Results
- Aaron Rourke def. Tristan Angels (WWE EVOLVE Championship) (8:52)
- Hank Walker & Tank Ledger def. Stacks & Uriah Connors (12:00)
- EK Prosper def. Keanu Carver (9:52)
- Arianna Grace def. Izzi Dame (WWE Speed Women’s Championship #1 Contenders Match) (2:20)
- Dorian Van Dux & Sean Legacy def. Shawn Spears & Niko Vance (11:33)
Aaron Rourke defends EVOLVE title in NXT debut
This week’s episode of NXT, the final before the Great American Bash Premium Live Event (PLE) on Sunday, took place from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Before we went to the live feed, we saw General Manager Robert Stone warning NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo to behave himself tonight, as he doesn’t want to endanger his main event this weekend against Naraku.
Filling in for Booker T in the commentary booth this week was Wade Barrett, returning to the NXT headset for the first time in over two years.
The first match of the night saw EVOLVE Champion Aaron Rourke make his NXT debut, defending his title against Tristan Angels. Rourke has been wrestling for EVOLVE basically since it was rebooted over a year ago, so I was surprised to see this was the first time he had wrestled on any NXT event, TV or house show.
Angels rival Shiloh Hill attempted to serve as a distraction throughout this match. Two minutes in, the venue’s lights went dark and a chuckle from Hill played over the PC’s speakers, briefly distracting the heel competitor.
Rourke came out of the corner with a Codebreaker, giving him a two-count at the seven-minute mark. The EVOLVE champ attempted to take Angels’ Mr. NXT sash, but this slight pause allowed the English talent to knock him off the top rope and out of the ring with a step-up enzigiri.
Angels went to ringside to retrieve his sash, however, he was briefly pulled under the ring! It wasn’t revealed in the moment, but we could only assume that Hill was behind the distraction. Anyway, this bought Rourke time to recover. The EVOLVE champ scored a spinning head kick, then his Molly Go Round top-rope finisher for the pinfall victory in just under nine minutes.
It felt like the result of this match was spoiled when the broadcast mentioned that the winner would defend the title on tomorrow’s EVOLVE episode, which is a pre-taped show. But, either way, Rourke looked solid and the Angels & Hill feud continues.
Champ gets stretchered away, Lennox & Shugars trade jabs
We saw a segment in the parking lot, where D’Angelo retrieved the contract for his Great American Bash match against Naraku (D’Angelo signed the contract last week and left it with Naraku, who said he would deliver it signed this week). Once D’Angelo opened the contract, a fireball flew out of it and hit him in the face! A distressed GM Robert Stone shouted for someone to call 9-1-1.
After the show returned from a break, it became clear that this D’Angelo injury was severe. Numerous officials helped load D’Angelo onto an ambulance, which sent him to a hospital. Is the Great American Bash main event in danger? (Spoiler: No).
Ahead of their grudge match at Great American Bash this weekend, DarkState’s Dion Lennox and ousted faction member Saquon Shugars had a face-to-face. These two had a fun back-and-forth. Shugars said he was deserving of all the opportunities Lennox has been given over the past year. Lennox countered that he wasn’t given those chances due to luck.
Lennox had a big reveal: Shugars wasn’t supposed to be in the group. “We brought you in, we got what we needed, and on Sunday, we leave you in the past,” Lennox said.
Shugar was channeling that babyface fire in his promo: “You can’t touch me, boy. And at Bash, I’m going to prove to you and the world why I’m up next, and you up never, and it don’t get no sweeter than that!”
Lennox got the last word in, saying Shugars is still his own worst enemy, as he will prove this weekend when they meet. I thought Shugars played the babyface role incredible here.
Hank & Tank take down Birthright
This week’s NXT Spotlight included promos from both Myles Borne and Tavion Heights, who will be facing off for the NXT North American Championship this weekend. They’re friends, but both admit that a rift has formed between them in recent months. “Myles didn’t outgrow our friendship, he forgot about it,” Heights said.
Tag action was up next, with Birthright’s Stacks and Uriah Connors facing off against Hank & Tank. The babyface duo had comedian Matt Mathews in their corner. I wasn’t aware of this guy and was wondering why NXT has gotten him on TV for three weeks in a row – well, he has 3.5 million Instagram followers. There’s your answer.
Hank Walker was isolated through the break, allowing Tank Ledger to get the hot tag eventually. He sent both of his opponents to the outside, then delivered a cannonball off the ring apron. Walker got back into the match and delivered a double-team powerbomb to Connors, but Stacks hit the ring to break a follow-up pin attempt.
A springboard cutter from Connors was followed by an elbow drop from Stacks, who tagged back into the match. Ledger just barely broke the follow-up pin attempt to keep the match alive.
A sequence of moves from all four men ended with Connors scoring a huge Swanton Bomb to Walker. Late in the match, attention shifted to ringside, where comedian Mathews got into a scuffle with the rest of Birthright.
Lexis King held Mathews, trying to set up Charlie Dempsey to drop him with a punch to the head. Mathews dodged the punch, causing Dempsey to drop King with a right hand. Dempsey then slipped and fell on King. Back in the ring, Hank & Tank gave Stacks a double-team powerslam for the pinfall victory in 12 minutes. The stuff at ringside was a little goofy, but this was a fun showdown between these teams.
Shiloh Hill said in a backstage interview that he’s cleared to compete and out for revenge against Tristan Angels, who notably attacked him following their Mr. NXT pageant a few weeks back. Hill made it sound like they might be facing off as part of Great American Bash this weekend. That match doesn’t scream PLE-worthy to me, but fine.
Women’s title opponents meet in contract signing
We saw a clip of NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo squirming on a gurney inside the “First Response Memorial Hospital” after taking the fireball to the face from Naraku earlier in the night. D’Angelo wasn’t looking like a man ready to defend his title in just a few days!
