8/26 NXT ON USA TV REPORT: Hustwaite’s “alt-perspective” report on Karrion Kross title situation, Ciampa’s return and Cruiserweight Championship match

NXT ON USA TV REPORT
AUGUST 26, 2020
ORLANDO, FLA., AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY MATT HUSTWAITE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Announcers: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett

– My usually reliable cable went out, taking the TV and internet connection with it. This report is from the on-demand version that my cable provider offers, so it will be interesting to see if anything differs from the original broadcast. Be sure to check out the returning Kelly Well’s live report to compare the pair.

[HOUR ONE]

– A highlights package of NXT Takeover XXX opened the show in lieu of the usual title sequence.

– Karrion Kross and Scarlett made their entrance. Kross had forgone his usual attire and wore a formal suit, with his arm in a sling. Kross grabbed a microphone and reminded everyone that he said he would become NXT Champion and that everyone would suffer along the way. Kross described ripping the NXT Championship away from Keith Lee’s carcass as staying true to his word but added that there are casualties on all sides of war.

Kross announced his shoulder injury and that he likes the pain because it “gives him life”. Kross understood that he can’t defend the title and Scarlett handed Kross the championship. Kross relinquished the NXT Championship and laid the belt in the middle of the ring, in front of an hourglass that Scarlett had also placed there. Kross said that relinquishing the championship changes nothing because doomsday is still coming. The segment ended with Kross’ “tick tock” catchphrase.

– Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix checked in on commentary and introduced Wade Barrett as a new member of the commentary team. Barrett emphasized with Kross, having suffered similar injuries himself.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: This is such a disappointment not only for Kross, who has had his biggest career moment spoiled but also for NXT who now find themselves unexpectedly having to book another new champion – their third in three months. I was somewhat surprised that they went with vacating the title, but this decision would indicate that Kross’ prognosis is on the higher end of the recovery scale, which is 12 weeks.)

(1) NXT TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP – IMPERIUM vs. BREEZANGO

Breezango got right to work on Imperium before the bell rang. However, Fabian Aichner quickly turned the tables and isolated Fandango in the corner. Imperium tagged each other in and out as they worked over Fandango. Fandango fought back and sent Marcel Barthel into the ropes, but Barthel came back with a shoulder block. Barthel hit the ropes again and Fandango landed a dropkick on Barthel as the show faded to black, presumably for commercial in the original broadcast. [c]

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Wade Barrett has already settled in nicely on commentary. He spent some time talking up his friendship with Fandango, including the nickname he has for Fandango – The Dangler. Barrett was quite good as a commentator for NWA Power, so it will be interesting to see if this NXT gig is more than just a one-off.)  

Back from commercial, Imperium once again double-teamed Fandango. Aichner bounced Fandango off the turnbuckle. Barthel tagged in and was met with a kick from Fandango, who made the hot tag to Tyler Breeze. Breeze ran wild and send Aichner out of the ring. Breeze hit a superkick and sent Barthel to the corner. Breeze hit a forearm and ran the ropes, only to be cut off by Barthel. Barthel hit Breeze with an uppercut that sent Breeze into the corner. Barthel scored with a suplex and went to the second rope. However, Breeze hit a Beauty Shot kick in mid-air for a near fall.

Barthel reversed an Unprettier attempt and shoved Breeze into the corner. Barthel kicked Breeze, but Breeze took Barthel down with a single leg and went for a submission. Barthel snuck out of the move and tagged in Aichner, who was met with a step-up enziguri from Breeze. Fandango tagged in and Breezango hit Aichner with the Surfboard Legdrop combo. Barthel pulled Aichner out of the ring. Fandango went for a summersault senton which hit Aichner. Barthel managed to avoid the senton and rocked Fandango with an uppercut. Aichner recovered from the senton and hit Fandango with a German suplex on the floor before a commercial break. [c]

Aichner had a chin lock applied on Fandango coming back from the break. Fandango powered out of the move but was caught by Aichner, who hit a Death Valley Driver followed by a moonsault. Breeze broke up the pin attempt and was met by Barthel, who sent Breeze out of the ring. On the floor, Barthel hit Breeze with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Fandango hit a jawbreaker on Aichner, who fell into Barthel for the tag. Aichner hit Fandango with a spinebuster. Fandango avoided an Imperium double team and made the tag to Breeze. Breeze was immediately clotheslined by Aichner and Imperium went for the European Bomb. Breeze escaped the move and landed superkicks on both Aichener and Barthel. Fandango followed up with a double leg drop on both members of Imperium and scored the pinfall on Aichener.

WINNERS: Breezango in 15:19 to win the NXT Tag Team Championship.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Another solid match from Imperium and a nice moment for Breezango to win the championship. I hadn’t realized that neither Fandango nor Breeze were yet to win a championship in WWE. While Breezango has been taking a more serious approach over the last few weeks, it would seem more likely that they will be transitional champions to Legado del Fantasma.)

