Friday 22 January 2021

WWE SmackDown Full Show WWE Smack Downs Highlights Full Show

 

WWE Smackdown Live 1/22/21 January 22nd 2021



Video Highlights Removed as new show uploaded


Back to Content Links

WWE SmackDown Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction, Highlights from January 22

Sana Ejaz Khan

    Credit: WWE.com

    As WWE prepares for the Royal Rumble on January 31, it's all hands on deck as more and more Superstars declare their entries and attempt to qualify for the titular Rumble matches.

    This week's SmackDown continued to build up the pay-per-view while also dealing with some in-house business for the blue brand.

    After earning a title shot by defeating Sami Zayn last week, Appolo challenged Big E in a match for the Intercontinental Championship.

    We also saw Bayley and Bianca Belair compete on an obstacle course to see which one was the superior athlete, and Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens prepared for their showdown at The Royal Rumble.

    Let's look at everything that happened on Friday's show. 

Opening Segment

1 OF 8

    SmackDown opened with a video package recapping what happened last week with Reigns and Adam Pearce before The Tribal Chief and Paul Heyman made their way to the ring. 

    Reigns spoke about how Owens and Pearce might have put one over on him but he is the champion because he doesn't believe in the mentality of "Card subject to change." He said his back is starting to hurt from carrying this company for years.

    Pearce came out and said this has gone too far and things are getting out of control. Reigns said the only thing that is out of control is Owens being in a title match. 

    Reigns felt disrespected and had Heyman rip into Pearce. This led to Heyman challenging Pearce to a match, which was quickly accepted. 

                            

    Grade: B-

                            

    Analysis

    Pearce has grown into a great on-screen authority figure and seeing him used in more meaningful ways in recent weeks has been a lot of fun.

    This was a solid opening segment that probably lasted a few minutes longer than it needed to but never became insufferable. 

    Reigns was more vocal than usual, which helped express his rage at being tricked. Despite being a heel, almost everything he said was true, especially when it came to his health.

The Riott Squad vs. Charlotte and Asuka

2 OF 8

    The women's tag team champions took a trip to the blue brand this week to take on Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott with Billie Kay in their corner.

    The Queen and Riott started the match with a basic lockup and takedown combination. Asuka got the tag and ran Riott over with a shoulder tackle. 

    Morgan made a blind tag and hit a dropkick to Charlotte while she was distracted with Kay. She scored a two-count with a crossbody from the top rope. After a break, Riott and Morgan still had the upper hand. 

    Asuka tagged in and hit a running knee but Riott was there to break up the pin. Riott had Asuka pinned but Kay accidentally distracted the ref. The Empress recovered and tagged in The Queen to hit Natural Selection for the win. 

                           

    Grade: B

                           

    Analysis

    We are only a couple of weeks into this angle but Kay is already impacting the outcome of The Riott Squad's matches in a negative way, which means this union is doomed to fail.

    The match itself was pretty good and gave all four women a chance to showcase their skills. Morgan and Riott looked especially good despite Kay's involvement.

    The women's tag team division needs a lot of work but if The Riott Squad is one of the main duos holding it down, there is hope that it can improve in 2021. 

Cesaro vs. Dolph Ziggler

3 OF 8

    Daniel Bryan came out to talk about how The Royal Rumble event always makes him feel excited. He was eventually interrupted by Cesaro, who rubbed in how he beat Bryan last week.

    Cesaro issued an open challenge and Dolph Ziggler answered the call. We returned from a commercial to see the match getting going. They fought for control with a series of holds and reversals. 

    The Swiss Cyborg nailed an uppercut in the corner and swung Ziggler around by his feet. They went back and forth with near falls until The Showoff hit the Zig Zag for a two-count. Cesaro caught him and hit the Neutralizer for the win. 

                           

    Grade: A

                           

    Analysis

    This was what pro wrestling could be. Cesaro and Ziggler are miles ahead of most of the roster in terms of technical ability and they didn't even need a long match to prove how good they are.

    A few more minutes would have helped but they packed a lot into the time they had and told a solid story from bell to bell while Bryan provided context on commentary.

    Between this and his win over Bryan last week, Cesaro appears to be getting a push heading into the men's Royal Rumble match. Even if he doesn't win at the PPV, it's awesome to see a talented performer being used the right way for once. 

