Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: NXT, NXT Recap, NXT Takeover, Stand & Deliver, wrestling, wwe

NXT Recap- A Battle Royal Main Event As We're Now Ready For Takeover

Hey gang!  Tonight we can look forward to the last ever proper Wednesday night episode of NXT on the USA Network as next Wednesday will be night one of NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, and then starting on April 13, NXT will be a Tuesday night program.  So how is NXT going out for the second to last night of the "Wednesday Night Wars"?  Let's find out!

Roderick Strong vs. Cameron Grimes

During his entrance, Grimes has a mic and tells Strong that they should join forces to make money off of the recently disbanded Undisputed Era.  He presents him with a t-shirt and a retooled version of the Undisputed theme.  Strong doesn't buy what he's selling and jumps him on the ramp.  He gets Grimes into the ring, and we've got a match.  Stong is all over Grimes to start, but Grimes is eventually able to get Strong in some headlocks and work him over with kicks in the corner.  Strong rallies and hammers him with punches, knees, and knife-edge chops.  Grimes comes alive and hits Strong with some chops of his own.  Strong reverses an Irish whip and hits Grimes with a single-leg lariat, knocking him out of the ring.  He then does a through-the ropes kick to Grimes, and they start fighting around ringside.  Grimes eventually rolls Strong into the ring and uppercuts him on the apron.

Back in the ring, Grimes works on him with stomps and kicks before hard-whipping Strong into the turnbuckle.  He gets Strong in an armlock on the mat, but Strong reverses it and gets them to their feet, but Grimes again whips him into the corner.  He then hits him with some knees to the face and goes for an elbow lock, but Strong powers out, and they get to their feet. Grimes reverses a running attack for a turnaround side slam for a two-count.  He then locks Strong in a grounded headlock, but Strong fights out.  Strong starts with the offense now, but Grimes clotheslines him for a two-count.  He gets Strong in a waist lock but reverses into a Northern Light suplex followed by a step over backbreaker for a two-count.  He gets Grimes in the corner for some chops and then lifts him up for the top rope superplex for a very near-fall.  Strong hangs Grimes on the ropes for a series of running strikes, but Grimes reverses for a slam.  He tries locking up Strong but is hit with an Angle Slam.  Strong notices Grimes threw an Undisputed Era armband at him, which distracts him, and he turns around into a running kick to the face for the pinfall.

Winner: Cameron Grimes

We now get a training package of Karrion Kross preparing for his NXT title match with Finn Balor at Takeover.  He says and does a lot of threatening muscled-up stuff here, looking like a Rocky villain.  Scarlett watches on, dressed entirely wrong for the gym.

We now get a video package of Walter talking down about Tommaso Ciampa.  He says Ciampa is not who he used to be in NXT and isn't up to facing him, and he's going to prove to him that "the mat is sacred."

Next, the commentators kill some time talking about the move to Tuesday nights and talking up Peacock.

Legado Del Fantasma is in the ring, and Santos Escobar issues an open challenge for tonight to show Jordan Devlin what he's in for.  He calls himself "the lord of Lucha Libre" and says the Cruiserweight title and what it represents is in his blood and that he's the best Cruiserweight in the history of NXT.  Tyler Breeze interrupts him and says Escobar is entitled while he's had to work his ass off.  Challenge accepted!

Tyler Breeze vs Santos Escobar

Escobar explodes on Breeze right off the bell.  He pummels him into the corner and hits him with a running dropkick.  He then gets Breeze on his shoulders, but Breeze shakes out of it and begins striking Escobar and hits him with a dropkick.  Escobar slides out of the ring, and Breeze follows him and tosses him back in, but Escobar stomps on him when he enters.  He takes control again now, until Breeze hits him with a kick to the head and then crotching him on the post from outside.  Mendoza and Wilde try to interfere, but Breeze superkicks both of them before hitting Escobar with a Pele kick to the head as he leans through the ropes. Back from the commercial, Escobar is now in control again and is working Breeze in the corner with knees and punches to the midsection.  He gets Breeze up on his shoulders and drops him for a knee to the stomach.  He then locks Breeze in the full surfboard stretch, but Breeze doesn't submit.  He puts Breeze in the corner again and talks shit to him while chopping him.  Breeze hits him with a hurricanrana and then some grounded strikes.  He then works on his knee and follows with a spine buster before locking Escobar up in a Sharpshooter.  He keeps it locked in until Escobar reaches the ropes.  He then tries the Unprettier, but Escober reverses with a kick and then the Phantom Driver for the pinfall.

