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WWE NXT – Ember Moon Returns to the Ring in NXT Main Event

Published Thu, 08 Oct 2020 10:35:42 -0500

In hour two of WWE NXT, Austin Theory has a bad day, Ridge Holland has an even worse day, and Ember Moon returns to the ring. Welcome to Bleeding Cool's WWE NXT report. We watch WWE, so you don't have to!

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WWE NXT Report for October 7th, 2020 Part 2

Austin Theory and Leon Ruff are in the ring for a squash match.

Austin Theory vs. Leon Ruff

Ruff nearly rolls up and pins Theory at the start of the match.
Wade Barrett puts Theory over as the next Randy Orton, based on the fact that both are "immature" backstage.
Theory wins in a minute or so after Ruff slips on the ropes. That's live TV, boys.

Theory cuts a promo. That's what happens when he's given the time to warm up. Last week, Adam Cole caught him ice cold. Austin could be proving to Adam why he's the future of NXT right now, but Cole has those hurt ribs. Theory repeats that he's the future of NXT, and there ain't a damn thing anybody can do about it.

Dexter Lumis's music plays. Lumis comes out, looking like he just strangled a kitten. Uh, they're gonna have a match, it looks like.

Dexter Lumis vs. Austin Theory

Lumis pummels Theory at first. When Theory gets the upper hand, he wastes some time mocking Lumis.
This actually turns into a pretty good, back-and-forth match.
The tide turns when Lumis hits a big spinebuster. He follows up with a monkey flip and then a slingshot suplex.
Theory fires back with a dropkick, but Lumis creeps up. That's like hulking up, but when you're a creep.
Theory tries to run away, but Lumis catches him. He hits the urinage and then puts the Silence on Theory. Theory passes out.

Cameron Grimes comes out of nowhere and hits the cave-in on Lumis. He gets down in his face. "When I ask you a question, you answer me, freak." Grimes gloats as he leaves, and the crowd boos.

McKenzie Mitchell asks Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez why they attacked Rhea Ripley and Ember Moon earlier. They say that's their business, but Gonzales is gonna take care of Ripley tonight. Kai says Moon needs to get in line behind her for a shot at the title. NXT takes a commercial break.

The disembodied voice asks Cameron Grimes what the deal with that was earlier. Grimes says when he asks you a question, you answer him, not sit there and stare like a freak. Ridge Holland, Dexter Lumis, whoever will learn that you don't mess with Cameron Grimes.

Commentary talks about the NXT Championship match at NXT Takeover 31. They play a video package about the buildup to it, the match itself, and the aftermath, with lots of people talking about how great the match was. Balor broke his jaw during the match, the video claims… even though he's talking in the video.

We see a video of Ridge Holland arriving at the arena earlier tonight when a disembodied voice asks him why he attacked Adam Cole. Holland says last week he didn't have a Mercedez. This week he does. You can thank Adam Cole for that. NXT takes a commercial break.

Burger King sponsors a video package about Damian Priest. Then McKenzie Mitchell asks Priest about the after-party last night and what's next. Priest says the party was great. About Takeover, Priest has talked about his name and legacy before, and those aren't just empty words. He burned Johnny Gargano's name into the championship at Takeover. Now, who's next? McKenzie says probably lots of people. He says, let 'em come. I say let McKenzie book the show.

Ridge Holland comes to the ring. Danny Burch follows. They have a match.

Ridge Holland vs. Danny Burch

Vic Joseph calls Danny Burch a master manipulator. Hey, you catch more flies with honey…
Holland wins in about two minutes with Northern Grit.

Holland disrespects Birch after the match, so Birch wants to fight some more. Holland kicks his ass. Oney Lorcan runs out and appears to make the save, sending Holland out of the ring. But when he tries to tend to Birch, Holland runs back in and kicks Lorcan's ass. Officials break it up. Then they brawl some more, with Holland once again getting the upper hand. But then when officials break it up again, Lorcan hits a dive on Holland. Holland catches him but then falls over. What happened there?

Johnny Gargano is checking out the TV Indi Hartwell gave them. She also included a USB stick, and on it was a video of the Women's Battle Royal at Takeover. Gargano calls Candice LeRea over. He shows her that Hartwell saved LeRae multiple times during the match. They agree they like Hartwell. NXT takes a commercial break.

We see a Thatch as Thatch can video, in which Timothy Thatcher abuses a student. Then we see a replay of the Holland/Lorcan brawl we literally just watched. Holland is being stretchered out. I guess he injured his ankle. Damn, that's bad timing; he was just getting a push. You hate to see it.

Shotzi Blackheart drives to the ring. Xia Lee comes out.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Xia Lee

Xia Lee has been a sore loser; lately, the most character development she's had in a year. Shotzi Blackheart is at the forefront of the Halloween Havoc promotion. So we know who's winning here.
Blackheart wins with the senton in about a minute.

Boa comes out after the match and hands Lee a letter of some kind. She leaves with him. NXT takes a commercial break. Rhea Ripley is coming out after the break, with Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez already in the ring. Ember Moon comes out. She has new entrance music because WWE is cheap and petty and doesn't want to pay royalties to their old music guys. The problem is the new music guys make music that f**king sucks.

Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs. Rhea Ripley and Ember Moon

In general, I like the idea that wrestlers can come back to NXT after being ruined on the main roster and regain some of their former glory. It worked for Fandango. It worked for Finn Balor. Maybe it will work for Ember Moon too.
The early part of the match is Moon taking on Kai and Gonzalez alternately. Gonzales fares much better with Moon, getting control only for Kai to tag in and lose it.
Ripley comes in and gets beat up by Gonzales and Kai through a commercial break.
Moon gets a hot tag and but Gonzalez shuts her down again.
Ripley tags in. She kicks out of a Kairopractor. Moon tags back and nearly pins Kai.
Chaos erupts now, with all four women fighting. Kai hits a sloppy pop-up powerbomb.
Ripley maybe Samoan drops Gonzalez onto the announce table… the camera just filmed stupid Vic Joseph's back during the impact.
Moon hits the Eclipse on Kai and gets the win.

NXT goes off the air with Ember Moon and Rhea Ripley celebrating in the ring.

The Final Verdict on WWE NXT

NXT continues to feel like they have no idea what they're doing. Some of that, you can attribute to all the injuries and callups. You had Karrion Kross get injured right after winning the NXT Championship. Keith Lee, Dominik Daijakovic, Mia Yim, Mercedez Martinez called up to the main roster. Now another injury tonight with Ridge Holland, which is unfortunate. But part of it is also because NXT is booking their shows reactively, trying to counter-program NXT by putting on big matches but not doing the work to build those matches up beforehand. And the callups are a result of an even worse booking on the main roster creating the need to bring in new blood because the shows are so boring. On the positive side, the Thunderdome Jr. arena that NXT is broadcasting from now is a huge step up from what they had going on at Full Sail, so at least there's that. And the Drake Maverick/Killian Dane angle is cute.

Thanks for reading our WWE NXT report. If you want to see any of the segments described, WWE should have videos of most of what happened up on YouTube.

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