– McKenzie Mitchell tried to interview Damian Priest backstage, but Priest cut her off. The party is still going, and Priest says he will answer questions in time. Timothy Thatcher confronted Priest and called Priest an embarrassment. Thatcher said that he should be first in line for the North American Championship.

– NXT General Manager William Regal, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Matt Bloom were shown in a conference room, coming up with a plan for the NXT Championship.

– Vic Joseph hyped the return of Tommaso Ciampa for after the commercial break. [c]

(2) JAKE ATLAS vs. TOMMASO CIAMPA

Ciampa powered Atlas into the corner after a lock-up. Atlas got in Ciampa’s face and talked trash, to which Ciampa responded by viciously beating him down. Ciampa hit the Widow’s Bell for the victory.

WINNER: Tommaso Ciampa at 0:50.

– Ciampa continued to beat down Atlas after the match. Ciampa threw Atlas into the ring steps and sent him crashing into the plexiglass. Referees ran out to try and restrain Ciampa, but he continued to assault Atlas. Ciampa teased catapulting Altas into the steel underside of the ring but thought better of it. However, Ciampa changed his mind and catapulted Atlas anyway. EMTs rushed to the ring and loaded Atlas on to a stretcher as Ciampa sat on the edge of the ring, watching stoically. As the EMTs took Atlas away, Ciampa grabbed Atlas and hit a Widow’s Bell on the ramp. Ciampa finally left after flashing a smile.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: That was a savage beating from Ciampa. So much so that he ended up with a nasty red welt on his forehead, which was a result of a headbutt early in the match. It is hard to think anything other than Ciampa now working as a heel again. While this is a good move in terms of fit for Ciampa’s character, it means that some new babyfaces will have to be elevated to make up for Keith Lee and now Ciampa disappearing from the face side of the NXT roster.)

– Joseph and Barrett recapped Ciampa’s return and Barrett suggested that Ciampa put the locker room on notice.

– A Candice LeRae video package aired. LeRae talked about her friendship with Tegan Nox but accused Nox of not being there when LeRae needed her. LeRae said that if Nox didn’t want to do things the “Gargano way”, then Nox should stay way and “c’est la vie”. [c]

– Back from commercial, Mitchell asked Bronson Reed about Timothy Thatcher coming on to the North American Title scene. Reed said he respects Thatcher but reminded Thatcher that Reed has already beaten Priest. Austin Theory made a surprise appearance and bragged about how he made it to WrestleMania. After disrespecting Reed, Theory got slapped in the face. Reed left as Theory smirked.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: This is proving to be quite a newsworthy show. Theory slots into this group of the roster well and it is nice to see the storyline extensions that are now branching out from the North American Championship ladder match. Theory didn’t make much of an impact on Raw, so he’ll no doubt enjoy sinking his teeth back into NXT.)

– Mia Yim made her entrance followed by Robert Stone. Stone cut a smarmy promo on the ramp saying that there is no way he would allow Mercedes Martinez to fight tonight, after what happened to her last week. Before Stone could get much further, Shotzi Blackheart came out and once again ran him over with her mini-tank.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Shotzi’s tank > Rusev’s tank. Seriously though, Robert Stone is nailing his character lately, which feels like a throwback to the managers of old that the viewer just wants to see get their comeuppance.)  

(3) SHOTZI BLACKHEART vs. MIA YIM

Blackheart took Martinez’s place in this match. Yim reversed a waistlock and took down Blackheart into a hammerlock. Robert Stone is carried away as Blackheart hits the Welcome to the Ball Pit leg drop on Yim. Blackheart went for the cover and got a two-count. Yim came back with a hurricanrana and Blackheart returns fire with an attempted monkey flip. Blackheart hits a hurricanrana of her own for a nearfall. Blackheart went to do her wolf howl but Yim jabbed her in the throat. Yim dragged Blackheart to the mat for a two-count. Yim hit Blackheart with a snapmare and kicked her in the back. Blackheart reversed a bow and arrow submission for a two-count.

Yim hit a dropkick which sent Blackheart into the corner. Blackheart fired back with a boot and a Sling Blade Bulldog. Blackheart stunned Yim with a flurry of strikes and hit a suplex for a two-count. Yim caught Blackheart with a suplex of her own but missed on a dropkick attempt. Blackheart hit a senton splash followed by a top rope diving senton for the victory.

WINNER: Shotzi Blackheart at 4:29.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: The announcers sold this as a big victory for Blackheart. With such depth in the NXT Women’s Division, it will be interesting to see whether this is the beginning of a push for Blackheart.)