The next segment was a pre-taped contract signing between NXT Women’s Champion Lola Vice and Kendal Grey. This was originally set to be a “double” contract signing also featuring the men’s match, but plans changed following the parking lot attack.
Grey and Vice had a tense but respectful meeting. They appreciated eachother’s skills and potential, but both refused to admit that it was their opponent’s time in the spotlight. “You will have your success, mama, but not while I’m champion,” Vice said.
Prosper sneaks by Carver
Keanu Carver faced off with EK Prosper in the next segment. This match was made following a backstage exchange between these two last week.
Prosper was expectedly the underdog in this one, being significantly smaller than Carver. He was gaining some momentum after the show returned from a break, sending Carver out of the ring with a dropkick then hitting a springboard moonsault to the outside. However, this momentum was slowed after a nasty lariat from Carver turned him inside out.
Prosper got back in control, rocking Carver with a head kick then coming off the top with a leg drop for a two-count. A top-rope moonsault was dodged by Carver, who launched Prosper across the ring with a huge pounce. He tried to follow up with a powerbomb, but Prosper countered into a roll-up pin which gave him the win in just under 10 minutes. Carver has been hit-and-miss with his singles matches, but I thought this one was enjoyable.
A frustrated Carver attacked Prosper after the bell, putting him through the commentary desk at ringside with a huge powerbomb.
In a pre-taped promo, another match was added to Great American Bash: Zaria will rematch Tatum Paxley for the NXT Women’s North American Championship. Wonder if this is the send-off for Paxley, who seems prime for a call-up.
The Culling loses, Pt. 1
The next challenger for WWE Speed Women’s Champion Wren Sinclair was determined next, as Izzi Dame and Arianna Grace faced in a #1 contenders showdown. Per Speed non-title matchup rules, this was a three-minute time limit.
The finish to this match was incredibly silly. Dame dropped Grace with a front kick late and was setting up for a big move. However, Culling teammate Shawn Spears insisted that he get a high-five from her before she moves to her next move. This pause allowed Grace to score a roll-up pinfall win in just over two minutes, earning her a shot against Sinclair at Great American Bash. I get that we need to find a way to script the issues within The Culling, but this result, much like how they booked Layla Diggs last week, made her look awful.
In his office, a stressed out GM Robert Stone made it clear that he will announce Naraku’s opponent for GAB by the end of the night. Will it be Tony D’Angelo? Someone else? Who knows. He also revealed that luchadors from AAA will be at this weekend’s show.
The Culling splits up following yet another loss
Backstage, OTM approached Jaida Parker, who looked visibly shaken following her loss to Nattie from last week. When asked if she’s okay, Parker said “No, I’m not.”
The final match of the night saw the team of NXT rookie Dorian Van Dux and Sean Legacy take on Niko Vance and Shawn Spears. The Culling had to quickly regain their composure following Izzi Dame’s embarrassing loss before this match.
Van Dux got a hot tag late in the match, scoring a DVD then a moonsault off the top rope to Spears. A pin attempt was broken up by Vance. A superkick from Spears knocked Van Dux back into his corner, allowing Legacy to tag back in.
A top rope move from Legacy was stopped by Vance, who dropped him with a headbutt. The Culling hit a double-team cutter to Legacy, but it wasn’t enough to put him away yet! Vance was taken out at ringside by a moonsault from Van Dux. Spears was hit with a Sliced Bread from Legacy, who then also connected with a 450 Splash off the top. Van Dux tagged back in and followed up with a Shooting Star Press for the pinfall win in 11 minutes. Van Dux is an incredible prospect, as he is a huge guy but can move like an EK Prosper-sized cruiserweight.
Recent issues within The Culling boiled over in the post-match, as a frustrated Vance attacked Spears! As Izzi Dame watched on approvingly, Vance chokeslammed Spears through the commentary desk! This felt like kind of an anticlimatic split.
Despite fireball, Naraku vs. D’Angelo confirmed for Great American Bash
NXT General Manager Robert Stone came to the ring for the final segment of the night. Stone said that, no matter whether or not D’Angelo is able to fight, the title match will go on this weekend.
Naraku came out and said if there’s nobody to face him this weekend at Great American Bash, he will take the title! Mason Rook came out and reminded Naraku that this is NXT, and there’s always someone who is willing to step up for a title shot.
“If Tony can’t fight you for it, then yeah, you guessed it: I’ll fight you for it,” Rook said.
The Vanity Project came out and made it clear that they would like in the title match this weekend, too. Rook and the heel faction started to brawl their way out of the venue. Naraku turned to Stone and said that, once again, there’s nobody in line to face him.
Stone announced that, despite concern earlier in the night, D’Angelo will be ready to fight on Sunday!
D’Angelo, sporting a massive bandage that covered the entire right side of his face, came to the ring and started to fight with Naraku. While he looked every bit not cleared to compete, it’s official that he will defend in the main event of Great American Bash this weekend. Man, this segment was silly. All the doubt they put on a last-minute change to the main event honestly wasn’t convincing at all. It just felt like they were treading water for an episode. I wasn’t a fan of this.
Alright, now we know the full lineup for Great American Bash. Here’s how it looks:
- Saquon Shugars vs. Dion Lennox
- Shiloh Hill vs. Tristan Angels
- Wren Sinclair vs. Arianna Grace (WWE Speed Women’s Championship)
- Zaria vs. Tatum Paxley (NXT Women’s North American Championship)
- Myles Borne vs. Tavion Heights (NXT North American Championship)
- Lola Vice vs. Kendal Grey (NXT Women’s Championship)
- Tony D’Angelo vs. Naraku (NXT Championship)
