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WWE NXT – The Great Shotzi Blackheart Push is in Full Swing

Published Thu, 01 Oct 2020 08:35:55 -0500

In the first hour of WWE NXT this week, Shotzi Blackheart takes on Dakota Kai, Ridge Holland takes on Cameron Grimes, and KUSHIDA murders Tony Nese! Welcome to Bleeding Cool's WWE NXT report, where we watch wrestling, so you don't have to!

The official logo for WWE NXT.

WWE NXT Report for September 30th, 2020 Part 1

Shotzi Blackheart drives to the ring to kick off NXT this week. Tom Phillips and Beth Phoenix are on commentary. Dakota Kai comes out with Raquel Gonzales. They get right down to business.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai

In case you're wondering what the purpose of this match is, it's definitely to further the Shotzi Blackheart push. Commentary talks the whole match about how Shotzi is blossoming as a competitor and float the idea of a Blackheart title shot.
Maybe Blackheart will be the first challenger for Candice LeRea when she wins the title at Takeover.
In any case, with the departure of Mia Yim and Mercedez Martinez, as well as the injury of Tegan Nox, it's time to accelerate Blackheart's push.
Anyway, it's a good match. Gonzalez tries to interfere, but Rhea Ripley runs out and attacks her. That distracts Gonzales, who's able to quickly roll up Kai for the win.

Next, Santos Escobar and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott do a joint interview in split-screen. Swerve says he's had opportunities at the NXT Cruiserweight title before, but they weren't fair opportunities. He's the only man in WWE to pin Escobar, so on Sunday at Takeover; he's gonna win. Escobar says Swerve is a parasite he can't get rid of. It doesn't matter what Escobar does to him. He continuous to linger. He's a loose end, and Escobar will tie him off. He says their match at Takeover will be fair. Swerve says it's either Legado del Fantasma cheating or Escobar using a foreign object. Escobar says those are excuses. The problem is Swerve always chokes. Swerve says he's adapted to everything in the business and life he's ready for whatever Escobar tries to throw at him this weekend. He's gonna showcase to the world how great he is and how Escobar is a fraud. Escobar says Swerve is making this all about himself, and that's why he'll fail. Since winning the championship, Escobar has built the entire division in his image and infused it with the Lucha culture. At Takeover, Swerve's showcasing won't be enough because what he calls a bag of tricks Escobar calls a century of tradition. He's gonna bury Swerve with it. Swerve wants to see him try. NXT takes a commercial break.

We get another weird promo for the mysterious superstar returning to NXT at Takeover. I guess the consensus online is that it's Bo Dallas? Hard to get excited about that, but I guess NXT was able to rehab Finn Balor's image, so maybe it will work.

Then we get a video package about Kyle O'Reilly talking about how wrestling is his passion and how he's wanted to wrestle Finn Balor for a long time, having followed him from place to place during their careers.

We're given an update on the status of Tegan Nox, which is that she suffered a torn ACL as a result of the attack on her by Candice LeRae last week before the Battle Royal. LeRae and Johnny Gargano talk about the injury. Gargano says it's "even-steven" for her breaking his TV. Then they talk about teaming up tonight in the main event to face their opponents on Sunday. Gargano says it's their destiny to win their respective title matches at Takeover. LeRae says it starts tonight, and Sunday it will finish.

Cameron Grimes comes out. He's in a bad mood because he had all his opportunities taken away last week thanks to a match called the Gauntlet Eliminator, which he thinks sucked. But he's out here to cheer up. He's gonna make up his own match; The Cameron Grimes Invitational Stepping Stones to the Moon match. He's handpicked all his opponents, so he's in for a test. He brings out the first opponent: Joey Pistachio (who is wearing a vest with a different name on it). Grimes gives him a cave-in and pins him.

Grimes brings out another competitor: Joey Strong. But Ridge Holland comes out, kicking Joey Strong's ass. Ridge approaches the ring as Grimes tries to tell him he's not invited to the match. Holland attacks him anyway, and the bell rings, so as it turns out, he is part of the match.

Ridge Holland vs. Cameron Grimes

Holland beats. The crap out of Grimes.
The ref stops the match.

And so, the squasher becomes the squashee.

Sarah Schrieber interviews Austin Theory and asks about his struggles. Theory says he doesn't have struggles, and losing to Damian Priest last week was a fluke. He should have been in the Eliminator Match last week because he would have won. HE makes fun of the Kyle O'Reilly video and how long it took O'Reilly to get a shot at the title. Theory is way more successful despite being younger. He's the future, not O'Reilly.

We see a video promo for KUSHIDA, subtitled, talking trash about Velveteen Dream. I don't know what he said because I can't write this recap and read subtitles at the same time, but whatever it was, I agree with it. NXT takes a commercial break.

KUSHIDA comes to the ring after the commercials. He's fighting Velveteen Dream at Takeover, but today, he's facing Tony Nese, a man whose name I will struggle not to spell "Neese" for the duration of this segment recap.

KUDHIDA vs. Tony Nese

This is less of a match and more of a murder committed by KUDHIDA against Tony Nese's left arm.
KUDHIDA wins with a Hoverboard Lock.

The lights turn purple, and Velveteen Dream appears on the Titantron to talk some trash to KUSHIDA. Cameron Grimes is crying backstage, looking for William Regal. He runs into Decter Lumis and calls him a creep. NXT goes to commercials.