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NXT ON USA
FEBRUARY 3, 2021, 8PM EST
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA., AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentary: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix
Join the “PWT Talks NXT” Dailycast with me, Nate Lindberg & Tom Stoup to break down the episode:
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[HOUR ONE]
-Recap of last week included brief updates on teams advancing in the Dusty Classics. Edge’s appearance tonight was promoted.
(1) KACY CATANZARO & KAYDEN CARTER vs. DAKOTA KAI & RAQUEL GONZALEZ – Dusty Classic semifinal match
The heels were introduced first and they said the match would be a cake walk as they walked to the ring. Kacy & Kayden got an inset interview where they put over their Cinderella story.
Kai and Catanzaro to start. Kai shoved down Catanzaro and laughed. Catanzaro worked a headlock and Kai picked her up and set her on a turnbuckle to break. Catanzaro came off the top and hit an armdrag and tagged Carter. Rollup by Carter for two. Uranage backbreaker for Kai, who tagged Gonzalez, who talked trash. Carter threw a palm strike and got one back. Carter rolled through a powerslam attempt and all four hit the ring. Soon enough, the illegals in the ring were cleared out. Carter tagged Catanzaro, who tried a cross-body to the outside, but Gonzalez caught her, hit a backbreaker and rolled her in for two. Tag to Kai. Tandem slam for two. Kai worked a front chancery and Catanzaro tried to fight forward for the tag. Kai shoved Catanzaro back and covered for two, now near the heel corner. Pump kick to the small of the back for two by Kai. Gonzalez yelled “You’re not TakeOver material, Kacy” in a weirdly specific bit of trash talk.
Both made tags and Gonzalez missed a boot. Carter threw quick strikes and hit two dropkicks to put Gonzalez in a corner. Kai intervened and Carter splashed both. Corner dropkick by Carter, who then landed on Kai and cleared her. Huracanrana by Carter. Back kick by Carter and she covered for one. Carter went to the apron and Kai distracted her long enough for Gonzalez spear her to the floor. The match went to split-screen commercial.
Back to full-screen, Gonzalez had control of Carter, and Carter tried to break away with a kick but Gonzalez hung on and tagged Kai. Carter broke from Kai and tagged Catanzaro, who threw quick body shots. Huracanrana by Catanzaro put Kai right near the heel corner, but she wasn’t supposed to tag there, so she didn’t; Catanzaro put her in the wrong corner. Cover for two. Kai bailed and Catanzaro used the steel structure to hit a splash on both heels. Back inside, Kai fought off a double-dropkick attempt and took control. Tag to Gonzalez. Tandem gorilla press-Pele kick got two and it was broken up. Carter tagged in and jumped on Gonzalez’s back and threw shots. Gonzalez took her down but Carter was able to drape Gonzalez on the second rope and Catanzaro hit a senton and a huracanrana. Catanzaro went up and hit her top rope twisting moonsault. Kai was slow to break it up so Gonzalez had to kick out. Gonzalez hit a chokeslam to finish.
WINNERS: Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai at 13:01.
(Wells’s Analysis: With their focus in the last couple of weeks, the babyface underdogs looked like a genuine threat to win the tournament, or at least this match. Gonzalez and Kai advance to TakeOver to face the winners of the other semifinal. The match was decent enough tag fare despite a couple of timing issues)
-Vic mentioned Wade Barrett getting US citizenship. He gave Barrett a gift: a framed picture of Hacksaw Jim Duggan. Barrett went “HOOOOOOO!” in response.
-Toni Storm said nobody would stop her: not at TakeOver, not Io Shirai, not “that dead weight” Mercedes Martinez.
(2) LEON RUFF vs. AUSTIN THEORY (w/Johnny Gargano)
Theory’s new music was a remixed hip-hop version of The Way’s music.
