NXT is back at their home base of Full Sail Live, where they'll tape matches and segments for their regular Wednesday night series on WWE Network.
Tonight’s show (May 26) will build off last Saturday’s very eventful TakeOver: Chicago. We’ll definitely be looking to see how they set up new challengers and feuds for all three of the brand’s undefeated champions - Bobby Roode, Asuka and Authors of Pain - but we’re desperate for the next steps in the #DIY break-up program. WHY, TOMMASO, WHY?
Ahem, sorry. Whatever twists and turns are in store for us, tonight marks the start of the road to Brooklyn III.
We’ll know more when results start rolling in from Winter Park, Florida. We'll be updating those here live, starting at the scheduled 6:30PM Eastern bell time:
- Jeet Rama over Chris Silvio in the opening dark match of the evening.
- Tyler Bate over Steve Cutler, possibly another dark match.
- Tommaso Ciampa comes out on crutches and invites Johnny Gargano to the ring so he can explain things to him... but he’s not here. Ciampa continues, cutting a promo about how when he got hurt he vowed to fight on but became an afterthought in the eyes of the fans, who started dreaming up replacement partners for Johnny. (Turns out I was the problem the entire time, folks, my sincerest apologies!) When the match was over he knew he was hurt and going to go away to heal up, so in that moment he made the decision, because of the fans and because of Gargano, that if he had to go away, so did Johnny. Ciampa promises that when he returns, he’ll be the most dangerous man in pro wrestling.
- Pete Dunne over Danny Burch. After the match, Peter cuts a promo about having to watch “some boy” carry what was rightfully his these last few months.
- Cezar Bononi over Andrade “Cien” Almas.
- Kassius Ohno & Roderick Strong vs. SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe & Eric Young). It’s unclear how the match ends but No Way Jose makes his return to help the babyfaces run SAnitY off!
- Dana Warrior comes out to give an award to a local teacher for her charity work.
- Heavy Machinery (Otis Dozovic & Tucker Knight) over Lars Sullivan & ???. Lars (formerly known as Dylan Miley) does the deal where he snaps and turns on his partner after the loss.
- Peyton Royce over Sarah Logan, which is “Crazy” Mary Dobson’s new ringname.
- Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan ends in a no-contest when Itami refuses to finish Lorcan after three Go 2 Sleeps and Kassius Ohno runs down for the save, shoving Itami down.
- Killian Dain over No Way Jose. Dain has a remix of SAnitY’s theme as a new theme song.
- Roderick Strong comes down to cut a promo, talking about how it’s not Roddy vs. the World anymore, now it’s Roddy, Marina, and Troy vs. the world, and he’s coming for the NXT Championship.
- This brings Bobby Roode down, mock crying. Roode says Roddy has a lot going for him— he’s winning matches (finally), he’s got a marginally hot fiancee, but he’ll have to earn a title shot. But really he should stay in his lane and not try to play the Bobby Roode lottery, because he’s just not man enough.
- Drew McIntyre over Rob Ryzin.
- Ember Moon over Peyton Royce.
- Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) over Beastly Brody & ???.
- After the match, Paul Ellering cuts a promo calling Heavy Machinery as foolish as they are big, and this brings the big lads out for a staredown, from which Ellering and his Authors back down.
- Velveteen Dream over Raul Mendoza.
- Asuka (c) vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riot (NXT Women’s Championship Elimination Match) goes to a no-contest. Riot is first out, eliminated by Cross, but Nikki and Asuka proceed to brawl around the building and the match has to be thrown out.
- Seriously, they’re brawling all around the building. To the back, into some refreshments, to the commentary table, finally ending with a big spot off some scaffolding (!) into production tables.
- SAnitY (Alexander Wolfe & Eric Young) over Ealy Brothers (Gabriel & Uriel Ealy).
- Sonya Deville over Rachael Ellering (again billed as Rachael Evers).
- Aleister Black over Kassius Ohno in the main event of the taping.
There you have it, folks
Another couple weeks of NXT TV to kick off the long road to Brooklyn. Like what you see?