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Here's a place to check results and comment along with the latest airing of WWE NXT in its regular Wednesday night at 8PM Eastern time slot on WWE Network.
Check out our Wednesday morning preview post to get caught up on what's been happening, and what we expect this week.
We'll post match results here, and we will also have our regular reactions post later. In the meantime, and most importantly, this gives you Cagesiders a dedicated place to rave and/or bitch about whatever happens on WWE’s third brand - during its initial broadcast!
NOTE: Spoilers are out there for these pre-taped broadcasts (including here), but many Cagesiders don't partake. If you are going to post or discuss spoilers for this show before they happen, or results of future shows, please use the spoiler bar in your comment.
Enjoy the show!
If you need assistance or if all you need is love, there's no point in hidin', tell me what you're frightened of. You've got a friend, just look at yourself. Don't be afraid, just look at yourself, and I'll liveblog this here pro wrestling show, folks.
Show opens with a video package hyping up our #1 contender's match for the NXT Championship, and thence into the usual intro video.
Aleister Black makes his entrance and it's right into our opening contest.
Aleister Black vs. Cezar Bononi
Staredown, Cezar jawing at Black, he takes a swing, throws a kick, both ducked, Aleister clocks him with a kick, knocks him back, Bononi bails. Aleister with a springboard moonsault into the center of the ring, Bononi comes back in, hits Manhattan Drop into a dropkick, trying to put something togehter, throwing hands, knee strike, clubbering blows.
Punches, Black ducks 'em and throws kicks, Cezar dodging, Aleister gets a knee off! He trips him up, another knee to the back, he has him where he wants him...
Aleister Black wins by pinfall with Black Mass.
We get a recap of our NXT Women's Championship #1 Contender's Battle Royal from last week into some WWE.com fallout videos, including Ember Moon addressing her arm injury that will be keeping her out of the match and saying that when she gets back, she'll be better than ever.
Roderick Strong is shown getting ready for his match backstage as commentary hypes it up, and we take a quick break for a house ad for NXT's upcoming touring dates.
We get a short clip of the Hacktivist theme song for TakeOver: Chicago, and I am thankful that despite their name it's heavy music with guitars rather than the electronic nonsense I had feared.
Commentary talks about Pete Dunne vs. Tyler Bate for TakeOver: Chicago and we get a vignette about the Bruiserweight.
But we're not done with vignettes, because Ruby Riot gets one! She talks about her tattoos as she gets one to commemorate her shot at the NXT Women's Championship.
Next up, a sit-down interview with Nikki Cross. She slaps the microphone guy away and wrenches his arm, mic'ing herself up. She does a countdown and the interviewer starts asking questions but she bats at the boom mic and calls Ruby out. She's asked about strategies but simply asks where Ruby and Asuka are before asking where her championship is.
And Ruby, at Chicago, she's gonna draw a line right beneath her. For Asuka, she'll take everyting from her, everything.
Hideo Itami is shadowboxing, getting ready for his match.
Drew McIntyre is being interviewed about the #1 contender's match, and he thinks it's gonna be a great match, but he's a little disappointed that he's not in the mix. But he's learned over the last few years that if something's not happening for you, you make it happen yourself.
Wesley Blake rolls up talking about how he needs a second chance and tells Drew to leave again. (I mean, I'd be happy to have him back at Evolve, but somehow I don't think that's happening, Blake.)
We get another vignette for the Velveteen Dream and when we come back #DIY are in the ring.
Johnny Gargano says the Authors of Pain are biggest and baddest, but they have what they want, and Tommaso Ciampa points out that they've never got a fair rematch, and at Chicago, there's only one team that belongs in the ring with AOP. Gargano says that Heavy Machinery and every other team have to know that the line starts behind #DIY.
The Bad Footballmen, Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss, come out. Riddick says it's not about them or about big fat giants who lumber around the ring, and Tino says if you're talking about a line, it starts behind them. Ciampa says if there is a line, y'all homeboys just crossed, and #DIY brawl the Footballmen out of the ring!
#DIY (Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa) vs. Riddick Moss & Tino Sabbatelli
Riddick and Tommaso to start, Moss in with a knee but Ciampa gets a chop, whip reversed, back elbow, off the ropes, under a lariat but the Sicilian Psychopath is caught in a bear hug to a fallaway slam! Punches in the corner, boots, tag to Tino, throwing forearms rather than his god-awful punches, Moss tags back in with a shoulder thrust.
Sabbatelli tags back in and bowls Ciampa over before putting boots to him and making a cover that barely gets two. Hammer whip, Tommaso's hurting, quick tags continue, Tino locking a reverse chinlock on but it doesn't keep Ciampa grounded for long and he throws the footballman off. Looking for a suplex, Tommaso throws a knee and reverses, tag to Johnny!
Gargano with a lariat, the roll-through enzuigiri, jumping neckbreaker, Moss is on the run! Johnny to the apron, takes a shot at Tino, Superman Spear... Sabbatelli breaks it up! Tino to the apron, Ciampa catches him with a running knee, Johnny Wrestling throws a suicide dive and Tommaso follows it with a diving knee drop from the apron!
Double knees in the corner, tag made, Moss is set up...
