIT : Like Nese earlier in the night, Gallagher has already been eliminated from advancing in the tournament and just served as an opponent for Swerve. Speaking of Nese, he ran down and attacked Swerve for his comments earlier in the night regarding the wrestlers who couldn’t even win one match in the tournament. The match started, and Gallagher nearly pinned Swerve in the first 5 seconds. Gentleman Jack was anything but a gentleman, bringing the fight to a wounded Swerve. Ultimately, Swerve wasn’t able to fight back to prove his worth in the tournament, now leaving Swerve 1-2. An excellent story, great wrestling and another reason why cruiserweight wrestling should never be overlooked.

Kayden Karter vs. Aliyah – HIT: I expected this to be a short match. But I didn’t expect it to be this short, nor did I expect Karter to pick up the win since Aliyah had just returned a few weeks ago, and got the attention of Robert Stone just last week. Stone made his way out after Aliyah’s loss and seemingly shrugged her off instead of welcoming her to the brand. Is Stone just going to have a stable of jobbers, or will he turn these women around into stars?

Dinner with the Garganos – HIT: Back at their dinner table, the two talked about Johnny’s recent win over Dijakovic. Obnoxious heel work from Dijakovic and I loved every second of it. He said that Dijak learned a lesson as the camera went black and white and his whole demeanor changed, as it did three weeks ago. It happened a bit later on as he switched gears to Keith Lee. Candice had a similar moment as she talked about the state of the women’s division, then turned to the camera and called Kacy Catanzaro an example of what they will do to any man or woman that stands in their way. I love this new incarnation of Mr. & Mrs. Johnny Wrestling.

Matt Riddle vs. Timothy Thatcher – HIT : These two former Tag Champions wasted no time getting straight to it. This felt more like a fight with the two styles and backgrounds of Thatcher and Riddle respectively. A lot of strong style, amateur wrestling, strikes, kicks and holds. Personally, I really enjoyed this contest. It wasn’t your typical flashy NXT main event. Instead, just a brutal looking contest between two new rivals. However, I can’t help but feel that this match won’t be critically acclaimed as this style of wrestling certainly isn’t for everyone, nor do I feel like it catered to the usual NXT crowd. I’m not complaining, I just have a feeling others may. As far as I’m concerned, Thatcher proved himself a worthy singles competitor in the NXT upper to main event card.

RECOMMENDED: 5/13 NXT ON USA REPORT: Wells’s report on Balor vs. Grimes, Riddle & Thatcher vs. Imperium, “Major Announcement”