WWE NXT Spotlight: 12/27/18 by Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to a festive edition of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. This is the last episode of 2017 and we are going out with a bang as we have two huge matches lined up. We have an NXT Women’s Title Match as Ember Moon defends the title for the first time against Sonya Deville, as well as the huge Fatal 4 Way that will set up the #1 Contender for Andrade Almas at Takeover: Philadelphia. Let’s get to the action!

The Street Profits vs. Chris Star and Riley Apex

Montez Ford starts the match. The announces don’t distinguish who is Star and who is Apex so I’m just going to guess. Ford flips over Star and then a reverse leap frog, followed by a bodyslam. He tags in Dawkins, who proceeds to do a double team back suplex move. Apex tags in and gets taken out. Dawkins lands a spinning Stinger splash followed by his version of the Sky High. He tags back in Ford, who lands the Frog Splash and he gets HUGE height for the win.

Winners: The Street Profits

Post match, The Profits go into the crowd with microphones. Ford states that in 2017 they came and saw. In 2018, they conquer. They talk about Authors of Pain, Sanity, & Undisputed Era. They say they’re coming for the tag titles in 2018.

K-Tank’s Take: Love these guys. I’m predicting a big 2018 for them.

NXT Women’s Title Match
Ember Moon (c) vs. Sonya Deville

Ember going with some blues and purples in her hair. Is that the new trend? Ugh. Ember escapes a submission attempt early. Both women duck multiple kick attempts before coming to a stalemate. Sonya wants a test of strength but just kicks Ember in the midsection. Ember comes off the ropes though and lands a dropkick that sends Sonya to the floor. Ember goes to the apron and comes off with a cannonball splash that takes out Sonya as we go to commercial.

We come back to both women back in the ring and Sonya lands a belly to belly that gets a two count. Sonya with a straight right hand and then locks on a bearhug on the mat. Sonya tries turning it into a wheelbarrow splash but Ember rolls through the legs and ends up propelling Sonya into the turnbuckles. Ember with a tornado snap suplex and then multiple strikes that finish with a bridging pin but Sonya kicks out. Sonya gets up and Ember catches a boot, but Sonya uses her momentum to lift up and turn it into a standing curbstomp into the midsection. Both women avoid punches and then Ember springboards off the second rope and lands a dropkick. Ember with a huge forearm that gives her the opportunity to go to the top rope which leads to Sonya feeling the Eclipse.

Winner: Ember Moon retains

Post match after some highlights, Ember is celebrating in the ring until Kairi Sane’s music hits. Kairi has her personal telescope to show she has her eye on Ember Moon and the title. Ember says that’s fine but as Kairi is pointing at Ember, Shayna Baszler comes from behind and chokes out Kairi. Shayna stares down Ember before leaving as Kairi is out cold.

K-Tank’s Take: Good first title defense for Ember. Obviously no thoughts of a change here so more of a glorified showcase for the new champion. Baszler is a nice get for NXT. It was assumed she’d go straight to the main roster with her Four Horsewomen but that apparently isn’t the case. That division needs some star power after yet another depletion of main roster moves so it’s good to see Baszler here.

We go backstage to Paul Ellering and Authors of Pain. He talks about how dominate AOP has been since debuting. He says at War Games, Undisputed Era thinks they got one over on AOP and came up with some creative plan. The next chapter will be written by AOP, not Undisputed Era. AOP are the judges, jury, and executioners. Undisputed Era are on borrowed time.

We then go to Ember Moon backstage who is asked about what just took place with Sane and Baszler. She knew she’d have a target on her back but she’s not hard to find. If they want to make a statement next time, do it in the ring. It’s as simple as that.

We get a video package of how all 4 competitors in the Fatal 4 way match made it to tonight.

In two weeks, there will be a tag title rematch between Sanity and Undisputed Era.

#1 Contender’s Fatal 4 Way Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain

16 minutes left in the show as the bell rings. Dain and Black pair up as do Sullivan and Gargano. Sullivan ends up eating a Black knee and goes to the outside. Black does his fake dive to the outside into a seated position. Black and Dain fight in the corner and Black ends up on the apron. Sullivan grabs at his leg, so Black goes to the second rope and moonsaults onto Sullivan, but Sullivan catches him. Sullivan snake eyes him on the apron. Gargano then springboards over the top rope but Sullivan catches him too and doesn the same thing. Dain does a suicide dive through the ropes and Sullivan sure as hell isn’t going to catch him. We’re off to a hot start as we go to commercial.