#DIY win by pinfall with Meeting in the Middle on Riddick Moss.
William Regal comes down to congratulate Johnny and Tommaso and give them their title shot, but he's interrupted by Paul Ellering and his Authors of Pain. Paul says his men will end #DIY's careers, and Regal is okay with this. Ellering says their blood will be on his hands and goes to leave, but Regal stops him and tells him there will be a stipulation.
The titles will be hung above the ring, because it's a ladder match! The Authors freak out and Precious Paul holds them back.
Kassius Ohno is interviewed backstage about where he goes from here. He came back to NXT for the title and fell down. When you fall down, you can stay down or you can get right back up. Just like when he was released, he's gonna get right back up. When you see him coming into a building, you know he's gonna tear it down, brick by brick, and we have a lock of bricks here.
He lists off all the contenders above him when Andrade "Cien" Almas rolls up, questioning why he came back. Ohno calls him Mr. Tranquilo and says he has an opportunity for him. Next week, Cien vs. Ohno!
We get a house ad for Backlash and take a quick break.
A clip of the Fozzy song Judas plays to hype its status as a TakeOver: Chicago theme, but it's got nothing on the Helloween song of the same name, folks.
We get a vignette for Tyler Bate to match the one we got for his challenger for the WWE United Kingdom Championship at TakeOver.
Roderick Strong is interviewed ahead of his match, saying this is why he's here, this is what he's worked for, and now it's time.
Hideo gets an interview as well. He respects Roddy, he's great, but he's going to TakeOver: Chicago, and Roddy's going to Go 2 Sleep.
Hideo Itami vs. Roderick Strong (NXT Championship #1 Contender's Match)
Circling, collar and elbow, Hideo gets a waistlock but Roddy picks the arm and they fall to the mat, jockeying for position. Itami gets a facelock briefly but Strong gets away and we have a stalemate. Offering a test of strength, Hideo takes it but quickly goes behind and they end up back on the mat, Itami getting a headscissors, Roddy slips out, stalemate again.
Collar and elbow, Hideo with a side headlock, Roddy tries to shoot him off but he goes to the mat and continues grinding him down. Off the ropes, shoulder block, ducking and dodging, awesome tight sequence of misses on strikes, up in the fireman's carry but Strong gets the hell out of there and heads outside!
After a short break, shoulder thrusts in the corner, Hideo turns it around, whip reversed, up and over to the apron, shoulder thrust, Itami dodges and throws wicked cracking chest kicks. Whip across, back elbow connects wiping Strong out, but it's only good for one and the erstwhile KENTA locks a reverse chinlock on.
Slamming him to the mat when he tries to escape, knee drops, the fakeout bootscrape, Roddy heads to the corner and Hideo meets him with punishing elbows to the gut. Looking for a suplex, Strong reverses and hangs him on the ropes with a gourdbuster! Putting boots to Itami, Roddy drags him to his feet for chops in the corner, reverberating around the arena.
Backbreaker connects, only two so Strong locks on a kneeling armbar, attacking Itami's damaged shoulder. Hideo shifts, trying to escape, and the Messiah of the Backbreaker hits him with a pumphandle half nelson backbreaker! Arm-trap rear chinlock, grinding him down but Itami throws him off.
Charge gets a boot, Roddy gets two and draws him back up, thinking back suplex but Itami fights out, off the ropes, right into a dropkick but it's only a nearfall. Bodyscissors applied, Hideo reverses to a pin and Strong throws a knee. Itami striking, getting back into it and forcing Roddy outside. Strong yanks him off the apron, catch backbreaker into the apron!
After a another short break, Roddy is back to the rear chinlock before shifting into a half bow-and-arrow hold. Hideo to his feet, Roddy shifts to a sleeper but Itami drops him with a stunner as a counter. Charging lariat, the second is dodged, whip, lariat ducked, both men connect with lariats and end up laid out!
Itami throwing lariats, kick rush, straight suplex, he's getting fired up! Whip reversed, boot up, tornado DDT over the ropes! Up top, diving lariat, just a nearfall. Backfist ducked, Strong catches him with kicks, Olympic Slam... NOPE! Dragging Hideo up, throwing forearms, back elbow, Itami catches him with a boot, slaps, spinning backfist, charging lariat... COUNTERED WITH A CATCH BACKBREAKER! NO GOOD!
Setting Itami up top, climbing after him, fireman's carry but Hideo fights out with elbows. Trading blows in the corner, Itami climbs... AVALANCHE FALCON ARROW! RODDY LIVES! Hideo crawling, both men meet on their knees, to their feet to trade forearm for chop, slugging it out shot for shot. Strong catches him with a wicked high knee, but it's only a nearfall!
Off the ropes, thinking Sick Kick but Hideo catches him with the Busaiku Knee Kick first! Firman's carry, Roddy slips out, thinking End of Heartache but Hideo gets away, boot in the corner, hesitation dropkick! Strong crawling up Itami's body, pushing, swinging desperately, he gets caught...
Hideo Itami wins by pinfall with the Go 2 Sleep, becoming #1 contender to the NXT Championship.
Itami offers Roddy a hand and they have a nice moment of respect between them.
That's the show, folks.