Sasha Banks vs. Reginald

4 OF 8

    Reginald tried to win over Sasha Banks with a rose at the start of the match but she smacked the taste out of his mouth. She tried to take him down but he flipped up to his feet.

    He grabbed Banks by the waist but she reversed it. He rolled right out of the ring and he backflipped off of the apron just to show off. The Boss made him pay with a baseball slide dropkick. 

    Banks took him down with a wheelbarrow bulldog but missed a meteora in the corner. Reginald ate a knee to the face but caught her in a crossbody. She sent him out of the ring with an arm drag and took him down with a meteora from the apron. 

    She eventually brought him down into the Bank Statement for the submission victory. 

                       

    Grade: C+

                           

    Analysis

    As impressive as some of Reginald's acrobatics were, this match still had some sloppy moments and awkward spots that would have benefitted from this bout being pre-taped.

    Still, this was better than anyone expected it to be, so that's a plus. The feud between Carmella and Banks didn't need this but it was a fun change of pace from what we have seen in the past.

    WWE has always shied away from intergender wrestling so it will be interesting to see if we get more matches like this down the road. 

Big E vs. Apollo Crews (IC Title)

5 OF 8

    As soon as the bell rang, Big E hit a huge belly to belly suplex followed by a splash on the apron. Crews fired back with a couple of kicks that rocked the champ. He got a quick two-count with a standing moonsault and stayed on the big man with a pair of German suplexes.

    Big E prevented a third and hit a big urinagi slam for another near-fall. Crews fought him off in the corner with a few headbutts. Sami Zayn had handcuffed himself in the aisle as a protest but he released himself and ran to the ring to hit both men with Helluva Kicks to cause a no-contest finish.

                              

    Grade: C

                             

    Analysis

    The match was just getting going when Zayn interfered, so it ended up stopping short of reaching its full potential in many ways.

    This might keep the storyline going but it still robbed us of what could have been a great title fight, so it's hard not to be a little mad about it.

    Crews, Zayn and Big E will likely end up in a triple threat match at The Royal Rumble to settle this once and for all. 

Bayley vs. Bianca Belair Obstacle Course Challenge

6 OF 8

    Bayley gave us a rundown of the obstacles before they took to the course. She decided to run the course first and pushed Belair out of the way. 

    She took her time getting through each obstacle and ended up cheating by running around the walls that were set up instead of climbing over them. She ended with a time of 1:12.

    Before Belair took her turn, Bayley had some of the obstacles made more difficult. Belair still flew through the course but when she got to the fireman's carry, she had to carry Otis instead of Chad Gable. She still did it and beat Bayley's time by 17 seconds. 

    Bayley attacked her and beat her down before throwing her into the pole of a basketball hoop that was part of the course. 

                            

    Grade: C+

                               

    Analysis

    This was nothing special in terms of entertainment value but Belair's physical prowess made it more enjoyable than it would have been without her.

    We all saw this ending with an attack so there was no surprise or swerve. It played out how it needed to even if it was the most predictable thing on the show.

King Corbin vs. Dominik Mysterio

7 OF 8

    Dominik Mysterio was looking to get some payback on Baron Corbin after The King defeated his father last week. Corbin's knights were absent once again.

    Dom went right after him and hit a few quick strikes before he sent Corbin out of the ring. The King leveled him with a clothesline for a two-count. 

    Corbin was able to secure the win with The End of Days. 

                                

    Grade: C

                             

    Analysis

    This wasn't bad but it also wasn't good. It just...was. We'll move on and forget about this in a week or two after one of the Mysterios beats Corbin in a rematch.

    It was nice to see Dominik again but it's hard not to wonder why WWE had him skip NXT altogether. He could benefit from having more time to polish his mic skills. 

Adam Pearce vs. Paul Heyman

8 OF 8

    As Heyman made his way to the ring, he pretended to suffer a leg injury. He did the same thing Pearce did last week and named a replacement. That is when Reigns came to the ring.

    As soon as he hit the ring, The Tribal Chief nailed him with a Superman Punch. Pearce tried to come back but a low blow stopped him in his tracks. 

    KO came out of nowhere and saved Pearce from certain destruction by attacking the universal champion. They brawled near the LED screens with fans on them before going back to the ring.