Ruff spurred on a brief “Theory sucks” chant. Ruff hit a headlock and rolled through a suplex attempt. Theory caught Ruff on a cross-body attempt but Ruff landed on his feet after a fallaway slam attempt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that. Drop toe-hold by Theory put Ruff into a turnbuckle. Theory beat Ruff into another buckle and whipped him into the opposite one. Snap suplex by Theory and he covered for two. Theory kicked Ruff in the kidney and punched his temple near a rope, then dragged him to the center of the ring and stomped his back. Theory threw lefts and Ruff threw his own to try to get back into it. Rope run and Theory hit a back elbow. Fireman’s carry by Theory, and Ruff went for a sunset flip and then resorted to a rollup for two. Ruff ran the ropes for a forearm, and did so again. Ruff cut down Theory with kicks and hit a kneelift. Ruff hit a forearm and then hit an interfering Gargano with a back kick. Missile dropkick by Ruff. Johnny tried to interfere again and got dropkicked from the apron. Theory and Ruff collided in the ring and Ruff ended up outside.
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell ran to the ring to try to pull Gargano to safety, and Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon stormed ringside and fought the women to the back. Ruff flopped and pretended Gargano had attacked him and Gargano was tossed from ringside. Back into the ring, Ruff hit a cutter from the top and got two as Theory put a leg on the rope. Theory bailed and caught Ruff on a splash attempt and dropped him on the barricade. Back inside, Theory hit his ATL finisher for the win.
WINNER: Austin Theory at 6:17.
Theory hit the ATL again after the decision was rendered. He then went out and grabbed the ring bell, but offscreen, Dexter Lumis had grabbed the other end of the ring bell and threw shots. He ripped out some of Theory’s hair and then sniffed it as Theory ran off. Well, huh.
(Wells’s Analysis: Theory’s certainly good enough not to be a simple fall guy for Gargano, but this did no big favors to Leon Ruff, who was able to get Gargano sent off simply so Theory could win clean. These two meshed well and had a strong match, brief though it was)
-Santos Escobar promoted both of Legado del Fantasma’s matches tonight. He said tonight, everyone sees that LdF’s future is bright.
-A cinematic painted segment told a legend of a dragon putting a young woman named Mei Ying through a rigorous trial and help her ascend to the throne. She would have to become the one thing she despised – she had to instill fear in others. The image faded and then showed the previously shrouded woman in Xia Li and Boa’s corner, and she was Mei Ying. This probably should have happened before their group name was revealed onscreen, but at least we have a start. I kind of dig the concept, though it’s pretty far out there and not for everyone.
(3) LUCHA HOUSE PARTY (Lince Dorado & Gran Metalik) vs. LEGADO DEL FANTASMA (Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) – Dusty Classic quarterfinal match
Mendoza and Metalik to open. Huracanrana and a dropkick by Metalik. Dorado tagged in and hit a huracanrana also. Springboard slam by Dorado for two. Dorado took down Mendoza with an armbar but Mendoza fought his way to a tag. Tandem takedown and dropkick, and Wilde covered for two. Another tag for the heels. Mendoza threw a few shots and then some body shots in the heel corner. Forearm to the back by Mendoza, followed by a knee to the back. Dorado rolled through a suplex attempt and made the tag. Springboard cross-body by Metalik. Mendoza was able to put Metalik on the outside and the heels had control rolling into a commercial.
Mendoza and Metalik were legal. They fought up a turnbuckle and Metalik hit a sunset flip powerbomb. Both sold on the mat and fought for tags. Mendoza tagged and Metalik made the hot tag. Dorado unleashed on Wilde with chops and then missed a corner senton but landed on his feet and hit a cross-body from the corner for two. Rope run and a rewind stunner by Dorado for two. Faces made the tag and Metalik hit a splash from Dorado’s shoulders for two, broken up by Wilde. Wilde tried to fight both faces and he hit a double DDT. Good sequence, but it went slightly awry as he didn’t have hold of Metalik. He covered Dorado for two. Everyone got involved and Metalik hit a rana on Mendoza into Wilde to the outside. Dorado hit a moonsault from the top to the outside on both guys.
Back in the ring, Dorado rolled up Wilde for two. Blind tag by Wilde and LdF hit a high-low finisher.