Winner: Santos Escobar

After the match, Legado Del Fantasma triple-team Breeze but are interrupted by MSK for the save.  Then on the NXT Tron, Grizzled Young Veterans talk shit to the two other teams, promising they'll be the next NXT tag team champions.

Backstage, The Way is being interviewed. Johnny Gargano goes off on a rant about how unfair the tournament for his NXT North American title is and how NXT Commissioner William Regal is out of control.  Austin Theory tells him he thinks it's a good idea (as he's in the match), and Gargano yells at him.  Candace LeRae and Indi Hartwell then say that tonight they're going to show Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon what real champions look like.

We then see footage of a little dog walking up to the Performance Center.  I don't know…

Candace LeRae & Indi Hartwell vs Zayda Ramier & Gigi Dolan

Hartwell and Dolan start off, and Dolan hits a headlock and some strikes, but Hartwell overpowers her and tags in LeRae, who beats on Dolan and tags out.  Ramier tags in and begins working on Hartwell with kicks.  Hartwell takes over with a spine buster and tags LeRae back in, and she knocks Dolan off the apron and tries to roll up Ramier, but it's reversed for a two-count.  This pisses off LeRae, who tags Hartwell, hits the Wicked Stepsister before Hartwell hits a vaulting elbow drop for the pinfall.

Winners: Candace LeRae & Indi Hartwell

Post-match, LeRae cuts a promo in the ring saying no woman in the back deserves to be a champion like she does, and that means they should be tag champs.  She says they're coming for what's theirs and challenges them for the NXT Women's tag titles at Stand & Deliver.  This brings Blackheart & Moon out, who say they've lost their damn minds, but they accept the challenge.  They then launch the toy missile from their toy tank, and I'm pretty sure we could hear Jim Cornette putting his head through a wall somewhere.

Backstage, NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai finds Raquel Gonzalez and tells her, "you cannot kill me!" before jumping her.  They fight for a bit before Gonzalez overpowers her and throws her into some equipment.  Scotty 2 Hotty shows up and breaks them up while I mark out for his appearance.

Now we see the little dog running through the front door of the Performance Center and running into the CWC.  I still don't know…but it's possible Vince saw this dog do something cool on tv and has now decided it's the future star his company needs, ala Mr. Burns on the classic Frank Grimes episode of The Simpsons.

Backstage we see Roderick Strong walking around, and the interviewer asks him where he's going cause he's in the Battle Royal tonight?  He says he's done and leaves the building.

Zoey Stark vs Raquel Gonzalez with Dakota Kai

Gonzalez takes it to Stark, using her size and strength against her.  Stark is able to get around her, though, with her speed and agility.  Eventually, though, Gonzalez catches her and drops her hard on the mat for a two-count.  She now hammers Stark with elbow drops and a reverse chin lock.  Stark punches out of it eventually and dodges a running Gonzalez to kick her into the corner and then toss her over the top rope.  She then tries to vault over the top rope, but Gonzalez catches her.  Stark sneaks out of it and pushes Gonzalez into the post.  Kai tries interfering, but Stark knocks her out.  Back in the ring, Stark tries going to the top rope, but Gonzalez catches her.  Stark knocks her back after a struggle and hits Gonzalez with a diving neck breaker from the top rope for a two-count.  Stark tries another running strike, but Gonzalez catches her with the single-arm powerbomb for the pinfall.

Winner: Raquel Gonzalez

Post-match, NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai charges in and kicks Gonzalez out of the ring.  She chases her out, but Gonzalez grabs her and throws her hard into the crowd barrier before storming off.

Now the dog is running up some stairs into the training area…

Backstage, Kushida is being interviewed but is interrupted by Pete Dunne, who takes exception to Kushida, saying he was the best technical wrestler in the world last week.  He says he's the best in NXT and dares Kushida to prove him wrong.  Kushida tells him he'll see him in the Battle Royal tonight.

Next, we get a video package, Prime Target: Cole vs. O'Reilly, detailing the whole saga of Adam Cole turning on the Undisputed Era and his war with Kyle O'Reilly. We see each sit down across from a camera and detail their entire history together, all across the world, in different promotions, and eventually in NXT.  We get to the destruction of their friendship and the how/why Cole did what he did.  It works towards the unsanctioned match at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver; they each say how they must destroy the other.  It was honestly a really dramatic and well-made video package.

Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter vs Tian Sha

Apparently, this is a handicap match now as Xia Li is taking them on by herself.  Catanzaro takes it to Li right away, pounding on her with strikes over and over.  She tags Carter in, and she follows suit. Catanzaro tags back in and gets Li outside, but Li tackles her into the ring apron.  Back in the ring, Li tries to take advantage, but Catanzaro hits some kind of jawbreaker.  Carter charges up the ramp at Boa and Mei Ying, but Ying grabs her by the throat and breathes some smoke into her face, knocking her out.  Back in the ring, Li hits Catanzaro with a hard spinning kick for the pinfall.

Winner: Xia Li

Backstage, Raquel Gonzalez is being interviewed when Io Shirai charges her from behind and pounds on her.  Gonzalez eventually grabs her in a two-handed choke lift and throws her through a wall!  She screams at Shirai to stay down as refs help the NXT Women's Champ.

We see the damn dog again, this time running up to some woman's legs.  On the screen, it says, "See you April 13, Franky".  Is the woman Franky?  Is the dog Franky??  Is the dog now NXT's mascot???  Is the dog taking Regal's job????  So many questions!!!

Backstage, Ciampa cuts a promo to Walter right into the camera, where he says the necklace he broke last week was given to him by his wife and daughter before he went in for neck surgery.  He says how everyone says he's changed and isn't the same Ciampa, which he admits is true.  But he says he hears and feels all of his supporters and loved ones, and at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, he's going to chop Walter's head off.  He explodes and says he's changed because he's been at the bottom and has had to work his way back up.  He says to Walter that it's a long, long fall from the top of the mountain, and he should buckle up.  Really good, intense promo from Ciampa here.

Next, we get a pretaped promo/video package from NXT Champion Finn Balor, kind of an answer to Kross' from earlier.  We see Balor training, and he narrates that he doesn't get gassed or tired and that Kross will.  He promises Kross will choke and that he will retain the NXT title.

Gauntlet Eliminator Qualifying Battle Royal

As Isaiah "Swerve" Scott enters, Leon Ruff jumps him at ringside, and they fight their way into the ring before Ruff clotheslines Swerve out of the ring, and Swerve is hiding behind the announce table.  We come back from commercial break to find all 11 guys in the ring.  At the bell, they all start brawling, except Dexter Lumis, who just stands in the corner staring at everyone.  Jake Atlas is the first eliminated by a Swerve dropkick.  Tyler Rust is then tossed right out.  Austin Theory is knocked out by Bronson Reed but lands on his back.  The dumbass notices his feet haven't touched the floor, so he kicks up and lands on both feet, eliminating himself.  LA Knight then almost eliminates both Reed and Kushida but doesn't get it done.  Pete Dunne tries to break Ruff's fingers, but Kushida breaks it up, and the two start going at it.  They grapple with Kushida locking in an armbar, but they both roll over the top rope and are eliminated as refs try to break them up outside.

Lumis is still just standing in the corner.  Cameron Grimes and Swerve double team Ruff, beating him post to post, while Reed and Knight go at it and trade blows.  Reed tries to toss Grimes, but Knight stops him.  In the middle of the match, Pete Dunne vs. Kushida is announced for night one of Stand & Deliver.  NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano joins the commentary team now as well.  Ruff and Swerve are fighting on top of the turnbuckle when Reed gets both on his shoulders and tosses them out.  Knight takes it to Reed on the ropes, and Grimes joins him.  Lumis stays in his corner.  Reed rallies, but Knight and Grimes try pushing over the top rope when Lumis comes alive and joins them to push Reed over the top rope for the elimination.  Grimes now tries throwing a bunch of cash at his final two competitors, but Lumis smacks it away, and they both toss Grimes out.  We're down to LA Knight vs. Dexter Lumis!  They stare each other down, with Knight trying to size him up.  Lumis uppercuts Knight and back body drops him.  He tries to toss Knight, but he reverses and throws Lumis to the apron.  Lumis tries to suplex him, but Knight drops him on the top rope.  Knight tries charging, but Lumis moves, and Knight dives through the middle rope and pulls Lumis off the apron, eliminating him.

Winner: LA Knight

After the match, Knight approaches Gargano at the announce table, and they yell at each other.

Io Shirai's music hits, and the NXT Women's Champ hits the ring and cuts a promo in Japanese.  Raquel Gonzalez charges out, and the two meet outside the ring for yet another brawl!  The women's locker room empties out to separate them, but Shirai does a diving top rope cross body onto all of them on the outside.  Shirai struts proudly as the refs try to get her away from all of her victims as NXT ends!

Alright, gang, next time we see some NXT action will be night one of NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, airing at 8 pm on the USA Network one week from tonight.

Till next time friends!

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