Tyler Bate hammers Undisputed ERA down to the canvas with an impressive deadlift German suplex: Courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The old saying is: If you’re going through hell, keep going. That might apply to The Undisputed ERA in a way they didn’t anticipate. The NXT Tag Team Champions’ grueling defense against Moustache Mountain may end up being little more than a five-star appetizer en route to a feast by the War Raiders, who made good on their promise to target whoever left NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV as Tag Team Champions.

If Undisputed ERA’s destiny is to defend the titles against the War Raiders, however, they certainly earned the honor. Moustache Mountain came to Brooklyn more than prepared for the champions’ chicanery, with Tyler Bate & Trent Seven excellent both individually and in tandem. It was a performance as well-oiled as their ’staches, but what they weren’t prepared for was Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong’s tenacity.

Both the Tyler Driver ’97 and Seven Stars Lariat failed to earn pinfalls, as did their tandem kneedrop-Burning Hammer combo. Inevitably, Moustache Mountain found themselves in a mirror image of their title loss, with Bate trapped in an agonizing heel hook and Seven narrowly convincing himself not to throw in the towel. Bate managed to muscle his way back to Seven to tag in, but his damaged leg left him just hindered enough for Strong to blast him out of the ring with a knee. UE quickly transitioned to a High-Low to Seven, putting him down for a successful pinfall. That’s when the War Raiders struck, obliterating O’Reilly & Strong in a beatdown that seems to foretell disaster for the champions down the line. Suffice it to say, retaining the NXT Tag Team Titles may be the worst decision The Undisputed ERA ever made.