– The camera cut to William Regal backstage, who said he was on his way to the ring to address the NXT Championship situation after the commercial break. [c]

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez backstage, ahead of their tag team match against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley later in the show. They weren’t bothered by Ripley interfering at NXT Takeover XXX or by their upcoming match tonight.

–  Regal stood in the ring and put over the tough match that Karrion Kross had with Keith Lee. Regal said that Kross injured his shoulder halfway through the match and still managed to win the NXT Championship. Regal had the championship on a podium next to him and praised Kross for how he handled the situation of having to relinquish the championship. Regal announced that the NXT Advisory Board decided to have Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Finn Balor and Adam Cole compete in a fatal four-way match for the NXT Championship, next week on a special Tuesday night episode of NXT. Regal added that for the first time in NXT history, the championship would be on the line in a 60-minute ironman match.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Well, that’s one way to make the most out of a bad situation. This will no doubt be an incredible match and one that should bring eyeballs to this pre-empted edition of NXT. It also gives NXT a chance to reset their main event storytelling, as there’s no doubt there will be storylines that will branch off between the wrestlers who don’t emerge as champion. Regal dubbed the episode “Super Tuesday”, so we will wait and see what else is booked to add to the big show feel. Also, and this is nothing new, but Regal is simply the epitome of a perfect authority figure.)

(4) NXT CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP – SANTOS ESCOBAR vs. ISAIAH “SWERVE” SCOTT

Alicia Taylor handled the in-ring introductions and Escobar sent Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza back to the locker room before the match began. Scott got the early jump on Escobar and hit an arm drag to send Escobar to the floor. Scott set up for a dive to the outside, but Escobar retreated as the show went to commercial. [c]

Escobar had Scott in a side headlock coming back from the break. Scott tried to escape the move with a back suplex into a pin attempt, but Escobar kicked out. Scott eventually manages to get out of the headlock and chain wrestled Escobar. Scott hit a suplex for a nearfall and followed it up with a Gory Special for another nearfall. Escobar goes to ringside to recover and throws Scott into the flexiglass when Scott tried to get him back in the ring.

Escobar took control and dropped Scott on to the ring steps with a snake eyes. Escobar returned Scott to the ring and covered him for a two-count. Escobar continued to control Scott, as he targeted Scott’s chest with knees and worked over Scott’s elbow, which Scott was selling from the plexiglass spot. Scott tried to mount a comeback with a hurricanrana from the ropes, but Escobar countered into a powerbomb for a near fall. [c]

Back from the break, Escobar hit an inverted atomic drop and kneed Scott in the face. Escobar covered Scott for a two-count. Escobar kicked Scott and talked trash. Scott responded by firing up and mounted a comeback, punching at Escobar in the corner. Escobar tried to get out of the ring to recover, but Scott hit him with a big boot on the apron. Scott hit Escobar with a Fosbury Flop on the floor. Scott got Escobar back in the ring and hit a 611 flatliner for a two-count.

Wilde and Mendoza ran-in and caused enough of a distraction for Escobar to hit Scott with a dropkick for a two-count. Breezango ran-in to even the odds and brawled with Legado del Fantasma to the locker room. Escobar charged at Scott who was ready and hit Escobar with a high knee. Scott got a pair of nearfalls after a German suplex and a House Call. Scott hit a JML Driver in the corner and Escobar grabbed the bottom rope to break the pin attempt. Escobar rolled to ringside and put on a yellow, luchador mask. Scott reached through the ropes to grab Escobar and Escobar knocked out Scott with a headbutt. Escobar removed the mask and covered Scott in the ring for the win.

WINNER: Santos Escobar at 16:41.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: That was a fantastic match, and Escobar continues to shine. The finish was unique and continues the feud, which means we can look forward to more matches of this caliber between the two. The commercial breaks hurt the flow of the match from the viewer’s perspective so, hopefully, we will see these two have a lengthy match on the next Takeover. Barrett made a sly reference on commentary to William Regal and his loaded punch, calling the headbutt the “power of the mask”.)

– Johnny Gargano cut a promo backstage and said he knows that life can change in a moment. Referencing last week’s near-miss, when he landed on his head in the match with Ridge Holland, Gargano said that fate had stepped in and given him a golden opportunity with next week’s ironman match. Gargano said he is the ironman of NXT and that next week he will have the championship to prove it. [c]

– Finn Balor cut a promo and hyped next week’s fatal four-way ironman match for the NXT Championship. Balor said that he is not only the cornerstone of NXT, but the centerpiece.

– Kyle O’Reilly entered, accompanied by Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong, to accept Drake Maverick’s open challenge made on Twitter. Maverick was seeking revenge for the Undisputed Era interrupting his match with Killian Dain two weeks ago.