WINNERS: Legado del Fantasma at 10:14.
After the decision, MSK hit the ramp and the two of them talked trash. Nash said that their team was Michael Jackson, and LdF was Tito. They admired the Dusty Cup award and said they’d take them down in the semifinals next week.
(Wells’s Analysis: Strong, spirited match with a finish that was obvious enough as long as people knew the bracket, most likely. Next week’s match should be just as high-octane as this one – and at times hard to keep up with for a recapper – to determine which moves on to TakeOver. MSK toed the line between energetic and annoying here, but I think they mostly got away with it)
-Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch hit the ring. Pete Dunne said he sent a message to Finn Balor, but he didn’t listen, so he snapped his fingers. He warned Balor not to make him make it any clearer than that. Balor’s music brought him to the ramp and he said it looked like Pete was hiding between “them two clowns.” Balor went up to the apron and said “doesn’t look like that to me” to draw the tag champs away from the ring. Balor referred to TakeOver as “TakeOver: Vengeance Day.” He said Pete would get his chance there.
[HOUR TWO]
Edge’s music played to bring him to the ring as well for his NXT debut. He soaked in the reaction and an “Edge” chant. He said a lot of times in WWE, we put the focus on the E, but in NXT they focus on the second W, and that’s fun. Good line. He said he sees passion, hunger, and fire in eyes. He said this place helped him find his own passion. It helped him find the passion to get his career back after nine years, and he used it to win the Royal Rumble this Sunday. By winning it, he has the chance to challenge any champion in the company. He said he looked at Pete Dunne and he sees himself – both the good and the bad. He looks at Finn Balor and he sees a guy operating on an entirely different level. He’s in a zone that he loves to watch. He said he’d be watching their match at TakeOver, because he’s never had the NXT Championship. “Holy shit” chant. He said no matter who wins the match at TakeOver, that’s intriguing. He said if he hasn’t made his choice by TakeOver, then their match might help him make his choice.
(Wells’s Analysis: Whoa. That’s immediately one of the most newsworthy moments on NXT in some time. Some of the reason neither Roman Reigns nor Drew McIntyre seems like the right opponent for Edge might be that Finn has been the plan all along. Even if not, it’s a wonderful hook for now)
-Johnny Gargano, backstage, prattled on and put over his faction. The announcer asked what he thought about the news that Johnny Gargano would be defending at TakeOver against Kushida. Johnny freaked out as Kushida’s name was spoken and said he’d get her fired.
-Back from commercial, Gargano brought the interviewer to Regal’s office and bragged that he was going to get her fired. Kushida was in the room and the two came to blows. Kushida left Gargano lying in a conference room.
(4) JESSIE KAMEA (w/Robert Stone, Aliyah) vs. TONI STORM
Toni threw a forearm and hit a boot to put to Kamea. Storm hit a basement lariat and covered for two. Barrett said Kamea was now part of the Robert Stone Brand. Kamea hit a corner press and dropped Storm and covered for two. Storm hit a palm strike but Kamea hit a thrustkick. Mercedes Martinez stormed the ring and went for Toni, and then attacked Kamea to get her out of the way. Io Shirai came out to survey the scene in a corner, then waited for the right moment to hit a moonsault to the outside on both Martinez and Storm.
WINNER: No contest(?) at 1:20.
(Wells’s Analysis: Looks like the triple threat is definitely in play, if there was any doubt left)
-Curt Stallion mentioned that on 205 Live, he won a fatal five-way for a shot at the Cruiserweight Championship. He said he was going to make everybody in Texas proud. He came off as a frat boy, like in the past, but it wasn’t nearly as overbearing as his previous appearance.
-Cameron Grimes returns next week!
(5) CURT STALLION vs. SANTOS ESCOBAR (c) (w/Joaquin Wilde, Raul Mendoza) – Cruiserweight Championship match
Vic promoted NXT: UK, where Jordan Devlin will hold an open championship tomorrow. Alicia Taylor handled formal introductions. Vic said Escobar has been champion for 245 days. Mentioning the number of days has often been a death knell for champions, though I think something bigger is in mind for Escobar soon.
