Last week on NXT, the NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura returned from injury and brawled with Samoa Joe. Tonight, we will hear from the King of Strong Style, as well as continue the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Rich Swann & No Way Jose vs. Tony Nese & Drew Gulak – Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Match (Round One)
Rich Swann and No Way Jose are a perfect match. They are two Superstars who get down to business when they are in the ring, but they also love to have fun (just like the wrestling legend this tournament is named after). No Way Jose has the size advantage in this match, since he is the only competitor not part of Raw‘s Cruiserweight Division. Tony Nese and Drew Gulak, however, have been working together on Monday Night Raw to get some tag team experience before the tournament.
Rich Swann takes out Tony Nese at ringside with a springboard corkscrew senton, and No Way Jose puts Drew Gulak away with a half nelson slam to advance to Round Two. While this was an impressive win, their next opponents are the dominant Authors of Pain. Winners: Rich Swann & No Way Jose | Eliminated: Tony Nese & Drew Gulak
Match Announcement
Last week, Glorious 10 (Tye Dillinger and Bobby Roode) lost to the debuting Sanity (led by former TNA World Champion Eric Young) in what some could consider a shocking upset. Roode just let Sanity assault Dillinger after the match, and blamed him for the loss. Because of this, NXT General Manager William Regal has announced a match for NXT TakeOver: Toronto, where Tye Dillinger will face Bobby Roode.
Bobby Roode vs. Sean Maluta
Some viewers may forget Sean Maluta, but the member of the legendary Anoa’i Samoan wrestling dynasty has been on WWE television occasionally over the past few months. His first appearance was a loss to Kota Ibushi in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic, then he saw another loss a few weeks later when he made his NXT debut against (the now injured) Hideo Itami.
Bobby Roode effortlessly takes care of Sean Maluta, putting him away with a lifting DDT for the pinfall. Winner: Bobby Roode
After the match, Bobby Roode grabs a microphone and tells the crowd that he has “no beef” with Tye Dillinger. Instead, someone in his position needs to “eliminate all of the losers,” and Roode did just that with Dillinger last week. While Roode might not have “beef,” Dillinger sure does. The Perfect 10 rushes the ring and attacks Bobby Roode, sending his former partner out of the ring and retreating to the back.
Backstage Segment
Liv Morgan is being interviewed about her loss last week to Billie Kay, and she is immediately attacked from behind by Kay and Peyton Royce. They are putting the NXT women’s division on notice (including Asuka), and they believe that they own the division.
Tucker Knight & Otis Dozovic vs. Austin Aries & Roderick Strong
Austin Aries entered the tournament without announcing his partner, so this is the first time we know of Roderick Strong competing in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. This is also Strong’s NXT debut, and he has a ton of buzz surrounding him after an impressive independent career. Strong has won numerous championships, including the Pro Wrestling Guerrila and Ring of Honor World Championships.
Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic are not to be overlooked, however. According to Tom Philips, they are a combined weight of about 650 pounds, and have been working together at NXT house shows.
Aries takes out Dozovic, and the two work together to hit Tucker Knight from all angles to pick up the victory. Aries and Strong advance to Round Two, where they will face TM61. Winners: Austin Aries & Roderick Strong | Eliminated: Tucker Knight & Otis Dozevic
Backstage Segment
After losing to The Revival, Andrade “Cien” Almas would turn on his partner, Cedric Alexander, and assault him at ringside. Almas says that he does not care about respect anymore, and just cares about himself.
Nikki Cross (w/SAnitY) vs. Danielle Kamela
Poor Daniella Kamela; she never stood a chance against Cross. After a very jagged and rough match, Cross finishes the match with a swinging fisherman neckbreaker. After the match, Cross starts beating Kamela down, and it gets to the point where the refee changes his decision. Winner (via referee’s decision): Danielle Kamela
In-ring Segment
Shinsuke Nakamura says that he isn’t done with Samoa Joe, and addresses his challenge for an NXT Championship rematch at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. Before he can say anything important, Patrick Clark interrupts the King of Strong Style. Clark is tired of that story, and is ready to show Nakamura the “Patrick Clark Experience.” Clark gets hit with Kinshasa, and the match is official for TakeOver.
