Newly crowned NXT North American Champion Adam Cole complained he was in no condition to help his Undisputed ERA partner Kyle O’Reilly retain the Tag Titles at TakeOver: New Orleans on Sat., April 7 in Smoothie King Center. But management wasn’t listening, so he headed out to the ring again to face Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne for the belts and The Dusty Cup.
He didn’t last long, however, when former champs AoP put him through the announce table.
.@PaulElleringWWE's wish is #AOP's command! @Akam_WWE @Rezar_WWE #NXTTakeOver #DustyClassic pic.twitter.com/16wSMevqLQ
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) April 8, 2018
O’Reilly more than handled things for a time, clearing the ring of all four other men, then putting Akam and Strong in simultaneous submissions. From the point Rezar powerbombed Dunne onto Kyle to break the holds, however, it was all AoP for a long stretch of the match. Roddy returned and cleaned house, and for a time, the Triple Threat resembled the ladder match opener.
But The Bruiserweight isolated KOR, and hit his finisher, The Bitter End. Strong hit the ring, you’d think to fend off anyone seeking to break up the pin... but instead, he hit his partner with a boot, and a backbreaker! He pulled Kyle over Dunne, and the ERA retained.
Cole and O’Reilly seemed as shocked as the fans, though. Roddy reached for the North American Champ, who looked worried he might be about to take a backbreaker himself. Instead, Strong took the ERA armband, and celebrated with his new faction.
What does this mean for the FUTURE of the Tag Team division in @WWENXT?! #DustyClassic #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/7bKOie6nXS
— WWE (@WWE) April 8, 2018
You can find all the results from TakeOver: New Orleans here.