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NXT Recap – Karrion Kross and Finn Balor: Tag-Team Champions?

Hey gang!  So tonight's episode of NXT on the USA Network should be an interesting one for non-storyline reasons.  If you read my report from Monday, then you know that they had another COVID-19 outbreak at the Performance Center and NXT stemming from last Thursday.  Word is several NXT talents were ordered into quarantine and that it would indeed affect tonight's program. For obvious reasons, the names of those quarantining couldn't be revealed, but we'll see who is and isn't there tonight and if any matches are changed or scrapped.

NXT sent out a preview email this afternoon detailing what to look forward to tonight, and I noticed the Swerve vs. Leon Ruff match they had announced last week wasn't mentioned, so one or both of them might be in quarantine now.

Onto the show!

We open tonight with NXT Champion Finn Balor already in the ring and looking pissed.  He brags that it's St. Patrick's Day, and he's still champion and goes through the list of guys he's beaten.  He then singles out Karrion Kross and says his time has come to join that list.  Kross interrupts him and makes his way to the ring.  Kross tells Balor he needed to wait until they settled everything with everyone else until he could challenge him and so they could find out who is truly the best in NXT.  Balor tells him he doesn't have what it takes to be in the main event and beat him.  Kross promises him at Takeover he will know what it feels like when he chokes him out.  Balor says Kross is just going to choke in the match.  Scarlett Bordeaux now says some kooky shit about seeing this in her cards or something.  They're then interrupted by Lorcan and Burch, who lectures the two in the ring about how Pete Dunne would destroy both of them.  Scarlett challenges them to put their NXT Tag-Team Titles on the line against Balor and Kross.  She gets out of the ring and begins getting up on the champs and seducing them into accepting, which they, of course, do.  They say they will take on the team of Balor and Kross for the NXT Tag Titles tonight!  She tells Balor that they came together for a reason tonight, and he can't stop fate.

Dexter Lumis vs. Austin Theory

As Lumis creeps into the ring, backstage, we see Theory Facetiming with Johnny Gargano, who tells him that they're at home and won't be there tonight because Theory needs to do this alone as the last step of his therapy.  Theory enters and takes it to Lumis, throwing him out of the ring and slamming his face into the announce table.  Lumis blocks and uppercuts Theory and tosses him into the ring.  Theory reverses a running move and pounds Lumis on the mat, and puts him in a rear hold.  They get to their feet, and Lumis takes control with some strikes.  He begins overpowering Theory now and is working him all over the ring.  Theory eventually rebounds and hits Lumis with a side backbreaker.  He then gets Lumis with a series of strikes before hitting him with a suplex for a pin attempt.

As Lumis is down, he yells at him before throwing him into the corner and hitting him with a fallaway slam and a pin attempt, which Lumis turns into a choke attempt.  Theory breaks out and keeps the offense up on Lumis.  They have a sequence of reversals, but Lumis hits Theory with a big sidewalk slam and takes over.  He hits him with a bulldog, followed by a backdrop for a two-count.  He then tries a vertical suplex, but Theory flips out of it, only to catch an uppercut from Lumis and then a suplex bouncing off the ring rope.  Lumis then tries a flying strike, but Theory avoids it and hits him shoulder breaker.  He then attempts a powerbomb, but Lumis reverses.  With Theory on the mat, Lumis reaches out and offers his hand, helping Theory to his feet.  He then hugs Lumis but is put in a choke for it.  He breaks out and gets Lumis on his shoulders, but Lumis escapes and hits him with a big slam and a choke, where Theory passes out.

Winner: Dexter Lumis

Backstage, Ciampa interrupts an attempted interview with William Regal, and he tells the correspondent that Thatcher isn't at NXT tonight because he told Imperium no and that they took him out for it.  Ciampa sends a message to them that "two can play this game" and then alludes to his having taken out Alexander Wolfe as revenge, and he promises that tonight, none of them will be left standing.

We see Adam Cole marching towards the ring.

Cole is in the ring and says Kyle O'Reilly made the biggest mistake of his life by costing him the NXT Championship.  He tells Kyle that he knows he's jealous of him and that he has signed his death warrant.  He says he's not leaving the ring until Kyle comes down so they can settle it.  Regal comes out and tells him that O'Reilly isn't there cause he reinjured his neck last week and is banned from the building.  O'Reilly then appears on the video screen saying he can't make it as a safety precaution and says they'll have a chance to settle this later.  He says he will not rest until he ends Cole like he tried to end his career.  He says he doesn't know what he'll have to do, but he knows he'll do it.  Cole tells Regal that he can threaten to end him, but not unless he finds him first.

Backstage we get an interview with the new NXT Women's Tag Team Champs, Ember Moon, and Shotzi Blackheart.  They're interrupted by Robert Stone, Aliyah, and Jessi Kamea, who challenge them for the titles next week.

