WWE NXT Spotlight: 9/20/17 by Kurt Zamora

Welcome one and all to the latest installment of the NXT Spotlight here at TJRWrestling. With Takeover: Houston now confirmed for November, we take the next few weeks to set up our major storylines. Everything has changed with Adam Cole & ReDRragon now in the brand. We’ll get to see ReDRagon in the ring for the first time tonight as they take on some UK competitors that have revenge on the mind from last week. Let’s get to it!

Johnny Gargano vs. Tino Sabbatelli (w/Riddick Moss)

As Tino makes his way to the ring, we get some comments from him and Moss after last week’s episode where Moss lost to Gargano. Moss dismisses that he came up short to Gargano and Tino lays out the challenge that led to this match tonight.

Tino pie faces Gargano a couple times and talks some trash. Gargano fires back with a couple chops but then gets drilled with a dropkick by Tino. Tino sends Gargano hard into the turnbuckles and follows that with a sidewalk slam. Gargano kicks out at two. Gargano fights out of a submission attempt and then lands a few left punches. He hits Tino with a standing enziguri. Tino backdrops him onto the apron and Gargano tries to slingshot back in, but Tino catches him in a powerslam. Tino doesn’t go for a win and relentlessly talks trash until Gargano superkicks him right in the face and then headscissors himself into the Gargano Escape and Tino has to tap out just like that.

Winner: Johnny Gargano

K-Tank’s Take: Not much different than what took place last week. They’re investing in Gargano, but don’t think we’ll know where they’re going for quite awhile.

We go to William Regal’s office where Roderick Strong walks in and says he’s done enough for a title shot and he wants his chance at Drew McIntyre. Regal agrees and says in two weeks, Roddy will get his opportunity at the NXT Title. Roddy thanks him and leaves.

We get a recap of two weeks ago when Asuka relinquished the NXT Women’s Title. We then go to Sonya Deville from “earlier today”. She says that Asuka knew that Sonya would have the title around her waist if they had ever gone face to face. Now the title is as good as hers. Anyone that has a problem with that can put their hair up and square up.

Lacey Evans vs. Bianca Belair

Both of these women were in the Mae Young Classic and if you saw my review for the tournament, Belair was the one I was most impressed with that were currently signed to NXT. Both women very physical to start. Belair gets the upper hand with a shoulder tackle but then both women counter each other until they get in the ropes. Belair does not give a clean break and stays on the attack. Belair gets Evans up in the double chickenwing and then drops her face first. After Evans kicks out of a pin, Belair gets her in the ropes and kicks the spine as she pulls back on the arms. Evans gets the break and then sweeps the legs out from Belair. Evans slingshots over with an elbow drop. Belair kicks out of a pin and then goes right back on offense with a modified vertical suplex. Evans kicks out of another pin. Evans hits a straight right hand and then a clothesline. Belair is down in the corner and Evans comes in with her version of the Bronco Buster. Another pin attempt and Belair kicks out. Belair catches Evans with a stungun over the top rope and it’s time to whip it good. She smacks the hell out of Evans with her ponytail and then goes for Big Show’s old Alley-Oop finisher and that gets the win.

Winner: Bianca Belair

K-Tank’s Take: I like the finisher for Belair. She continues to impress me. That whip sounds like a gunshot sometimes, especially tonight. It’s just such a unique feature. Evans showed some nice offense as well. I think there’s a lot of potential in both ladies.

Fade to…Velvet?

Aleister Black makes his way to the ring in a suit as we will hear him speak for the first time in NXT. Aleister takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves before speaking. He says 15 years ago he started a journey that led him here to NXT. In those 15 years, he travelled the world and saw a lot of things. He experienced a lot. He puts all those experiences on his skin in the forms of these scars. (His tattoos) From the heart on his throat to the devil on his face, he didn’t want those experiences forgotten. His journey to NXT is far from done and he knows what he needs to do…

With that, The Velveteen Dream’s music cuts Black off. He says that everything that fades to black must come to the light. Aleister Black is the man to walk through darkness for 15 years, only to be blinded by the light that is The Velveteen Dream. With all this blinding light, he doesn’t see it still. Where are these scars of Aleister? He doesn’t see scars, he sees a man who is hurt and who is in pain. By looking in his eyes and by looking at the lies scribbled on his skin. Aleister’s biggest problem isn’t feeling, it’s fear. Aleister looks afraid and seems afraid to show emotion. Most importantly, he’s afraid of the light. He knows Aleister has a heart, it’s just in the wrong place. With that, Aleister hits the Black Mass to where it knocks the mic out of TVD’s hand. Black goes to his seated position and TVD gets on his knees and gets right in Black’s face before crawling backwards out of the ring. Black doesn’t blink and keeps his eyes squarely on TVD.

K-Tank’s Take: TVD’s reaction to Black going to the seated position got a big reaction from the crowd. It was a cool moment for sure. As much as they’re protected Black and built him up, it shows that they think they have something in TVD to put him in a program with Black. This segment was very well done and I think this has a lot of potential for a fun storyline.

