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7/1 NXT ON USA PRIMER: Great American Bash week one preview including Sasha Banks vs. Io Shirai, Ripley vs. Roger Stone & Aliya, Lumis vs. Strong in strap match

By Amin Ajani, PWTorch contributor

July 1, 2020

Io Shirai vs. Sasha Banks
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

A long storied wrestling tradition returns but to the black and yellow brand as NXT presents the Great American Bash. For the first-time ever NXT Women’s Champion my favourite Io Shirai will face Sasha Banks. Plus, Dexter Lumis will go against Roderick Strong in a Strap Match. That’s not all as Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Mia Yim, and Tegan Nox will compete in a Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match to determine the next contender for the NXT Women’s Title. This is sure to be an exciting and jammed packed episode of NXT which airs tonight on the USA Network. Let’s now take a look at what’s currently advertised for tonight’s show.

ADVERTISED MATCHES & SEGMENTS

  • NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai faces Sasha Banks at The Great American Bash
  • Dexter Lumis faces Roderick Strong in NXT’s first-ever Strap Match
  • Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae and Dakota Kai to meet in Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match to determine No. 1 Contender for NXT Women’s Title
  • Rhea Ripley takes on Aliyah & Robert Stone in a Handicap Match
  • Oney Locan squares off with Timothy Thatcher at The Great American Bash

NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai faces Sasha Banks at The Great American Bash

My favourite Io Shirai has declared that NXT is hers how but Sasha Banks looks to prove otherwise as they will compete tonight for the first-time ever in a non-title match. Shirai reminded Banks & Bayley as she sent them packing from her ring after they successfully defended the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles against Shotzi Blackheart & Tegan Nox. Banks took exception to Shirai’s claim as she posted a video challenging her to a match at The Great American Bash. My favourite Shirai wanting to prove she’s a fighting champion and it’s her NXT, she accepted the match. The question is who will stand tall in the first-ever single’s match.

https://twitter.com/shirai_io/status/1276975565040504833

https://twitter.com/shirai_io/status/1273443671967436801

https://twitter.com/AminAjani/status/1278107713487228929

(Amin’s Analysis: This is going to be amazing as both Io Shirai and Sasha Banks are tremendous wrestler. Very interested to see how this match plays out as I can some different scenarios for a finish. Banks winning due to Bayley’s outside interference could be something I could certainly see happening. This could lead to a rematch at the next TakeOver special where Shirai gets her win back. There could also be a scenario where we get a DQ finish but Asuka appears to help Shirai to lead to a WWE Women’t Tag Team Title match on night two of the Great American Bash. The main outcome I would prefer seeing is my favourite Io Shirai getting a clean win over Banks establishing her as the top star of the NXT Women’s Division.)

Dexter Lumis faces Roderick Strong in NXT’s first-ever Strap Match

Roderick Strong will have nowhere to run tonight as he faces Dexter Lumis in NXT’s first-ever Strap Match. NXT Champion Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly looked to help Strong remove Lumis from his mind by providing some “Undisputed Therapy.” However, it didn’t work out as Strong wanted no part of Lumis who was awarded a count-out victory last week. With nowhere to run, the question is how will Strong fare against Lumis in a Strap Match?

(Amin’s Analysis: The Strap Match stipulation works with all the angles of Roderick Strong being hesitant to face Dexter Lumis and with last week’s count-out finish. I’ve enjoyed the angle leading up as Strong has been the standout with his reactions and helping build up Lumis’s unique character. This should be solid as I expect both Lumis as Strong are solid a hard wrestling match.)

Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and Dakota Kai to meet in Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match to determine No. 1 Contender for NXT Women’s Title

The next challenge for my favourite Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship will be decided tonight as Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, Mia Yim and Tegan Nox will compete in a No 1. Contender’s Fatal Four-Way Elimination Match. Kai has made it clear she want the first chance at Shirai after picking up wins in recent weeks. LeRae would love the chance to get another match with Shirai after coming up short in one of the best NXT matches at TakeOver: Toronto. Nox who had an impressive showing against Banks & Bayley looks to show everyone that’s she’s more than a tag team specialist and wining this match can go a long way for her. Yim who’s come up short in her quest to become champion, will have a chance to redeem herself but can also get a measure of revenge on LeRae as their issues look to be far from over. The question is who will come out on top and challenge Shirai for the NXT Women’s Title?

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1277809615619702787

https://twitter.com/DakotaKai_WWE/status/1275968174194819072

(Amin’s Analysis: This should be another solid match featuring four talented wrestlers. Making this an elimination match brings a more interesting twist to keep the audience guessing. Nox’s comeback story is something that would really engage the NXT audience. She’s a great wrestler, has a very likeable presence and I think they should continue to build her character up before leading to a match with Shirai. Yim has had solid matches with Shirai in the past but with her ongoing rivalry with LeRae, I don’t see her winning as well. I attended TakeOver: Toronto live to see my favourite Io Shirai wrestler as she and LeRae stole the show in an incredible match. Would enjoy seeing them have another for the NXT Women’s Title but as noted with her rivalry with Yim, don’t think she will win either. This leads to Kai who’s a great wrestler and her pairing with Raquel Gonzalez has clicked. Kai winning is the right choice as she and Shirai would have a great match. This could also lead to my favourite Shirai’s full babyface turn overcoming both Kai and Gonzalez to retain her NXT Women’s Title.)

Rhea Ripley takes on Aliyah & Robert Stone in a Handicap Match

After being dumped in the trash on multiple occasions, Robert Stone will have another chance to acquire his biggest client as he and Aliyah will face Rhea Ripley in a Handicap Match. Despite, Stone’s distraction Ripley picked up a solid win over Aliyah last week. This time around the stakes are higher as Ripley must win because of she doesn’t, she must join the Robert Stone Brand. The question is can Ripley overcome the odds again or will she be the biggest client to join the Robert Stone Brand?

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1275945069615501312

(Amin’s Analysis: The interaction between Ripley and Stone has been fun to watch but this storyline hasn’t clicked with me at all. Ripley was one of the biggest stars on NXT but has lost tons of momentum after losing the title to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania. I’ve noted a possible heel turn could help Ripley get back on track and is it possible that this program leads to that happening?)

Oney Locan squares off with Timothy Thatcher at The Great American Bash

During the past week’s Timothy Thatcher has welcomed his class to “Thatch-as-Thatch can” giving painful demonstrations on how to properly apply wrestling holds. Well, Oney Locan wasn’t impressed by these teachings challenging Thatcher to a match. NXT General Manager William Regal took notice as he made the match official. The question is will Thatcher take Lorcan to school, or will Oney show he rules the wrestling ring?

(Amin’s Analysis: This should be great physical hard-hitting match as both Lorcan and Thatcher are solid wrestlers and work a very unique style which stands out. This should be a great showcase for Thatcher and will be interesting to see which program he gets placed in next.)

The Big Takeaway From Last Week’s Show

Keith Lee defeated Finn Balor and Johnny Gargano in a terrific Triple Threat Match to retain the NXT North American Title. Karrion Kross had another stellar performance defeating Bronson Reed in a great match.

Overall Thoughts

The next two week’s of NXT should be great and filled with terrific pro matches that wrestling fans will enjoy. Looking forward to seeing the big angles as well and seeing if NXT can keep the momentum going as the shows have been really solid post-TakeOver In Your House. Really excited to see my favourite Io Shirai face Sasha Banks as if they get time they could possibly have one of the best matches of the year.

CATCH UP… 6/24 NXT ON USA REPORT: Wells’s report on Lee vs. Balor vs. Gargano, Priest vs. Grimes, Reed vs. Kross

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