We see a sports car pull up outside, and Jordan Devlin gets out.

Legado Del Fantasma vs Breezango

Fandango starts it off against Mendoza and hammers him out of the gate.  He hits him with a bunch of offense before Breeze tags in, and they get a double team in.  Wilde tags in, but Breeze keeps the advantage, working him to the corner.  He tags Fandango back in, and they get another double team, but Wilde gets Fandango with a jawbreaker to take the advantage.  He gets him in a chin lock and wears him down before tagging Mendoza, who keeps on Fandango.  Fandango is able to recover and goes to the top rope, but Mendoza meets him there and chops him to try and superplex him, but Fandango fights out and tosses him off.  Wilde distracts him from the apron, giving Mendoza the opportunity to kick him in the head, knocking him from the top rope to the floor outside.  Back from the commercial break, Fandango fights back and gets a hot tag to Breeze, who takes it to both opponents.  He clotheslines Mendoza out of the ring before locking Wilde in the half crab submission.  He keeps the move in for a while before vaulting Wilde over the top rope.  Wilde gets back in, only to eat a superkick from Breeze.  He goes for the pin, but Mendoza breaks it up.  Breeze tries the Unprettier, but Wilde breaks out, tags in Mendoza, and they hit him with a double team running kick for the pinfall.

Winners: Legado Del Fantasma

Post-match, Escobar grabs the headset at commentary and asks, where's Devlin?  Well, conveniently, Jordan Devlin happens to make his entrance right then!  He grabs a mic, hits the ring, and cuts a promo where he tells Escobar that this is what a real champion looks like.  Escobar enters the ring, and Devlin tells him to take his replica title and throw it in the trash cause the real champion is back.  Escobar retorts that he has redefined what a cruiserweight is and has made history as champion.  He tells Devlin the only reason he still has his belt is cause everyone forgot about him.  He then challenges Devlin to a match at Takeover to settle who is the real NXT Cruiserweight champion.  Devlin headbutts him and suplexes him before running from the ring as Wilde and Mendoza chase him out.

Backstage, Adam Cole is asked if he's concerned about what Kyle O'Reilly said?  He said he's leaving and he's going to do what he promised to, which is end him.  So I'm guessing they're not having beers together for St. Patty's Day?  Oh well…

Zoey Stark vs Dakota Kai, with Raquel Gonzalez

There's a lot of collar and elbow tie-ups and chain stuff to start.  Reversals of side headlocks and Irish whips and now trading hip tosses.  Stark gets an armbar in.  Kai breaks free, only to get clotheslined.  Stark tries a scoop slam, but Kai slithers out and starts some punching.  She gets Stark in the corner and does a running boot to the face for a two-count.  They're on the mat now, and Kai locks her up with her legs.  They look gassed and are trying to breathe.  They get up, and Kai gets tossed outside.  Stark hits her with an over-the-toprope crossbody.  Back from commercial break, Kai is in control and is pounding Stark on the mat.  They hit each other with a double clothesline and get knocked out.  They get up, and Stark is getting some offense in now.  She hits Kai with a half-chicken wing suplex and then a running knee to the jaw for a two-count.  She tries another running move, but Kai reverses and gets her to the apron, where Kai kicks her in the head.  Stark rallies and tosses Kai back in the ring and tries a springboard move off the top rope but is met with a superkick by Kai, ala Shawn Michaels, and Shelton Benjamin.  They go through a whole series of pin reversals on the mat before Stark hits a rolling fireman's carry.  Stark goes to the top rope, but Kai kicks her there and hits her with the Kota Kick for the pinfall.

Winner: Dakota Kai

After the match, Kai and Gonzalez back Stark into the corner before NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai interrupts and gets in the ring.  She stares them both down separately before throwing the contract for a title match at Gonzalez.

Backstage, Regal is being interviewed but is called away by a crew member saying something has happened to Adam Cole.

The Grizzled Young Veterans cut a taped promo on MSK, telling them they made the biggest mistake of their careers last week and that they will not forgive or forget.

Marcel Barthel, with Fabian Aichner vs. Tommaso Ciampa

As Imperium enters, Ciampa comes out of nowhere with a chair and wallops Aichner before throwing him over the crowd barrier. Barthel meets him outside; Ciampa punches him and throws him back in the ring.  The bell rings, and Ciampa immediately gets Barthel in a waist lock.  Barthel reverses and tries taking it to Ciampa, but he responds with a kick to the face and chops to the chest.  Barthel rallies and gets Ciampa in a hard side headlock mixed with punches.  He keeps this up for a while, but Ciampa powers out, only to get hit with an under hook suplex by Barthel.  Barthel tries a jumping strike from the corner, but Ciampa hits him with a dropkick and then gets clotheslined over the top rope.  Aichner is back and stops Ciampa from hitting the Widow's Bell DDT.  Barthel kicks Ciampa in the head and dropkicks him.  He then chokes Ciampa onto the ropes before the ref breaks it up.  He tries a running knee, but Ciampa reverses and takes control.  He hits him with running strikes before hitting him with a German suplex, followed by a Widow's Bell for the pinfall.