    Owens blocked a Superman Punch and hit a Stunner. It took several officials to keep them apart and even then, they still managed to get to each other a few times. KO hit a second Stunner before he put Reigns through the announce table with a Popup Powerbomb. 

                            

    Grade: B

                           

    Analysis

    We might not have gotten to see Pearce come out of retirement to hand Heyman a beating but we did get to see Owens destroy Reigns, so the show had a happy ending.

    It was clear Heyman was never going to have a real match but there was still hope for Pearce to get in a few good shots. Maybe he will have another chance in the future.

    The feud between Reigns and KO is being carried solely by the skill of the two men involved. The storyline is nothing special or original but how it is being executed has been fun to watch

Wednesday 20 January 2021

AEW Dynamite Full Show AEW Dynamite Highlights

 

AEW Dynamite Live 1/20/21 January 21st 2021

Watch AEW Dynamite Live 1/20/21 January 21st 2021 Online Full Show Free

Video Highlights removed as new show uploaded


Back to Content Links

AEW Dynamite Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 20

    Credit: AEW

    As with every week, AEW announced a stacked lineup for Wednesday's Dynamite, but this week's show was a little different because AEW held a birthday party for Brodie Lee Jr.

    The way AEW has continued to support Jon Huber's family has been amazing, and to see the company continue to feature his son so prominently is heartwarming.

    This week also featured Cody Rhodes taking on Pretty Peter Avalon in a match The American Nightmare claimed would take him less than a minute to win.

    The Inner Circle took its first step toward exploding this week with a three-way tag team match to determine which duo would be the official tag team of the group. Santana and Ortiz teamed up to take on the pairing of Chris Jericho and MJF, while Sammy Guevara tagged with Jake Hager.

    Big Money Matt Hardy tried to earn a winning paycheck with Private Party when they took on Top Flight and Matt Sydal. In the women's division, Penelope Ford battled Legit Leyla Hirsch.

    Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's episode of AEW Dynamite.

Happy Birthday Brodie Lee Jr. and Dark Order vs. TH2 and Chaos Project

1 OF 6

    Brodie Jr. came out on the shoulders of No. 10 to celebrate his birthday on the stage with the entire Dark Order organization. His mom and brother could be seen cheering in the crowd.

    John Silver hyped the possibility of Adam Page joining The Dark Order before he led a rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song for -1. Luther and Serpentico came out to voice their displeasure.

    TH2 joined them and fought The Dark Order until Hangman came out and hit a huge dive onto everyone. Silver, Hangman, Colt Cabana and Alex Reynolds got in the ring to battle TH2 and Chaos Project in the first match of the night.

    What followed was a series of tags at regular intervals, double-team moves and the occasional save by a teammate. Cabana ended up putting Luther's face into the cake while Silver and Reynolds scored the win over Serpentico.

    Brodie Jr. hit Serpentico with a kendo stick and then called everyone idiots when he told them his birthday was three days ago. Silver asked Page if he was ready to join The Dark Order, but Page said he couldn't. He said his last group didn't work out but he has had fun hanging out with them.

    Page grabbed a bottle of booze from Stu Grayson and walked to the back.

                             

    Grade: C

                            

    Analysis

    The first thing we need to make clear is that the grade applies only to the match. The segment with Brodie Jr. celebrating his birthday was not done to be a legitimate angle, so there is no need to treat it as such. Luther saying he didn't like kids should have been enough for anyone to see that this was just meant to be a fun moment for -1.

    Most of the match was structured in such a way that everyone was able to come in for a minute and get in a few moves. It was way too scheduled to look like a competitive fight.

    The ending was comedic in nature, as was most of the match. The birthday stuff was nice for Huber's family, but the match itself was too quick for an eight-man tag bout. It was what it was.

    Hangman turning down The Dark Order was a predictable outcome, but it will be interesting to see if this is the end of it or if the group continues to pursue him.

Cody vs. Peter Avalon

2 OF 6

    Don Callis had a conversation with The Young Bucks in Kenny Omega's house and told them they are holding Omega back. It ended with what appeared to be an attack by The Bucks.

    Back in the arena, Pretty Peter Avalon made his way to the ring to battle Cody. The announcers made sure to mention that Avalon has been on a winning streak on AEW Dark.

    Avalon ran right into Cody's arms and went down to the Cross Rhodes. Before Cody could make the cover, Jade Cargill came out and stood on the stage. Avalon hit a low blow while the ref had his back turned and started working over Cody's knee.

