A mysterious assailant took out Tommaso Ciampa in brutal fashion, Matt Riddle joined forces with a new face to retain the NXT Tag Team Titles and The Velveteen Dream made a new enemy in Finn Bálor.
Finn Bálor def. Fabian Aichner
If mowing down Imperium one-by-one is the only way Finn Bálor can get to NXT United Kingdom Champion WALTER, The Prince doesn't seem to mind.
Bálor conquered another of WALTER's soldiers this week on NXT, this time taking down Fabian Aichner.
In what was essentially a Handicap Match at times, Bálor had to stave off Aichner as well as fellow Imperium member Marcel Barthel at ringside. But the uneven odds only seemed to further motivate Bálor.
After taking out Barthel, The Prince was finally able to focus squarely on Aichner. He put him away with the Coup de Grace and 1916 DDT, sending yet another message to WALTER, loud and clear.
Xia Li def. Aliyah
After being robbed of an opportunity to compete for the NXT Women's Championship, Xia Li gained a satisfying measure of redemption.
Li took down Aliyah, who claimed credit for attacking Li last month and preventing her from having a chance to compete in the NXT Women’s Title No. 1 Contender's Ladder Match. The bad blood stems all the way back to when Li broke Aliyah's nose in a previous contest last year.
Li again battered NXT's Boujee Superstar, pinning her after an innovative cyclone kick to the back.
Akira Tozawa def. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in an NXT Interim Cruiserweight Title Tournament Match
Akira Tozawa is the first man to claim victory in the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament. The Stamina Monster kicked off the tournament by knocking off Isaiah "Swerve" Scott in Group B action.
Demonstrating why he's a former Cruiserweight Champion, Tozawa impressed in the highly physical bout against the promising Scott to claim a 1-0 start.
Tozawa somehow found a way to kick out of a cover after Scott's House Call. Moments later, he folded "Swerve" up with a brutal suplex to the turnbuckle before finishing him off with a senton bomb from the top rope.
Tegan Nox def. Raquel González
Tegan Nox finally has an ally in her war against Dakota Kai and Raquel González.
Shotzi Blackheart showed up to even the odds in Nox's favor, and The Girl With The Shiniest Wizard grabbed a victory over González.
The menacing González spent much of the match dominating Nox, and even still, Kai couldn't help but get involved. Blackheart arrived at ringside moments later to level Kai with her helmet, though, and her presence allowed Nox to surprise González with a rollup for the three-count.
Dexter Lumis def. Tehuti Miles
The WWE Universe still doesn't know exactly what makes Dexter Lumis tick, but whatever it is, it seems to be effective in the ring.
NXT's creepiest Superstar picked up another win this week, dispatching Tehuti Miles by planting him with a modified Uranage and immediately transitioning into an Anaconda Vice for the submission victory.
Finn Bálor confronted The Velveteen Dream
A video message from Adam Cole made it clear that the NXT Champion had no intentions of confronting The Velveteen Dream this week.
Having grown impatient with The Panama City Playboy ducking him, Velveteen Dream stepped to the podium atop the NXT stage to issue a heated response. But when he called Cole "arguably the greatest NXT Champion of all time," he made himself another enemy: Finn Bálor.
The Prince, a former NXT Champion as well, joined Dream on the stage and warned him about what might happen the next time he disrespected Bálor. But His Purple Highness took the situation one step further, challenging him to a bout next week.
Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher def. The Undisputed ERA to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
Facing The Undisputed ERA in one's NXT debut is about as tough as it gets, but Timothy Thatcher was up to the task and then some.
Revealed as Matt Riddle's temporary partner to defend the NXT Tag Team Championships, Thatcher joined forces with The Original Bro to overcome Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish.
Riddle & Thatcher showcased uncanny chemistry despite their lack of experience together, at one point hitting gut-wrench suplexes in stereo on their opponents before Thatcher launched Riddle into a Floating Bro on Strong.
After trading hard-hitting strikes with Strong down the stretch, Thatcher eventually locked on the Fujiwara armbar, and Strong immediately tapped.
Tommaso Ciampa was mysteriously attacked
Tommaso Ciampa's long-running issue with Johnny Gargano may have been put to rest, but someone else appears to have The Blackheart in their sights.
Ciampa stuck to his word, congratulating Gargano for his grueling victory last week — even going as far to call him "the better man" despite the dastardly tactics deployed by Gargano and his wife Candice LeRae.
But Ciampa was attacked before he could finish speaking. After what sounded like a ruthless assault off-camera, a menacing visage hovered over the laid out Blackheart, undoubtedly putting him on notice.
Riddle & mystery partner defend against Undisputed ERA tonight
Last week on WWE’s The Bump, NXT General Manager William Regal said he had some decisions to make regarding the NXT Tag Team Titles, as Pete Dunne is in the U.K. and unable to join Matt Riddle to defend their titles due to current circumstances.
After conferring with The BroserWeights, Regal has reached his decision. The BroserWeights remain the NXT Tag Team Champions. However, until Pete Dunne is able to return, he and Riddle will select a temporary partner to take Dunne's place alongside The Original Bro.
The NXT Universe will not have to wait long to find out who will be joining forces with Riddle, as they will be defending the titles against The Undisputed ERA’s Roderick Strong & Bobby Fish tonight on USA Network.
Who will The BroserWeights select? Will he be able to get on the same page as Riddle on short notice? Will this new tandem be short-lived, as The Undisputed ERA look to get back on the road to holding all of NXT’s titles? Find out on NXT, tonight at 8/7 C on USA Network!
