NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo def. Naraku
Tony D’Angelo overcame his toughest test as NXT Champion as he took down the mysterious Naraku.
Still suffering the effects of a vicious fireball attack from last week’s NXT, D’Angelo sported a bandage over his right eye that severely hampered his efforts, but that didn’t stop him from immediately Spearing Naraku through the NXT perch.
The challenger fired back by targeting the injured eye, setting the tone for what would be a personal, hard-hitting affair.
Naraku nearly had the title won after he chucked D’Angelo through the barricade and hit him with an innovative sit-out spinebuster, but the champion kicked out at the last second.
D’Angelo withstood another assault but dug deep and found enough strength to hit Dead to Rights to retain his title.
NXT Women’s North American Champion Zaria def. Tatum Paxley
Zaria inflicted an unbelievable amount of pain on Tatum Paxley to retain her Women’s North American Championship.
Before the bell, the champion and challenger got into a tug of war with the title, leading to a brutal double headbutt that left both Superstars stunned.
Paxley used her unorthodox style to trap Zaria in the ring apron, but Zaria sent her flying over the barricade before the challenger could inflict more damage.
The challenger was in prime position to regain the title after a picture-perfect superplex, but Zaria fired back with a massive Spear.
Paxley wanted to hit a Coast-to-Coast, but Zaria descended from the turnbuckle to kickstart a massive brawl that saw the challenger nail a sunset flip powerbomb.
A pair of Cemetery Drives from Paxley, including one on the ringside floor, wasn’t enough to regain the title, but an F-5 from Zaria couldn’t put away Paxley either.
A twisted smile from Paxley showed that she seemingly enjoyed the pain, forcing Zaria to hit her even harder, nearly knocking her out before executing a match-ending F-5.
Shiloh Hill def. Tristan Angels
Shiloh Hill backed up his claim that he is Mr. NXT as he beat down Tristan Angels in statement fashion.
NXT’s resident oddball genius looked strong in the early goings, knocking down Angels, grabbing the Mr. NXT sash, and even hitting an Airplane Spin.
Hill escaped under the ring, leading to one of the most bizarre interactions in NXT history.
A confused Angels chased him but only found a ringing cell phone before being attacked by a masked Hill.
Angels escaped but was swiftly attacked by Hill again, confounding everyone in the arena, as it shouldn’t have been possible for Hill to be in two places at once.
After an intense back-and-forth, Hill muscled up Angels on the top rope for an Avalanche Whisper of the Beast to get payback on his rival.
WWE Women’s Speed Champion Wren Sinclair def. Arianna Grace
Wren Sinclair overcame the numbers advantage of BirthRight to defeat Arianna Grace.
The match was competed at a frenetic pace as both Superstars scrambled to find a quick fall, though Grace gained early momentum thanks to a twisting neckbreaker.
As the two Superstars waged war inside the ring, Sinclair’s former teammate and Grace’s current teammate Charlie Dempsey hopped on the apron, leading to a stiff right hand from the champion.
The challenger tried to take advantage, but Sinclair locked in the Final Wrench to retain her title with just 12 seconds remaining.
Saquon Shugars def. Dion Lennox
Saquon Shugars won the battle, but DarkState may have won the war.
The former DarkState teammates battled in a deeply personal affair, and it wasn’t long before Osiris Griffin and Cutler James appeared and walked to ringside, signifying that Shugars was in deep trouble.
Lennox continued to shine in the ring with his sensational Spinebuster, but Shugars fought back and even hit his own version of a springboard leg drop.
The DarkState Superstar continued with a vicious assault, but Shugars continued to show heart and fight back with everything he had.
With one last gasp, Shugars scaled the top rope and hit a backwards Frog Splash to win the match, only to fall prey to a hellacious beatdown from DarkState once the bell rang.
NXT North American Champion Myles Borne def. Tavion Heights
Friends and former teammates Myles Borne and Tavion Heights faced off for Borne’s NXT North American Title, but in the end, only the champion left the ring happy.
The two competitors had each other perfectly scouted to the point where they were executing identical moves, hurting each other in the process.
Heights looked determined to win his first championship in NXT, but he couldn’t find the winning fall, not even with an impressive T-Bone Suplex.
The challenger went for one final suplex, but Borne expertly countered it into Borne Again to retain his title.
Kendal Grey def. Lola Vice to win the NXT Women’s Championship
The Kendal Grey era of NXT has begun.
The main event was a feeling-out process between the former MMA fighter and the former college wrestler as their styles clashed to a stalemate.
At one point, Kelani Jordan attempted to interfere, but Grey’s teammate Wren Sinclair thwarted her efforts and kept the main event a pure one-on-one match.
The challenger entered what she calls the “Grey Zone,” a state of mind where she wants to do nothing but unleash a host of suplexes to her opponent.
Lola Vice caught Grey with a vicious kick in mid-air, but the challenger quickly countered the champion into an Ankle Lock before hitting a remarkable variation of Shades of Grey from the ringside barricade.
The two competitors traded brutal submissions in the middle of the ring, only for Vice to land her signature Spinning Backfist. Seconds later, however, Grey hit her Spinning Back Elbow as an immediate counter.
Grey willingly entered a slugfest with the champion, ultimately ducking another Spinning Backfist and hitting Vice with a decisive Shades of Grey to win the NXT Women’s Championship.
