An NXT Tag Team Championship re-match, an NXT North American contest, and will Johnny Gargano give Tommaso Ciampa answers? All that and more as NXT returns to the PC!
For the first time in its history, NXT broadcasts live from where it all began. Where the Superstars who proudly carry the Black and Gold banner call home. From Orlando Florida, the action goes down this week at the WWE Performance Centre!
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To kick things off on this historic night, the North American Championship is on the line.
Keith Lee (c) vs. Cameron Grimes
Right off the bat, the intimate, yet vocal crowd is hot. Singing the familiar tune of “All Bask in His Glory” followed by “Keith Lee, Woop Woop” chants. The contrast of strength between the two fighters is quickly shown. Keith Lee goes for a Powerbomb, only for Grimes to escape and attempt a German Suplex. But finding himself unable to lift the big man. Grimes realizes that strikes are the only way to win the championship, so he quickly gets to work.
However, no matter how many kicks, strikes, stomps, Lee is still able to throw Grimes around the ring. At one point Keith is able to carry Grimes to the second rope. But Cameron gets away and hits a Cross Body from the top turnbuckle. But FINALLY, after a Superkick into a Roundhouse Kick, Grimes is able to land a German Suplex on the champ, bridging into a near pinfall!
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Lee, disoriented, goes for a Spirit Bomb but Grimes denies him via another Superkick to the face. The champ is able to gather his wits in time to hit a Pounce on Grimes. This gives him enough space to land the Big Bang Catastrophe for the win and for the title retention.
Winner and STILL NXT North American Champion: Keith Lee
Priest Attacks!
While Keith Lee is catching his breath post-match, Damien Priest enters the ring from behind with a nightstick that he takes to the back of the Champion! Lee goes down to the ground, while Dominik Dijakovik runs out for the save! He chases Priest out of the ring.
Dijakovic picks up the North American Title to give it back to Lee, helping the big man up to one knee. Lee finally comes to and, not having seen his attacker, jumps to conclusions. He hits the Spirit Bomb on Dominik! A case of crossed wires leaves Lee fuming and Dijakovic laid out.
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The focus shifts to the announce table where Mauro, Nigel, and Phoenix speak about the NXT Women’s Championship being defended at Wrestlemania for the very first time.
Phoenix admits that while that will be epic, attention needs to be brought to the night before Wrestlemania at NXT Tampa. Where 6 women will compete in a Ladder Match for the opportunity to become Number One Contender to the NXT Women’s Championship. With that segue, we go to our second match of the night to determine the second spot in said Ladder Match.
Dakota Kai w/Raquel Gonzalez vs. Mia Yim
Gonzalez enters the ring with Kai, but Yim is not intimidated. After a long staredown Gonzalez leaves to the outside. A couple of early roll-up attempts by Yim are met with a hard slap across the face from Kai. From there it’s all Mia in the early stages. Taking Kai to the corner with some kicks to the midsection, followed by an Irish Whip that Kai reverses only to have her face slammed into the turnbuckle. The crowd is getting behind Yim now.
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Yim begins to target the surgically repaired knee of Dakota. She then lands a neckbreaker and a dropkick that sends Kai collapsing into the corner, only to eat a cannonball by Yim. Kai is dazed, but counters by whipping Yim’s face down near the ropes, causing her throat to snap off of the top one and giving Kai a chance to cover after a strike.
Unsuccessful in her pin attempt, The Captain of Team Kick drags Yim to her knees and hits several blows to the face. Kai attempts a running kick to the corner, but Mia escapes and sets up Dakota for a Powerbomb! The Kiwi is holding on for dear life, but Yim is able to drive her down to the mat for the pinfall. But it’s promptly broken up by a sneaky Gonzalez on the outside. The ref admonishes Gonzalez and in turn misses the rollup by Dakota Kai. Kai grabs the ref to get his attention, only to walk right into a modified Codebreaker by Yim for the 1-2-3!
Winner and Advancing to NXT Takeover Tampa: Mia Yim
Before Mia can celebrate, Raquel Gonzalez attacks by slamming Yim down from behind. Gonzalez goes to help Kai to her feet and then hits another slam on Yim for good measure.
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Tommaso Ciampa Arrives
McKenzie Mitchell is in the parking lot waiting for Ciampa. As he makes his way towards the building, Mitchell has only one question for him:
“Last week, Johnny Gargano said you’re going to do things his way tonight. Can you shed some light on that?”
Ciampa: “His Way….”
Nothing else is said as The Psycho Killer enters the building.
Kushida vs. Raul Mendoza
This battle of the High Flyers begins explosively out the gate. Meeting in the center of the ring with forearms to each other in quick succession. A dropkick is landed by Mendoza which gains him the advantage. He walks across the ropes and flies at his foe but is stopped by Kushida.
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A flurry of forearms and Mendoza is taken to the outside. Kushida flies over the top rope onto Mendoza to the delight of the crowd! Back in the ring, Mendoza recovers and begins his own assault. He’s able to hit a spinning roundhouse and a Lionsault for a two count. Kushida gets up and is able to bring Mendoza down on the mat. Kushida with momentum as he goes to the top turnbuckle, only for Raul to meet him there.
Raul has Kushida over his shoulders, but Kushida fights out and locks in a Flying Hoverboard that he immediately transitions into a Spanish Fly and a Juji Gatame arm-breaker submission for the immediate tap-out and the victory!
