This week’s episode of WWE NXT is a must-watch, as it will contain the in-ring debut of one Adam Cole.
Before he has even stepped foot into the ring for a match with WWE NXT, Adam Cole already feels like one of the biggest stars in the company after his emphatic entrance at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn III. Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Bobby Fish kicked off the “Undisputed Era” in style by beating down Drew McIntyre immediately after his championship victory over Bobby Roode.
Tonight, Cole will get to show the world how dang good he is by making his in-ring debut against Eric Young of Sanity, and I’m sure we will see something special from the only three-time Ring of Honor champion. Just last week, he helped ReDragon (Fish and O’Reilly) upend “Mustache Mountain” (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) in the main event of NXT via critical interference.
I’m not expecting an appearance from either Aleister Black or the Velveteen Dream this week, but I just want to reiterate that their face-to-face encounter last week was excellent. “The Dream” sure can cut a well-worked promo, and I can’t wait to see the story these two tell. This has the potential to be the best rivalry in WWE.
Expect more action in the women’s division as we work our way towards finding Kairi Sane’s challenger, and it will be interesting to see if we get anymore action involving Kassius Ohno or Hideo Itami following Ohno’s win a few weeks ago that ended the feud. And on the subject of rivalries, Lars Sullivan vs. No Way Jose should be coming to a head soon.
Check back in for more live updates, grades, and analysis for this week’s episode of NXT, as the product is as hot as ever, particularly with the likes of McIntyre and Cole at the top of the card.
William Regal makes his announcement on WWE NXT. Credit: WWE.com
NXT TakeOver Houston Match Announced
William Regal kicks off the show by announcing that there will be a series of matches in the women’s division to determine which three women get to join the Fatal Four-Way for the NXT Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver Houston. The first of the four competitors, of course, has already been announced, and that is Mae Young Classic winner Kairi Sane.
Sanity Storms The Ring
We know that Sanity’s leader, Eric Young, will have a match tonight, taking on Adam Cole in the former Ring of Honor star’s NXT debut. Before that gets under way, Sanity decides to show off their lawlessness by storming the ring.
Young immediately takes to the microphone and tells the incoming “Undisputed Era” that “time and space doesn’t exist”. He adds that “what matters is the chaos” and that “the only thing for sure is change”.
He finishes by saying that he will take Cole to the “Edge of Sanity”, getting a rousing ovation from the Full Sail faithful.
Lars Sullivan vs. Oney Lorcan
Result: Lars Sullivan wins via pinfall
Rating: 1.5 stars out of 5.0
Mauro Ranallo says that Lars Sullivan has the “IT” factor, making a reference to the remade film of the same name to state that Sullivan treats wrestlers like Pennywise treats kids.
We get a backstage promo from Oney Lorcan who bluntly states that he dislikes the way Sullivan treats others, specifically No Way Jose.
Sullivan certainly does have a monstrous aura around him, which is why a couple of fans have given him extremely loose Braun Strowman comparisons, and his theme music is pretty solid.
Lorcan tries to grapple with Sullivan but predictably gets tossed around with ease. I got a chuckle out of Sullivan tossing Lorcan over the top rope then yelling, “Shut up!” at the ref. Surprisingly, Lorcan gets a bit of momentum by shoving Sullivan off the apron, but that is short-lived as his tope is caught mid-air by Sullivan before he’s dropped onto the apron.
Chops? European uppercuts? Kicks to the head? Sullivan just shakes them all off with ease. A side-spinebuster later, and Lorcan is put out of his misery in a match that solely gave him offense just to prove how strong Sullivan is at shaking it all off.
Sullivan, true to his nature, wasn’t finished despite squashing Lorcan in the match. He tried to beat him up, but Danny Burch, of all people, came to rescue Lorcan from Sullivan. Getting rivals to unite with each other? That’s the threat Sullivan presents to NXT.
WWE NXT’s Ruby Riot never messes around. Credit: WWE.com
Ruby Riot Talks Nikki Cross
Ruby Riot denies that Nikki Cross is her friend and admits that she hasn’t seen Cross since the Sanity member showed up as her impromptu tag team partner against Billie Kay and Peyton Royce. Riot continues to slam the “Iconic Duo”, stating that if Cross comes to help her again when she faces those two, she had nothing to do with it.
Heavy Machinery vs. Demitrius Bronson and Patrick Scott
Result: Heavy Machinery wins by pinfall
Rating: 0.75 out of 5.0 stars
Tucker Knight beats up on Scott early on, and all of Scott’s offense was woefully ineffective. Bronson tags in and gets steamrolled by Heavy Machinery. Bronson hits two drop-kicks and goes for a dive, but he gets caught and eats a suplex from Otis Dozovic for his efforts. This is as dominating of a squash match as you’ll see.
Rematch For Gargano?
William Regal stops an “interview” about NXT TakeOver Houston to tell Johnny Gargano that he will have his rematch for Andrade “Cien” Almas, who defeated him at NXT TakeOver Brooklyn III in a classic match that was a perfect way for Gargano to showcase his work as a singles wrestler. Now, Gargano will get a shot at revenge and perhaps his first signature win on his own.
