It’s safe to say that Shayna Baszler has never met an opponent quite like Rhea Ripley. Although the NXT Women’s Champion technically won her much-anticipated showdown with Ripley, The Queen of Spades had to resort to extreme tactics to halt The Mosh Pit Kid’s onslaught. More than that, Ripley gave Baszler a receipt that The Queen of Spades won’t soon forget.
Damian Priest def. Boa
ORLANDO, Fla. — Damian Priest proved in his showdown against martial arts expert Boa that he’s ready to level-up in NXT’s hotly competitive singles division.
Boa landed several lightning-quick blows against Priest, but his onslaught only seemed to irk The Archer of Infamy. The ever-confident Priest, on the other hand, did nothing but inflict damage with his offense, plowing through Boa with a clothesline and a cyclone kick before ending Boa’s night in short order with the Reckoning.
With a superkick to Shane Thorne, Johnny Gargano made his future in NXT known
Johnny Gargano received a hero’s welcome and a “Johnny Wrestling” chant as he returned to Full Sail Live for the first time since TakeOver: Toronto to address the rumors regarding his future on the black-and-gold brand.
Gargano pledged his love for NXT and the NXT fans, but before he could get into the heart of the matter, he was interrupted by Shane Thorne. The perpetually disgruntled Aussie fumed about Gargano taking up TV time and told Johnny Wrestling to “take a bow and take a walk.”
Instead, Gargano stated that he’s not going anywhere, and he dropped Thorne with a superkick, to the delight of the NXT Universe.
Gargano is NXT for life, whether Thorne likes it or not.
Pete Dunne def. Angel Garza
Angel Garza has the sort of innate ability for sports-entertainment that only comes with being a third-generation luchador. He also has an ego the size of the Rio Grande, and unfortunately for him, there are few things Pete Dunne does better stomp holes in Superstars with outsized egos.
Although Garza held his own against the longest-reigning WWE U.K. Champion in history, he lost focus anytime there was a chance to bask in the adulation of his admirers. The grizzled brawler from Birmingham, England, who is notoriously impatient when it comes to those kinds of antics, made Garza pay whenever he grew preoccupied with showing off his movie-star good looks.
In the bout’s final moments, Garza took a beat too long to showboat before springing off the ropes with a quebrada. The lapse in judgment proved critical, as Dunne caught the descending Garza in a triangle hold and then splayed Garza’s fingers like a pair of pliers to force the tapout.
Cameron Grimes def. Raul Mendoza
Cameron Grimes’ failure to win the Breakout Tournament has done a number on The Technical Savage’s headspace, and that resulted in a tough night for Grimes’ opponent, the highflying Raul Mendoza.
Despite Mendoza’s slick and exciting offense — which included a high-wire rope-walk dropkick and running shooting star press — Grimes would stop at nothing to rebound from his tournament final loss to Jordan Myles. Grimes used hard knockdowns and questionable tactics, like snapping a ring rope into Mendoza’s face, to counteract the luchador’s spectacular aerial attack. After rolling out of the way of a Phoenix Splash by Mendoza late in the match, Grimes crushed Mendoza’s chest with a leaping double foot stomp to claim the three-count.
William Regal added Candice LeRae to next week’s match to determine Shayna Baszler’s challenger
One week after suffering another Kendo-stick beating at Io Shirai’s hands, Candice LeRae barged into the office of NXT General Manager William Regal in search of answers. Tenacious C demanded to know why The Genius of the Sky, despite her bad behavior, was given a spot in next week’s Triple Threat Match to decide the next contender to NXT Champion Shayna Baszler.
Regal agreed and offered a solution, adding LeRae to next week’s bout and transforming the high-stakes Triple Threat Match into a Fatal 4-Way Match. Regal further said that if Rhea Ripley defeated Baszler in tonight’s non-title main event, she, too, would be added to the mix. That last note barely registered with LeRae, who reiterated that the only thing she cares about is getting her hands on Shirai.
Shayna Baszler def. Rhea Ripley by disqualification
Shayna Baszler, the dominant NXT Women’s Champion who’s turned back challenger after challenger with ruthless aggression, may have finally met her match in Rhea Ripley.
The non-title clash between #ShaynaTwoTime and the inaugural NXT UK Women’s Champion played out unlike any other Baszler match in recent memory: Thanks to Ripley’s incredible strength and refusal to be intimidated, The Queen of Spades’ mind games and potent offense were rendered all but useless against The Mosh Pit Kid. Baszler still found ways to punish Ripley, although those efforts — like a Kirifuda Clutch executed on the turnbuckles — mostly ran afoul of the rules and tested the referee’s discretion.
Shortly after Ripley regained control by dropping Baszler face-first onto the steel steps, the cavalry arrived in the form of Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir. Duke slipped a steel chair to Baszler, but Ripley blocked the champion’s blow, took the equalizer from Baszler’s hands and slammed it across her back.
The vicious strike resulted in Ripley’s disqualification and cost the Aussie her a chance at being added to next week’s top-contender match. Yet, as the Horsewomen scrambled to safety and Ripley stood her ground inside the ring, with NXT fans chanting her name, there was little doubt as to who scored the moral victory in this high-octane encounter.
Undisputed ERA vowed to fulfill their prophecy next week
Are The Undisputed ERA one week away from being draped in championship gold?
NXT Champion Adam Cole and Co. certainly believe as much. The nefarious faction not only took credit for NXT’s upcoming expansion, but The Undisputed ERA also doubled down on their all-gold prognostication ahead of Roderick Strong’s match next week against NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream.
Will The Messiah of the Backbreaker seal the deal? Don’t miss history in the making next Wednesday when NXT airs live for two hours, starting at 8/7 C on USA Network and then continuing at 9/8 C on the award-winning WWE Network.