    The American Nightmare turned the tables in the corner, but Avalon was able to hit a big superplex. They fought outside the ring for a bit before Pretty Peter hit a vertical suplex for a quick one-count.

    After a commercial break, Avalon missed a moonsault. They missed a leapfrog but recovered quickly, and Avalon hit a suicide dive. Cody hit a cutter out of nowhere to start his comeback. Avalon ended up tapping out to a Figure-Four but only because Cody was going to slap him in the face.

                          

    Grade: C+

                            

    Analysis

    Cody said he would win this match in less than a minute, but a distraction from Cargill to further that storyline allowed Avalon to have a good showing against one of AEW's top stars.

    Avalon is a decent hand who has been getting more opportunities lately on Dark. His original librarian gimmick was awful, but his new one still needs work.

    Cargill showing up and then leaving didn't make a lot of sense. She should have stayed to watch the rest of the match and taunt Cody from the stage.

    The match was decent, but the comedic ending wasn't as good as it would have been had Avalon fought hard but been forced to tap out. The threat of a slap to the face being the thing that beat him took the grade down a bit.

Jon Moxley vs. Nick Comoroto

3 OF 6

    Nick Comoroto got a chance to perform on a national stage this week, but he had the unenviable task of taking on a fresh and angry Jon Moxley.

    The Nightmare Factory student had a significant size and power advantage, but an early headbutt gave Mox the upper hand. Comoroto hit a body slam as QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes watched from the crowd.

    The big man hit a few power moves but couldn't score the pin. He lined up to hit Moxley in the corner, but the former AEW champion avoided the hit and uncorked some stiff kicks to the chest.

    Mox hit a German suplex and applied a sleeper hold to get the win. He gave a promo directed at Omega and said it would be sweet when he regains the AEW title.

                             

    Grade: B-

                              

    Analysis

    This was a solid debut for Comoroto. He looked good and got in some nice offense before Moxley put him to sleep at the end.

    Moxley had to fight for the victory, but he still did it in one segment, so he managed to look dominant and give his opponent a chance to shine at the same time.

    This wasn't a memorable match, but compared to the first two, it was a step up. Let's hope Comoroto shows up again because he had a good look and the potential to be another good powerhouse for AEW.

Private Party and Matt Hardy vs. Top Flight and Matt Sydal

4 OF 6

    Marq Quen, Isiah Kassidy and Hardy were out to take on Sydal, Darius and Dante Martin. Dante and Quen started for their teams and shook hands to show some sportsmanship.

    Sydal tagged in and hit a kick after a triple leapfrog. Sydal had to remind one of his partners that he was the legal man when they went for a pin.

    Quen and Kassidy turned things around as the show went to a break. We returned to see Kassidy holding Sydal down in a headlock.

    Hardy got the tag and went on a rampage against all three opponents. Kassidy used a chair while Hardy distracted the ref. Quen took advantage and hit a shooting star press for the win.

                                 

    Grade: C

                              

    Analysis

    Top Flight is good at hitting some exciting double-team moves, but there are certain things it needs to work on if it wants to be an important team in AEW.

    Not knowing who the legal man is in a match is a rookie mistake that you don't see from the more seasoned teams in the company, and it served as a reminder of how young Darius and Dante are.

    The match had a decent flow, but it had a few too many sloppy moments to make either team look good. Even Private Party messed up a couple of spots.

    A lot of fans probably enjoyed this, but from a technical standpoint, it left a lot to be desired.

Penelope Ford vs. Leyla Hirsch

5 OF 6

    Miro, Chuck Taylor and Kip Sabian accompanied Ford for her match against Hirsch. They locked up and Hirsch showed off some of her technical ability by taking Ford down and rolling her around the mat.

    Ford knocked her down with a shoulder tackle, but Hirsch skipped up and brought her down into an armbar. Ford got her foot on the rope to force a break. Hirsch confronted Sabian, and it gave Ford an opportunity to hit a pump kick.

    After the break, Hirsch regained the upper hand and hit a nice German suplex. Ford tripped her on the middle turnbuckle but missed an ax kick. Hirsch dove out of the ring onto Taylor and Sabian, but once again, turning her attention away from Ford was her undoing. Sabian held her foot while Ford covered her for the pin.