Winner: Tommaso Ciampa

After the pin, the lights go out, and the music hits for Walter, who makes his way to the ring.  He gets on the apron to face Ciampa, but Ciampa is jumped from behind by Barthel and Aichner.  Walter floors Ciampa with a thunderous chop to the chest, and Aichner dives on him and begins pummeling him.  Walter then hits the big powerbomb, and Imperium stands over a broken Ciampa and poses.  Nazis…I hate these guys.

Outside the building, we see Regal running up to a car with emergency lights flashing.  Kyle O'Reilly is in handcuffs and is being put into the back of a police car.  Cole is screaming at him that he's going to make him pay.  We see that Cole is also in handcuffs as he tells Regal that he tried to run him off the road.  Kyle has his head out of the window, and the two scream at each other.

Backstage, we find LA Knight in his locker room cutting a cocky promo into the camera, but behind him, we see Bronson Reed lurking and watching him.

LA Knight vs. August Grey

Knight immediately just destroys Grey, hitting him with everything.  On the stage, we see Bronson Reed with Knight's blue leather jacket.  He gets Knight's attention and rips the jacket in half.  Grey tries a roll-up on Knight, but Knight kicks out.  He then gets a bit of offense in on a distracted Knight but misses a top rope dive, and Knight hits his finisher for the pinfall.

Winner: LA Knight

Backstage, Raquel Gonzalez is interviewed about the NXT Women's Championship match contract Io Shirai gave her.  She says Shirai made a big mistake challenging her.  Dakota Kai shows up and says they have to have a tag match next week instead of Gonzalez facing Shirai.

We see Karrion Kross and Finn Balor each making their way to the ring.

Outside, a pissed-off Regal is interviewed about what happened, and he says hopefully the police drop their charges and that next week he's bringing both Cole and O'Reilly in to settle this.

Karrion Kross & Finn Balor vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch (NXT Tag-Team Championship)

Kross and Lorcan start it off.  Lorcan tries some running moves, but Kross chews him up.  Lorcan tags Burch in, who is also manhandled by Kross with shoulder blocks and clotheslines.  Kross gets Burch in a bearhug, and Burch tries to punch his way out of it, but that just makes Kross angrier.  He eventually lets him loose and hits him with a scoop slam.  Kross tries a suplex, but Lorcan interferes, and the two try to hit Kross with a double suplex, but he reverses and suplexes both of them.  Burch appears hurt, and the ref is working with him, getting him to the corner to tag Lorcan.  Kross then tags Balor.  Balor and Lorcan lock up and start some chain wrestling, making their way to the mat where Balor gets a hard wristlock on him.  Lorcan elbows him to get out and then begins working on Balor's arm, eventually dragging him down with his own wristlock.

Balor gets out, and Lorcan tries a sunset flip, but Balor rolls out and hits a dropkick.  He locks Lorcan's arm back up and wrenches his shoulder, but Lorcan powers Balor into the corner and hits him with an uppercut.  He gets Balor into the other corner and starts stomping him.  Lorcan then hits a snap suplex and rolls over into a pin attempt for a two-count.  He locks up Balor, and outside the ring, we see medical personnel working on Burch.  Lorcan again hits a hard uppercut on Balor, knocking him to his knees.  Balor hits him with a jawbreaker followed by a Pele kick.  He crawls to tag Kross, but Lorcan leaps there first and knocks Kross from the apron.  Balor rallies now and throws Lorcan corner to corner, followed by chops and a double stomp to the chest.  Balor clotheslines Lorcan outside and follows him out, where he hits the sling blade on the outside.  He then sizes him up for the running dropkick, but Scarlett is behind Lorcan, and he kicks both of them down.  Balor tosses Lorcan inside and checks on Scarlett.  Kross grabs him by the throat and bashes Balor's head into the crowd barrier over and over.  Balor is tossed into the ring, where he's hit with Unbridled Rage by Lorcan for the pinfall.

Winners and still NXT Tag-Team Champions: Lorcan & Burch

After the match, Kross enters the ring and hits Lorcan with the Doomsday Saito Suplex twice and then clotheslines Balor into the corner.  He then hits Balor with a suplex of his own and then the sleeper hold.  Scarlett gets him off Balor before she helps Balor to his feet, only for Kross to deck Balor from behind.  Scarlett lies the belt on Balor and whispers in his ear that "everything happens for a reason."  Kross and Scarlett pose over a beaten Balor as NXT goes off the air.

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