Dain and Gargano are in the ring as we return and Dain lands an avalanche splash. Sullivan pulls Dain out and then comes in and lands an avalanche splash of his own. He goes for a pin but Gargano kicks out. Dain now pulls Sullivan out and Sullivan ends up sending Dain into the steel steps. Sullivan and Black start fighting up the ramp and Sullivan throws Black off the ramp into the area below the announce table. Gargano comes up for a fight and Sullivan ends up gorilla pressing him into Black. Sullivan now goes to the announce table and clears it off and wants to powerbomb Gargano through it. Gargano grabs on to the staging unit behind the announce table and escapes. Black comes out of nowhere and lands a knee strike, followed by a Gargano superkick. Lars is down on the table and now Dain shows up and hurdles off the stage and does a splash through the table, taking out Sullivan. That was impressive.

Now that the big men are down outside the ring, Black and Gargano make their way back to the ring and face off. Massive dueling chants ensue. Gargano with a huge forearm. Black sends him to the apron, Gargano with an enziguri and tries his spear through the ropes but Black catches him with a knee. He goes for a pin but Gargano kicks out. Both men in the corner, Black avoids one strike but ends up getting nailed with a superkick. Gargano follows up with the Gargano Escape but Dain has returned and hits a senton splash to break it up. Dain hits Wasteland on Black, followed by another senton splash. He goes for a pin but Gargano breaks it up. Dain grabs Gargano and drills a release powerbomb, followed by an elbow drop. Gargano still kicks out. Dain is bleeding from the elbow as he sets Black up on the top rope. Black slides out of a superplex attempt and now Gargano shows up and they bring Dain down with a double powerbomb. Sullivan is barely starting to come together as he’s slowly making his way back to the ring. Gargano and Black go to double team but Sullivan shoves them off. He breaks through a double clothesline and drops them with a clothesline of his own. He throws Black over the top rope and then hits Gargano with an elevated powerslam. Dain breaks up the pin. Sullivan throws Gargano out of the ring so it can be him and Dain one on one. Repeated elbow strikes and then Sullivan drops Dain with a lariat. Dain comes out of the corner and drops Sullivan with a lariat of his own. Black back in and lands strikes on both men. He drops Dain with a knee and then sweeps the legs out of Sullivan, followed by a standing lionsault. Black hits Dain again to leave him on the mat. Black lands Black Mass on Sullivan! Undisputed Era are here now! They pull Black out of the ring and Black misses a bicycle knee strike and it allows Cole to hit a brainbuster into the knee. Gargano dives through the ropes and takes out Cole. Sullivan charges Gargano but he gets sent into the steel steps. Gargano tries to pin Black but Dain pulls him out. Dain wants to powerbomb Gargano but Gargano turns it into a hurricanrana that sends Dain into Sullivan. Gargano gets on the apron and catapults over into a DDT on Black, Gargano with a pin and he’s done it!! What a match!!

Winner: Johnny Gargano

A MASSIVE reaction from the crowd after the pinfall. Gargano, the ultimate babyface, can’t believe it. We survey the scene as our show comes to an end.

K-Tank’s Take: What a phenomenal way to end 2017. Go see this match! All 4 men were incredible and come out better than they were coming in. I loved every second of it. What a huge development to see Black take that pinfall clean, but of course it was all due to Undisputed Era. I am all for a Cole vs. Black program. That will be outstanding. Sullivan vs. Dain could be a hell of a rivalry as well. As for Gargano, it’s the win he needed and I can’t wait to see him and Almas again. They almost stole the show in Brooklyn in a cold opener, so with the title on the line, it’s going to be so much better. NXT is in a great spot right now.

That will end our show for this week. Next week will be a two hour year in review show, so I won’t be covering that, but I will have a year in review type column with all things NXT. I will see you in two weeks for our regular coverage as NXT will be taping at the famous Center Stage in Atlanta. That should hopefully be a fun atmosphere in front of a new crowd. Until next time, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… but if you do, name it after me!