                             

    Grade: B+

                              

    Analysis

    Hirsch has impressed with every appearance she has made in AEW. She has a level of technical ability that only comes from years of amateur wrestling.

    Ford is always fun to watch, but she kept her gymnastic moves to a minimum in this bout because Hirsch dominated so much of the action.

    The stuff with Taylor and Miro was fine if a little flat. Orange Cassidy's presence added nothing because he had no reaction to Taylor being forced to say Miro was his best friend now.

MJF and Chris Jericho vs. Santana and Ortiz vs. Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager

6 OF 6

    The main event of the night saw the entire Inner Circle compete as three separate teams to see which duo would get to challenge for the AEW tag team titles. MJF was shown trying to play both sides earlier in the show.

    After an initial showdown between Guevara and MJF, Jericho tagged in to face his former partner. Y2J wanted to have a good exchange, but Guevara was looking to make a statement.

    Hager nailed Jericho with a big right hand after Guevara sent him to the corner. Jericho tagged out to Santana while Hager tagged himself in to take him on. Santana took control and brought in Ortiz for a quick double-team.

    MJF finally tagged into the match only for Hager to run him over. The MMA fighter brought Guevara back in so he could hit a springboard cutter. Ortiz tagged himself in, but Guevara kept the upper hand.

    Hager stopped Jericho from using his bat and MJF from using his ring. Everybody took turns hitting big moves on each other until MJF rolled up Guevara with a handful of trunks for the pin.

                           

    Grade: B

                           

    Analysis

    This storyline has a lot of sub-stories that were all addressed during this match. They packed a lot into about 15 minutes but did it in a way that made sense.

    This was a fun match that showed how ahead of everyone else Santana and Ortiz are when it comes to the chemistry they have as a team. They were the only duo using classic tag team strategies while everybody else just tried to blend their own stuff together to no avail.

    This would have gotten a higher grade, but there was a couple of obvious mistakes that stood out. Other than those minor missteps, this was an entertaining main event.

WWE NXT Full Show Live Streaming WWE NXT Highlights

 

WWE NxT Live 1/20/21 January 21st 2021

Watch WWE NxT Live 1/20/21 January 21st 2021 Online Full Show Free

Matchcard / Timing / Channels / Infos

NXT Countdown

Video Highlights Removed as new show uploaded

Back to Content Links

WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from January 20

Sana Ejaz Khan

    Credit: WWE.com

    The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic has taken over WWE NXT. This tournament is no longer just a single-gender tag team experience as the women will now compete at the same time as the men.

    The January 20 edition of NXT included three big matches in the Dusty Classic. First, for the men, Johnny Gargano teamed up with Austin Theory. The two members of The Way would fight their recent rivals Kushida and Leon Ruff.

    Lucha House Party also dropped by from Monday Night Raw to compete in the tournament. Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado hoped to win against the former NXT tag team champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.

    The first round of the women's Dusty Classic began with underdogs Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter fighting two of the most dangerous women in NXT. Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez have been after Io Shirai but were glad to make history in the tag team tournament first.

    All of this was building up toward the main event where Tommaso would step into the NXT Fight Pit against the man who brought it to the black-and-gold brand, Timothy Thatcher. All that could be predicted was pure unadulterated violence.

    This show had a packed card that was promised a week back, setting up some of the best wrestlers in the world to go out and compete at the highest level.

Men's Dusty Classic: Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory vs. Kushida and Leon Ruff

1 OF 7

    Credit: WWE.com

    Austin Theory showed an impressive ability to counter the speed of Leon Ruff and Kushida, keeping the heels in the match after Johnny Gargano got overconfident. Theory, though, made the big mistake of trying to grapple with Kushida, who was able to easily counter him.

    The heels found the best strategy was to isolate Ruff. The Way looked cohesive throughout its domination, though Ruff fought through. He kicked out of an elevated spinning neckbreaker and hit a springboard cutter to get the tag to his partner.

    Kushida planted The Rebel Heart on the outside with a DDT and then locked the NXT North American champion in a cross armbreaker. Theory barely saved his mentor. Ruff dived onto Theory to take him out of the action and then pinned The Rebel Heart clean with a double underhook suplex.