(5) DRAKE MAVERICK vs. KYLE O’REILLY (w/Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong)

Maverick took things to O’Reilly straight away with kicks and punches. Maverick avoided an O’Reilly charge and sent O’Reilly out of the ring. Maverick climbed to the top rope and hit a cannonball senton which took out Fish and Strong on the floor. Maverick returned to the ring and O’Reilly took him down with ground and pound strikes. Maverick fired up and came back with a snapmare followed by a running forearm in the corner and a bulldog. Maverick hit a running senton.

O’Reilly recovered and turned Maverick inside out with a clothesline. O’Reilly kicked and punched at Maverick. O’Reilly grabbed Maverick’s leg, but Maverick countered with an enziguri. Maverick tried to hit the Underdog but O’Reilly countered into a heel hook submission for the victory.

WINNER: Kyle O’Reilly at 3:26.

– Undisputed Era teamed up on Maverick after the match until Killian Dain made the save. Maverick and Dain faced off and Dain hit a clothesline on Maverick.

– Mitchell found Rhea Ripley backstage and asked why she was teaming with Io Shirai. Ripley said she wants the NXT Women’s Championship, but that wasn’t going to stop her from getting rid of Kai and Gonzalez. She told Kai and Gonzalez that Shirai is hers. [c]

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: This was a good match. Maverick plays the underdog character very well and O’Reilly has his own unique style which will serve him well for a singles run one day. The angle after the match was also well done and served to heat Maverick and Dain’s rivalry again, while also creating some intrigue as to where Undisputed Era is heading – O’Reilly’s attempt to restrain Fish and Strong as they beat down Maverick would seem to indicate a potential break-up down the line.)

– Adam Cole hyped the fatal four-way iron man match, which he described as the “Mount Rushmore of NXT” facing off.

(6) IO SHIRAI & RHEA RIPLEY vs. DAKOTA KAI & RAQUEL GONZALEZ

The match began with Ripley dominating Kai, while taunting Gonzalez to get in the ring. Gonzalez tagged in and the two ended in a stalemate after a lock-up and back and forth strikes. Shirai blind tagged into the match, much to Ripley’s dismay. Shirai sent Gonzalez to ringside with a hurricanrana. Shirai went for a dive to the outside but Kai got in her way. Shirai kicked Kai off the apron into Gonzalez at ringside as the show went to commercial. [c]

Shirai was still in control coming back from the break and hit Kai with a double stomp. Shirai tagged in Ripley who went after Gonzalez before hitting Kai with a dropkick. Kai and Gonzalez pulled Ripley over the top rope. Gonzalez tagged in and threw Ripley on to the apron. Gonzalez brought Ripley back into the ring for a two-count. Gonzalez whipped Ripley into the corner. Ripley tried to fight back but was cut off with a clubbing blow to the back from Gonzalez. Ripley was isolated in the corner as Gonzalez and Kai exchanged tags and worked over Ripley. Ripley mounted a comeback and tagged in Shirai, who fired up with a pair of shoulder blocks and a flapjack on Kai. Shirai hit Kai with a 619 and a slingshot dropkick for a nearfall.

Kai hit a scorpion kick on Shirai and bought some time, but Shirai recovered with a knee to the face. Shirai hit a German suplex into a bridge for a pin attempt, but Gonzalez interfered to break it up. Gonzalez dragged Kai to the corner, tagged herself in, and hit Shirai with a powerslam for a two-count. Shirai makes the tag to Ripley, but the referee didn’t see it. Gonzalez continued to work over Shirai when Mercedes Martinez ran in and attacked Ripley. Ripley recovered and managed to make it to the apron for a tag from Shirai. Gonzalez hit Ripley with a big boot, followed by a pumphandle slam for the victory.

WINNERS: Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez at 10:08.

(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Another strong match from the NXT Women’s Division. The division is firmly squared around Rhea Ripley, and she now has some obstacles in the form of Martinez and Gonzalez to plow through before she gets her inevitable championship match against Shirai. The match against Martinez is a Takeover-standard match and should be quite good. I am more reserved about the match with Gonzalez though, as Gonzalez still appears to be pretty green in the ring.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: A very newsworthy edition of NXT that was executed well, considering the number of plans that no doubt had to change following Karrion Kross’ injury and subsequent relinquishing of the NXT Championship. The pivot towards next week’s pre-empted edition of NXT as “Super Tuesday” with the fatal four-way ironman match actually could be a blessing in disguise. That match will no doubt be a classic and is running without head-to-head, AEW competition.

The NXT Tag Team Championship match also bodes well on paper, although with the ironman match set to take up half of the show and several new storylines that need to be further fleshed out, I worry that they may not get the time they deserve. Also, expect to see Wade Barrett on the call again for Super Tuesday, as they taped that show on the same day at this edition.

If you’re interested in more NXT chatter throughout the week, give me a follow on Twitter at @mattyhuss. I also spend a lot of time chatting about the Arizona Cardinals, so Seahawk fans are welcome to stay away..!