Winner: Kushida
Tyler Breeze Is In The (Pre-Recorded) House
McKenzie Mitchell is speaking to Prince Pretty about what the Performance Centre means to him. Breeze says that he wouldn’t exist without the PC. Before he can elaborate Austin Theory walks in the shot to introduce himself. He tells Breeze he was a big fan when he used to watch Breeze on Breaking Ground…back when Theory was in high school.
Austin says no disrespect, he agrees with what Breeze was saying. The PC can build megastars but sometimes, as he motions to Tyler, it doesn’t pan out. The Gorgeous One responds by taking a photo of Theory and gets the last word in their exchange: “You look great…for a flash in the pan!”
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Rhea Ripley Is Out to Speak
Ripley is in the center of the ring with a microphone. She talks about how Charlotte Flair should think twice if she believes she can psyche Ripley out. While she admits that this is arguably the biggest match of her career, knocking The Queen on her royal ass helped calm the nerves.
Charlotte Flair’s music sounds through the PC and The Queen makes her way out to confront her Wrestlemania opponent. As she walks to the ring, she tells Rhea that Flair is simply going to be too much for Ripley to handle at Wrestlemania. And as the NXT Champion enters very deep waters, Flair will be there to make sure she drowns in them.
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Rhea has heard enough and pounces on Flair before she can fully get into the ring. They roll around the middle until Flair recovers and hits a big boot. She then drives the leg of Ripley into the steel ring post. Then to put an exclamation point on the entire thing, she locks in a Figure Eight around the post and causing The Champion to scream in pain.
Officials are finally able to get Flair to release the hold and check on Ripley. Flair grabs the NXT Title and holds it high to a unanimous chorus of boos from the crowd in attendance.
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Abduction in The Parking Lot
Mia Yim is being followed by a cameraman through the parking lot as she speaks about her victory. Her thoughts are cut short as a Black SUV almost hits her in its haste to get to Raul Mendoza. Two men in Luchador Masks exit the vehicle and abduct Mendoza.
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The announcers, seemingly baffled, decide that the show must go on and introduce the next match, hopefully insinuating that someone else may have called the authorities to report a kidnapping.
Deonna Purrazzo vs. Tegan Nox
Another spot in the Takeover Ladder Match is up for grabs here. Purrazzo targets the shoulder of Nox from the get-go and begins to grind away. Nox is able to kick out of several pinfall attempts, frustrating Purrazzo.
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The pace quickens as the two competitors go back and forth, all the while Nox still favoring her injured shoulder. However, Nox quickly clues in that a sore arm doesn’t stop her from kicking the head off of Deonna, which she follows through with immediately via The Shiniest Wizard for the win!
Winner and Advancing to NXT Takeover Tampa: Tegan Nox
The Broserweights (c) vs. the Undisputed Era
As UE make their way to the ring, Velveteen Dream is seen at the announce table. He says he has all three eyes on Adam Cole and is coming for the NXT Title at Takeover Tampa. The NXT Tag Titles are on the line in this bout, as the teams quickly go to work on each other. O’Reilly and Dunne start things off, eventually switching around to Riddle and Fish. Riddle is in control and keeps Fish grounded.
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Dunne comes in when O’Reilly jumps in the ring prematurely and the UE eat simultaneous Gutwrench Powerbombs from the champs. Dunne and O’Reilly are the legal men again as Dunne grabs Kyle’s arms and stomps away at his face. O’Reilly trips Dunne to get away and the two exchange vicious strikes until Kyle almost takes Pete’s head off with a Clothesline.
The hot tag is made to Riddle as O’Reilly gets to Fish, and Riddle lands a series of kicks to Bobby before locking arms around his waist to attempt a suplex. Fish gets to his corner and holds the arms of his partner to escape. Making a tag in the process that allows O’Reilly to take to the top rope and hit Riddle.
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While all men are down The Grizzled Young Veterans rush out to ringside to thwart The Broserweights’ Title defense by distracting the referee. It doesn’t work and Riddle is able to dump Bobby Fish onto The Vets to isolate O’Reilly in the ring. Riddle tags in Dunne and the two hit Kyle with a double knee strike to the face to secure their Belts!
Winners and STILL NXT Tag Team Champions: The Broserweights
Tommaso Wants Answers
Ciampa comes out to the ring to a thunderous “Daddy’s Home” chant. Ciampa asks Gargano, wherever he is? Can he hear the crowd? Johnny appears on the big screen and tells Ciampa he doesn’t get to dictate how this thing goes, things will be done on his time. Ciampa immediately leaves the ring and out into the crowd as Gargano rants about how he knows everything about Ciampa.
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The fact that Ciampa is gone for six months makes everyone forget what he’s done the last three years, what he’s done to Johnny, what he’s done to NXT? Was there an apology missed somewhere?
Before Johnny can go further, an enraged Ciampa appears behind him in the same room Gargano is delivering his manifesto! A brutal brawl carries throughout the halls of the PC, ending in the gym where Johnny throws Ciampa through the glass window of a door. Gargano fights off two PC workers and Tommaso regroups to take the fight back to Johnny. The two men brawl back into the crowd onto a raised platform, where Johnny locks in the GargaNo Escape. Ciampa fades and Johnny begins to yell at the crowd to watch, this is a “teachable moment”.
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Suddenly, Ciampa is up on his feet and grabs Gargano, launching both his rival and himself down into the announce table via an Air Raid Crash!
William Regal is out to check on both Superstars as the show fades to black.
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