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12/16 NXT ON USA PRIMER: O’Reilly vs. Pete Dunne battle with high stakes, Karrion Kross returns from injury, Ripley vs. Storm, Gargano & Theory vs. Ruff & Kushida

By Amin Ajani, PWTorch contributor

December 16, 2020

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

NXT ON USA
DECEMBER 16, 2020
AIRS ON USA NETWORK

The opportunity to earn a shot at the NXT Championship hangs in the balance as Kyle O’Reilly will face Pete Dunne in a Number One Contender’s Match. Plus, newly crowned NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano will team up with Austin Theory to take on former champion Leon Ruff and Kushida in a huge tag team match. That’s not all as Karrion Kross is back and is set for action tonight. It’s sure to be another action packed episode of NXT which takes place tonight from the Capital Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida on the USA Network. Now let’s take a look at what’s currently advertised for tonight’s show.

  • Kyle O’Reilly to battle Pete Dunne for NXT Title opportunity at New Year’s Evil
  • Leon Ruff teams with Kushida to take on Johnny Gargano & Austin Theory
  • Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm to clash in grudge match
  • Karrion Kross returns to action

ADVERTISED MATCHES & SEGMENTS

Kyle O’Reilly to battle Pete Dunne for NXT Title opportunity at New Year’s Evil

A chance to challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Champion at New Year’s Evil hangs in the balance as Kyle O’Reilly will face Pete Dunne in a huge Number One Contender’s Match tonight. Dunne picked up a victory over O’Reilly in a Ladder Match after a mystery man cost O’Reilly the match. O’Reilly and the Undisputed Era got their revenge when they defeated The Kings of NXT in the Men’s WarGames Match. O’Reilly came close to dethroning Balor at TakeOver: 31, while Dunne has yet to challenge Balor for the title. The question is will Dunne or O’Reilly come out on top and challenge Balor for the NXT Title?

(Amin’s Analysis: This should be a great match as both Dunne and O’Reilly are tremendous wrestlers and bring a completely different style to their matches. I would like to see O’Reilly challenge Balor again because they had such a great match at TakeOver: 31 but Dunne winning wouldn’t be a bad choice either. I could also see a scenario where this turns into a Triple Threat Match for the NXT Title.)

Leon Ruff teams with Kushida to take on Johnny Gargano & Austin Theory

Austin Theory made his surprise return at Takeover: WarGames when he gave a huge assist to Johnny Gargano who captured his third NXT North American Title. Gargano and Theory looked to once again gain the upper hand on Leon Ruff but Kushida volunteered himself to be his partner. The question is can Kushida and Ruff get along in such a short period of time and help get both of them a shot at the NXT North American Title?

(Amin’s Analysis: This should be a really fun tag team match featuring four very talented wrestlers. I liked the idea of Theory teaming with Gargano as it gives him something to do and is now paired with an established champion. KUSHIDA has been on such a hot streak as of late and this is a match he should win for his team to establish himself as the next challenger for the NXT North American Title.)

Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm to clash in grudge match

Rhea Ripley and Toni Storm are set to clash in a huge grudge match. Last week, Ripley came to the aid of Ember Moon saving her from a post-match attack from Raquel Gonzalez and Storm. The question is will Ripley stand tall once again and stop Storm in her tracks tonight on NXT?

(Amin’s Analysis: Ripley and Storm are two very talented wrestlers as this should be a very fun match to showcase the level of talent of the NXT Women’s Division. The post-match last week was very interesting as they seem to be teasing another match between Gonzalez and Ripley. I could see a scenario where Gonzalez cost Ripley her match against Storm and this leads to big stipulation match with Gonzalez.)

Karrion Kross returns to action tonight

After winning the NXT Champion at NXT TakeOver: 30 but having to relinquish it due to a shoulder injury, Karrion Kross is back and will be in action tonight. Kross returned to NXT last week as he made his presence felt delivering a huge Powerbomb to Damian Priest off the stage. With Kross now back the question is doomsday back for the rest of the NXT wrestlers?

(Amin’s Analysis: It’s great to see both Karrion Kross and Scarlett back on NXT as their presence was missed as they now add some more star power to the show. My guess is Priest will be Kross’s opponent at NXT New Year’s Evil and then from there they will work Kross back into the NXT Championship picture and build to match with Balor which should be great.)

The Big Takeaway From Last Week’s Show

Karrion Kross is back as he made a huge statement delivering a huge Powerbomb to Damian Priest off the stage. Raquel Gonzalez’s big push continued as she defeated Ember Moon in the main event.

Overall Thoughts

The wrestling on NXT is always great as tonight’s show should have some good matches. I would also like to see some big angles on the show to build to the NXT New Year’s Evil special. Overall, this should be another solid pro wrestling show.

RECOMMENDED: 12/9 NXT ON USA TV REPORT: Hustwaite’s “alt-perspective” report on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Cameron Grimes, Ember Moon vs. Raquel Gonzalez, Finn Balor appearance, more

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