This week starts the road to NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia and William Regal is taking no time in getting started. Before staying on the main roster, Ruby Riott will go one-on-one with Absolution’s Sonya Deville. Also, SAnitY’s Killian Dain takes on Moustache Mountain’s Trent Seven, while Kassius Ohno collides with Johnny Gargano in the main event.
Announcement
NXT General Manager William Regal announces that with Drew McIntyre’s injury, there is an opportunity for someone else to step up as the #1 Contender. There will be four singles matches that lead to a #1 Contender’s Fatal Four-Way match, with the winner of that huge clash facing Andrade “Cien” Almas for the NXT Championship at TakeOver: Philadelphia.
Andrade “Cien” Almas’ Championship Celebration
At NXT TakeOver: War Games, Andrade “Cien” Almas shocked the world when he defeated Drew McIntyre for the NXT Championship. Tonight, Almas celebrates in front of the crowd alongside the woman who was a pivotal role in getting him to the title, Zelina Vega.
Almas’ celebration is a little hard to follow since he swaps between Spanish and broken English, but he gets across the point that he doesn’t care that McIntyre is hurt. All that matters to him is that he is the new champion.
Killian Dain vs. Trent Seven – #1 Contender’s Qualifying Match
This is the first match to qualify for the #1 Contender’s Fatal Four-Way Match in a few weeks and the contenders are very interesting. In one corner is Trent Seven, who is most well-known for being part of the United Kingdom Division, which means he spends most of his wrestling time outside of WWE. In the other corner is Killian Dain, who is one of the NXT Tag Team Champions as part of SAnitY, so he could very well hold two titles by the time TakeOver: Philadelphia is over.
Seven hits his signature Seven Star Lariat, but it only almost puts Dain away. Dain then hits Seven with the Wasteland, a jumping senton, and a Vader Bomb in quick succession to win the match and be the first man entered in the Fatal Four-Way match. Winner: Killian Dain
Ruby Riott vs. Sonya Deville – No Holds Barred
Last week, two female trios debuted on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live. Paige leads the group on Raw, which features Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville. Ruby Riott is the leader of the other group, known as the Riott Squad, alongside Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan. Assumedly, this is the last NXT match for both of these women before they are mainstays on the main roster. This probably won’t have any effect on Raw or SmackDown, but it is still interesting to see two members of new factions duking it out.
As Riott reenters the ring, Deville locks in a Triangle Choke with Riott’s body stretched across the ropes. Since there are no disqualifications, there are also no rope breaks, forcing Riott to tap out. Winner (via submission): Sonya Deville
Announcements
There are some big matches planned over the next few weeks. Next week, Aleister Black will battle Adam Cole as part of the #1 Contender’s Qualifying matches. In next week’s main event, Ember Moon will defend the NXT Women’s Championship for the first time when she takes on one half of the Iconic Duo in Peyton Royce.
Two weeks from now, the championship action continues. Not only will SAnitY defend the NXT Tag Team Championships against Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly of the Undisputed ERA, but Pete Dunne defends the UK Championship against Tyler Bate.
Kassius Ohno vs. Johnny Gargano – #1 Contender’s Qualifying Match
Originally, Kassius Ohno was scheduled to face the Velveteen Dream. According to William Regal, Velveteen Dream suffered some injuries from his match with Aleister Black at TakeOver: War Games, so he receives a surprise replacement in Johnny Gargano.
Somehow, Johnny Wrestling kicks out of every strike Ohno throws at him and his resilience helps him turn things around. After deceiving Ohno with a few superkicks, he finishes Ohno off with the Gargano Escape, his signature submission maneuver, forcing him to tap out. Gargano is now the second confirmed competitor in the #1 Contender’s Fatal Four-Way match. Winner: Johnny Gargano
