NXT TakeOver: The End is only one week away, and tonight is the last opportunity for every competitor to build momentum going into the WWE Network special. Every NXT championship will be defended, and Austin Aries will face the King of Strong Style, Shinsuke Nakamura. How will tonight’s events set the scene for next week?
Opening Segment
The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) comes down to the ring to address their NXT Tag Team Championship match against American Alpha next week at NXT TakeOver: The End. While they claim their victory for next week, they are interrupted by Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, who had an impressive victory last week over the debuting Australian team, TM61.
Scott Dawson decides that Gargano and Ciampa are not worth their time, so they start retreating to the back. After Gargano taunts The Revival, Dawson and Wilder storm the ring, but Gargano and Ciampa send them back to ringside. It seems like we have our main event scheduled for tonight.
Backstage Segment
In a backstage interview, Shinsuke Nakamura says that at NXT TakeOver: The End, Austin Aries (Nakamura’s opponent) will “bow down to the King of Strong Style.”
Tye Dillinger vs. Buddy Murphy
Two weeks ago on NXT, Blake and Murphy teamed up against the unusual pairing of Austin Aries and Shinsuke Nakamura, but failed to pick up a victory. After that loss, Alexa Bliss had enough of the consecutive losses for Blake and Murphy, and it now seems like they might not be a team anymore. As Corey Graves noted before the match, Buddy Murphy got his first name back when his team split up.
Tye Dillinger has been more prominently featured on NXT as of late, with battles against Shinsuke Nakamura and Alex Riley. After hitting Buddy Murphy with fireman’s carry neckbreaker onto his knee, The Perfect 10 picks up the victory and boosts his momentum. Winner: Tye Dillinger
Backstage Segment
Corey Graves is set up backstage with the NXT Champion, Samoa Joe, and his challenger, Finn Balor, to ask them about their NXT Championship steel cage match next week. They go through the journey of Balor and Joe winning the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and Joe turning on Balor afterwards to start his NXT Championship title hunt. Something worth noting that Corey Grave points out is that Finn Balor has never competed in a steel cage match, so he could be at a disadvantage. Considering that his opponent is the dominant Samoa Joe, Balor has an uphill battle ahead of him to become the first two-time NXT Champion.
Austin Aries vs. Elias Samson
Austin Aries debuted in NXT in the beginning of the year, but he was overshadowed by all of the other Superstars debuting at the same time. Everyone else was focused on AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and most importantly, Shinsuke Nakamura. Aries showed his frustration on being overlooked, and he has the opportunity to prove himself when he takes on Nakamura next week at TakeOver. A win for Aries tonight will help him get nicely warmed up for his big match against the King of Strong Style.
Elias Samson has not seen any success over the last several weeks, so a win over Aries would be quite the shocking upset.
After several knee strikes to Samson, Aries locks in the Last Chancery for an important win. Winner (via submission): Austin Aries
Video Package
There is a promo package for Andrade “Cien” Almas (formerly La Sombra) that announces his debut for next week at NXT TakeOver: The End.
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Revival
After the confrontation that these four men had earlier in the night, they square off to prove who is the superior tag team. The Revival needs this win to help their momentum going into the NXT Tag Team Championship match against American Alpha, but a loss to Gargano and Ciampa could be detrimental for the former NXT Tag Team Champions. Gargano and Ciampa have been on a roll as of late, as seen most recently with their victory over TM61. They will both be competing in the Cruiserweight Classic this summer as well.
Scott Dawson hits a superplex on Gargano, but Gargano shifts his momentum to get a quick pinfall over Dawson. Winners: Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
After the match, The Revival immediately beats down their opponents. Right before they attempt to hurt Ciampa’s knee, American Alpha rushes the ring to make the save.
Contract Signing (NXT Women’s Championship)
This goes about as well as any contract signing does in professional wrestling. Asuka hits Nia Jax with several strikes, but Jax counters a critical kick into a powerbomb, standing tall to end NXT.