We get a recap of the Lars Sullivan and No Way Jose feud as they will go one on one next.

We then go to a Dakota Kaye promo from “earlier today”. She says she doesn’t know what the future of the NXT Women’s Title is, but she does know she’s willing to kick some heads in to make it hers.

No Way Jose vs. Lars Sullivan

Jose charges right away to start and lands multiple punches and forearms. Jose comes off the ropes with a shoulder tackle, but ends up bouncing off Lars and now Lars is in control. He dumps Jose to the floor and then rams his back into the apron. He gorilla presses Jose and drops him face first into the apron. Back in the ring and Lars with two avalanche splashes in the corner. Lars with a neck wrench and Jose gets out and then escapes a powerslam and turns it into a mounted chinlock. Lars gets him off and Jose with punches and clotheslines but Lars doesn’t go down. Lars runs through a clothesline and then comes back with a shoulder tackle. Lars goes up to the top rope and lands the Bam Bam Bigalow diving headbutt and then drills Jose with his gutwrench urinagi and that’s the match.

Winner: Lars Sullivan

K-Tank’s Take: All I can say is what I’ve said before. Even though I like Lars, Jose deserves more than to be fodder for this angle. He’s over with every crowd. I would suspect this angle is over now, so we’ll see where both men go from here.

Tyler Bate & Trent Seven vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish (w/Adam Cole)

Seven does so many little things during his entrance that crack me up. Now that The Undisputed as they’re calling themselves, come out to music and such for the first time, not much to it. Starts out with a voice saying, “shock the system” and then pretty generic music to go with it. I was expecting more, I can’t lie.

O’Reilly and Bate start the match with 13 minutes left in the show. Great chain wrestling until Bate escapes a wrist lock and dropkicks O’Reilly. Seven tags in now and they double team O’Reilly with a senton splash. Seven with a pin but O’Reilly kicks out and tags in Fish. Fish gets dumped to the floor and Seven wants to go for a dive but O’Reilly gets in his way. This allows Fish to get back in the ring and take out Seven. Knee strikes by Fish and then a slingshot senton over the top rope. O’Reilly back in now and they hit a double team snap suplex. Seven kicks out of a pin. Fish right back in the match and more double team moves. Seven tries to chop his way over to Bate and then just ends up DDT’ing Fish to get some separation. O’Reilly tags in though before Seven can get to Bate. O’Reilly knocks Bate off the apron and then mounts Seven and tags him with palm strikes. He goes for an armbar submission but Seven gets to the ropes. Seven goes to the floor and Cole distracts the ref on the apron while Fish runs Seven into the guardrail. We go to commercial.

We return with Fish landing a back suplex on Seven and Seven kicking out of a pin. Seven lands his Seven Star Lariat and now finally makes a tag as O’Reilly is back in as well. Bate with a kick and then a European uppercut off the second rope. He goes for a deadlift German suplex but O’Reilly escapes. O’Reilly charges Bate in the corner, but Bate catches him and then nails an Exploder suplex. Bate hits a standing shooting star press but Fish breaks up the pin. Seven dumps Fish to the floor and now they hit a double team powerbomb on O’Reilly but he kicks out. Seven goes with a low bridge dive on Fish to the outside. Bate tries for the Tyler Driver but in mid rotation, O’Reilly hooks on the guillotine. Bate somehow gets out and tries to go for a suplex but Fish breaks it up and now they hit Chasing The Dragon on Bate. O’Reilly with the pin but Bate gets his foot on the rope. They want Chasing The Dragon again but Bate gets out and tags in Seven. Seven slaps both of them and then O’Reilly catches him in the cross armbreaker. Seven doesn’t allow him to extend it though and turns it into a half crab. Fish kicks Seven in the back of the head and now Cole comes over to where Bate is, pulls him off the apron and superkicks him. Now stereo roundhouse kicks to Seven and then they connect with a version of Total Elimination and that picks up the victory.

Winners: Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish

Cole holds up three fingers after the match and then they celebrate in the ring. After some replays, Drew McIntyre’s music hits and he makes his way directly to the ring. The Undisputed clear out into the crowd but as they taunt McIntyre, they don’t see Sanity come from behind through the curtains. We’ve got a brawl in the crowd now. EY feeds O’Reilly to McIntyre in the ring, who lays him out. The Undisputed once again runs away through the crowd as the sides are now more than even. That ends our show.

K-Tank’s Take: Very good tag match. O’Reilly and Fish looked really good throughout. Great to see them teaming up again. I think the most obvious thing to come from the finish of this show is that the sides are 4-3 now. Typically you’re not going to allow the heels to be outnumbered like that for long, so do they get a 4th member rather soon? I’ve said who I think would be a perfect fit and he just so happens to be facing Drew McIntyre in two weeks now.

That’s it for this week. Nothing announced for next week but I’ll be here for all the action, so until next time don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… but if you do, name it after me!