Collar and elbow, break. Escobar chopped down Stallion with forearms, then threw kicks. He stomped Stallion on the mat. Again. Cravat by Stallion into an abdominal stretch. He escaped and ran the ropes right into a shot by Escobar, who covered for two. The camera caught Scarlett watching from a perch. Escobar worked a headlock, then took Stallion to a corner for a big chop. Irish whip and double knees by Escobar. Beautiful suplex by Escobar for a quick cover. Escobar noticed Scarlett on the perch and he allowed himself a wry smile. Escobar threw knees at Stallion, who broke free with a jawbreaker but ran immediately into an Escobar backbreaker. Escobar glanced over at Scarlett again and got rolled up for two. Stallion clotheslined Escobar from the ring and the match went to commercial.
Upon return, Escobar had Stallion on the floor outside near the ramp. Escobar stomped Stallion and rolled him inside for a cover for just one. Escobar tied up Stallion and the camera reminded us of Scarlett’s presence. Escobar mockingly patted Stallion’s head, drawing a few shots, but Escobar tied up Stallion in a modified half-crab. Escobar transitioned into a crossface to keep Stallion away from a rope. Stallion wouldn’t give up, so Escobar broke and threw some kicks. Fireman’s carry, and Stallion avoided a corner splash and threw some shots. Escobar reversed again and put some knees to Stallion. Irish whip, miss, German suplex by Stallion. A couple of forearms by Stallion and Escobar bailed, but Stallion hit a lightning-quick tope, then rolled in Escobar and hit a frog splash for a near-fall. He hooked the legs better and got two again.
Stallion stomped Escobar and went for a DDT, but Escobar blocked and spiked Stallion into a turnbuckle and rolled him up for a long two. Stallion hit a headbutt but Escobar came back with a pump kick. Phantom Driver by Escobar. Legado finished.
WINNER: Santos Escobar at 13:23.
Karrion Kross walked to the ring and destroyed Wilde and Mendoza when they got in the way. He warned Escobar that he would give him some time, but it was only more time to think about the inevitable. He said “run along” dismissively to Escobar and got booed. Whoops.
(Wells’s Analysis: I’m not sold on Stallion on the mic yet, but he’s definitely good at garnering sympathy as a babyface inside the ring. The mention of the exact number of days Escobar has held the championship was an effective red herring, since his budding feud with Karrion Kross works either for the championship or not. Very enjoyable match here as Escobar’s strong reign continues. Karrion Kross is more or less in the midst of a face turn, but needs to be careful with comments like “run along” that come off as way too narcissistic. It seems like Kross isn’t anywhere near the NXT Championship where we thought he might be shortly after his return, but this should be an interesting diversion)
-Outside, Edge was asked about his intentions for the NXT Championship. He said he hadn’t decided yet. Karrion Kross showed up and said he’d better make his decision soon because he wanted the championship he’d never lost. Edge said threats like that might help him make his decision, and Kross might not like that.
(6) TOMMASO CIAMPA & TIMOTHY THATCHER vs. UNDISPUTED ERA (Adam Cole & Roderick Strong) – Dusty Classic quarterfinal match
Cole and Ciampa to start. Ciampa is letting his temples go gray; he looks quite a bit older than just a week or two ago as a result, which sort of works for the current gimmick.
The two sparred for position to start. Headlock takeover by Ciampa. Cole broke with a headscissors. Rollup by Ciampa got a quick two. Cole fought off Fairytale Ending and rolled up Ciampa for two. Ciampa caught Cole in a headlock and put him on the mat. Cole fought to his feet and threw shots. Cole missed a pump kick after escaping and both guys missed impact kicks and reset to applause. Both made the tag.