Liv Morgan vs. Vanessa Borne on WWE NXT. Credit: WWE.com
Roderick Strong Talks Drew McIntyre
Roderick Strong states that he’s preparing for Drew McIntyre and his championship match by training as he always trains – like it’s his last match. Strong says that he rattles McIntyre and believes that McIntyre knows this. He then goes on another “rah-rah” speech about how he’s battled his whole life for this, and he is convinced that this match will go differently for him. Strong states that McIntyre doesn’t have the “tenacity” to beat him.
Liv Morgan vs. Vanessa Borne
Result: Liv Morgan wins via pinfall
Rating: 2.75 out of 5.0 stars
Mae Young Classic competitor Vanessa Borne is ready to make a statement against Liv Morgan. Before the match, Borne states that NXT Universe wants her to be the next NXT Women’s Champion.
Borne and Morgan trade counters early before Borne shows some attitude by spanking Morgan’s behind. Morgan uses some stupendously athletic escapes, including a matrix escape, and this is easily some of the best wrestling we’ve seen from her.
But Borne is on top of Morgan in an instant, showing off plenty of aggression. Borne pulls on Morgan’s hair frequently, steps on her opponent’s hands, and gets plenty of heat from the crowd.
Live hits a double-stomp in the corner and a running bulldog before winning with a double-knees to the face. Before the match, I would have predicted Borne as the winner, but this makes sense. It was a solid match, and Morgan just keeps getting better.
Fabian Aichner knows he has potential on WWE NXT. Credit: WWE.com
Aleister Black On The Velveteen Dream
After last week’s in-ring confrontation between Aleister Black and the Velveteen Dream, Black says that “The Dream” thinks he’s special. He says that Dream just wants recognition but will refuse to “acknowledge a child that holds its breath to get what it wants”. He furthers this point by stating that the “Velveteen Dream” is just a child craving attention. This feud is about to get good.
Kassius Ohno vs. Fabian Aichner
Result: Ohno wins via pinfall
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0 stars
Aichner is portrayed as someone who can hang toe-to-toe with Ohno, but he is sent rolling out of the ring after eating a big boot following their exchanges. They both start flying around before Aichner counters a move into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. He then dives to the outside beautifully, yelling that this is his house. He then hits a delayed vertical suplex for a near-fall, causing the audience to rally behind Ohno.
The uppercuts just keep coming after Aichner fails to connect with a powerbomb after lifting Ohno, but he shows off his strength again with a powerslam. This match is extremely competitive, because even though the prediction is for Aichner to lose, they are giving him every chance to prove that he is just about Ohno’s equal.
The momentum starts to shift when Aichner misses with a double-springboard moonsault and Ohno starts to hit some strikes. One “Cyclone Kill” later, and it’s a 1-2-3 victory for Ohno to conclude a fun match that showcased Aichner excellently.
Adam Cole prepares for his WWE NXT in-ring debut. Credit: WWE.com
McIntyre Promo
Drew McIntyre cuts a promo on his NXT Championship match next week against Roderick Strong. He believes that anyone who asks him for a championship match will get an opportunity, and he praises Strong for making an effort at the championship. He puts over Strong and states that Strong is good enough to be a champion…if it weren’t for the fact that McIntyre is in NXT. McIntyre says that because Strong defeated Bobby Roode, Strong deserves a shot at the title.
Adam Cole vs. Eric Young
Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish come out with Adam Cole for his entrance. Cole’s first statement on the mic is, “How did this place survive without us?” Heat. Cole implores the crowd closes their eyes, takes the moment in, and feels it. He says what they feel is change – a shock to the system. He claims that the trio is untouchable, unstoppable, and undisputed. He surmises that this is their era in NXT.
Sanity makes its entrance, and you can feel the tension rising as the NXT faction wars start to take things to another gear.
O’Reilly whispers something in Cole’s ear, and Cole yells for the ref to get Sanity out of the ring. Young stands in the corner without doing anything and Cole yells, “Fight me!” He’s immediately sent to the ground to eat fists from Young. Fish and O’Reilly try to distract Young, but Sanity intervene. It still works for Cole, though, who gets Young from behind and starts stomping on him in the corner.
Cole hits Young with a kick that gets Young to fall off the apron, but the squabbling between both factions continues on the outside with Young sprawled on the ground.
Next: WWE SmackDown 5 Takeaways This Week
Young counters a sleeper hold with a belly-to-back suplex followed by a discus clothesline and a neckbreaker. Cole is thrown off the top rope, but Fish and O’Reilly distract Young by getting involved with Sanity. Instead of diving at Cole, Young jumps to the outside to attack everyone. When he gets back in the ring, Cole hits his finisher (it looks like a standing shining wizard) to get the win and take advantage of Sanity’s “Chaos” on the outside of the ring.
That’s a nice to way to win a debut, but let’s see what’s next for Cole.