WWE NXT on USA Network: Live Results, Highlights, and Grades for Sept. 18

Lio Rush vs. Oney Lorcan – Winner Becomes #1 Contender for WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Lio Rush being back is all kinds of awesome. The guy may rub some people the wrong way, but he’s a phenomenal talent who excels at so many things. He’s young, so he’ll grow up a bit (one would think). But for Lio to be practically blacklisted because he thinks highly of himself is absurd. This NXT deal could be great for superstars like Rush, who rubbed Vince McMahon the wrong way but have Triple H as an ally.

But let’s talk Oney Lorcan for a minute — how incredible are Baby Cesaro’s Big Boy Uppercuts? Seriously, I mean absolutely ZERO disrespect by calling Oney “Baby Cesaro” — he’s just a smaller version of one of the greatest wrestlers on the planet!

As a portly trumpet player, if someone called me “Fat Miles Davis” I’d probably take it as a compliment? Alright, not the best example, but I LOVE Oney Lorcan and his kamikaze attacks.

Hearing the crowd reaction for Lio was awesome, but I’m kind of surprised that the Full Sail faithful were so far behind Rush that Oney was almost the heel? I would have expected a more even split, but it’s clear where Lio falls in the eyes of the WWE NXT fans.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1174498612195151872

I absolutely loved this match, which was phenomenal. Both Superstars are sooooooo good in such different ways, and their styles mesh so well. I could easily watch a best-of-seven series between these two and not get tired of it. The work Lorcan put in to try and ground Lio’s aerial attacks, Lio’s absolute refusal to abandon the high-flying stuff even to his possible detriment.

Winner: Lio Rush

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 Stars

Seriously, just inject this into my veins. The entire closing sequence, the single-leg crab spots — all of it. I want more. Give me more.