Strong and Thatcher both shot in and Strong got the early advantage with an arm hold, then took down Thatcher with a headlock but Thatcher immediately reversed and worked a headscissors. He smiled as he took a shot at Roddy’s ribs. Strong reversed and the two exchanged control in a way that defies easy description, as both do often with almost any opponent. Cole tagged in and threw Thatcher into the UE turnbuckle. Strong tagged in again and Thatcher worked a front chancery. Ciampa tagged in and hit a chop, then a snap mare and a knee to the back. Running back elbow by Ciampa. Tag to Thatcher. Full body slam and an elbow got a one count. Thatcher stomped a mudhole in his own corner and tagged Ciampa, who continued the stomp. Ciampa taunted Cole and Strong got in some shots as a result. All four guys hit the ring as the match went to split-screen commercial.
Thatcher had control of Strong. Ciampa tagged in and hit a chop. The two exchanged chops and then forearms. Strong ran the ropes into another Ciampa forearm. Ciampa covered for two. Ciampa held Strong in place during a tag and Thatcher mounted Strong for some palm strikes. Armbar by Thatcher, who transitioned into a headlock to cut off a tag attempt. Strong backed into a corner to break a guillotine. Thatcher grabbed a headlock and yanked Strong up the buckle and the ref counted to four before Thatcher would break. The two fought up the corner again and Strong hit a superplex. Both guys sold on the mat. “NXT” chant.
Both guys made tags. Cole controlled with knees and kicks. Backstabber by Cole got a two count. Fireman’s carry but Ciampa elbowed out. Enzuigiri and an ushigoroshi by Cole got two. Cole tried Panama Sunrise but Ciampa rolled through. Ciampa kicked Cole away during a figure four attempt and tagged Thatcher, who himself ended up in the figure four. Ciampa tried to break and Strong put on the Stronghold to cut it off. Ciampa rolled free and broke up the figure four. Reset. Strong tagged in and Thatcher pushed the two UE members together and tried a Fujiwara armbar, but Strong rolled him up to break. Big palm strike and a German suplex by Thatcher. Ciampa tagged in and hit a German suplex. Thatcher tagged in again and tagged. Suplex by Thatcher and Ciampa hit a knee for a long two count as Thatcher held off Cole. “This is awesome” chant.
Ciampa wanted Fairytale Ending and Strong redirected, then hit an Angle Slam. Cole tagged in. He cleared Thatcher from the apron with a superkick, then hit one on Ciampa for a long two. Strong tagged in and the two went fora tandem move, but Thatcher yanked Cole from the ring. Strong hit a backbreaker on Thatcher outside but went in and Ciampa hit Willow’s Bell to finish. As they admired the Cup at the top of the ramp, Grizzled Young Veterans joined them and the two just barely came to blows and the show faded out.
WINNERS: Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher at 17:04.
(Wells’s Analysis: Pitch-perfect match with the proper grappling to open and increasing brutality. If it had ended eight minutes earlier I was prepared to say it was good but they were clearly holding back; by the end this wasn’t the case. Ciampa and Thatcher face Grizzled Young Veterans in the semifinals. I’m sure Legado del Fantasma vs. MSK will open next week, but the outcome of that match will likely telegraph the outcome of this one, which is a shame. Such is life with pro wrestling tournaments)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A pretty strong episode with a small amount of nonsense. The pacing remains quick but we didn’t lose too many entrances (at least in full) and the matches delivered. I thought it might be an uphill battle to promote a TakeOver while two tag tournaments are going on, but they’ve done a pretty good job of getting their feuds across with what little time they’ve allowed themselves.
Edge, of course, is the big news tonight. I’m not sure yet whether there exists any legitimate chance that he’ll challenge Finn Balor (or Pete Dunne) for the NXT Championship at WrestleMania, but that’s how WWE wants it, and it’s a great hook for upcoming TV as well as the hideously-named TakeOver: Vengeance Day, which is shaping up to be a strong show that shouldn’t be saddled with such branding. Edge did an excellent job of putting over both potential opponents for himself, which will pay dividends for NXT whether this was a legitimate possibility or just a bit of stunt casting. At the moment I’m leaning toward believing in an Edge-Balor match at WrestleMania.
Check out PWT Talks NXT using the link at the top of the page tonight or stream later. Cheers.
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