              

    Result

    Kushida and Ruff def. The Way by pinfall to advance in the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    Gargano and Theory have instantly established chemistry as a tag team. The Rebel Heart has found a rhythm with the young star that no one else could. Hopefully, they will continue to work as a tag team, even though it was not their time in the men's Dusty Classic.

    Kushida pinning Gargano clean was a surprise but a welcome one. The Japanese Superstar has built up serious momentum lately. It almost feels inconceivable that he would not win the NXT North American Championship in the next month.

Karrion Kross vs. Ashante Thee Adonis

2 OF 7

    Pete Dunne cut a pretaped promo on Finn Balor, explaining that he was better than The Prince and both of them knew it.

    Ashante Thee Adonis tried to get in a few good kicks, but Karrion Kross badly injured his neck on a trio of Saito suplexes, sealing an emphatic win. Afterward, he locked in the Kross Jacket.

    NXT showed a video package for MSK where Ember Moon put over the innovation of Wes Lee and Nash Carter.

              

    Result

    Kross def. Adonis by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    D

                

    Analysis

    What Kross needs right now is a chance to fight worthy opponents. He needs to do more than just hit a few suplexes and win. Adonis is established enough that he could have gotten in a little offense. Instead, he was squashed like every other Performance Center talent.

    We have all seen it at this point. It is clear that Kross can be dominant. He can take longer than one minute to wrestle and still seem dominant. The important piece is to help the former NXT champion get back in ring shape before facing Finn Balor.

Men's Dusty Classic: Imperium vs. Lucha House Party

3 OF 7

    Credit: WWE.com

    Imperium tried to set a steady pace early, but Lucha House Party was too explosive. Gran Metalik got into the action and dived onto Marcel Barthel with a splash off Lince Dorado's shoulders. The luchadors fought to the outside and got slammed by Barthel and Fabian Aichner on the hard floor.

    Metalik fought back with a springboard hurricanrana and springboard moonsault to Aichner for a near-fall. Lucha House Party then hit a combination dropkick/sunset flip powerbomb, forcing Barthel to save his partner from the pinfall. Action broke down as both teams closed in on signature tag team finishers.

    Dorado finally got Barthel alone to connect with a superkick and shooting star press for the win. Alexander Wolfe appeared on the stage to look upon Barthel and Aichner after their loss.

              

    Result

    Lucha House Party def. Imperium by pinfall to advance in the men's Dusty Rhodes Classic.

               

    Grade

    A

                

    Analysis

    This match had potential going in, but it was absolutely above and beyond any expectations. Barthel and Aichner have been wrestling sprints so often that it was nice to see them get time and work as the true heels. Lucha House Party pushed Imperium with some incredible moves throughout.

    It was great to see Metalik and Dorado working so motivated. It was the best the team has looked in years. While Imperium deserves a major run in NXT down the line with only a short NXT Tag Team Championship reign so far, this was the time to take a chance to put over an underused team.

Women's Dusty Classic: Carter and Catanzaro vs. Storm and Martinez

4 OF 7

    Credit: WWE.com

    Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez admitted backstage they aren't friends, but they wanted to win and felt they were better than anyone else. General manager William Regal introduced Beth Phoenix, who put over how important and historic it is that the women finally got their own Dusty Rhodes Classic.

    Kayden Carter set a pace from the outset that Mercedes Martinez ruined when she planted Kacy Catanzaro with a tilt-a-whirl slam. Toni Storm got into the action but ran into a buzz saw in a purely motivated Carter.

    Catanzaro crashed into Martinez outside, sending both into the announce table. Storm planted Carter with a German suplex and then locked in a single-leg Boston crab. Io Shirai attacked Martinez outside, leaving Storm to take a spin-through leg lock to set up a corkscrew 630 splash for the win.

    Backstage, Carter and Catanzaro made clear they would win the whole tournament. A brawl broke out between Storm and Shirai after the result.

              

    Result

    Carter and Catanzaro def. Storm and Martinez by pinfall to advance in the women's Dusty Classic.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    This was a true arrival for Carter and Catanzaro. Arguably the only true women's tag team in NXT, the two have worked hard to get an opportunity like this. Working with absolute veterans, they pulled out the best work of their careers.

    While they needed to win over a team that was not established, the situation was set up well. The two heels are arguably the closest to challenging The Genius of the Sky for the NXT Women's Championship next. This sets up perfectly for Shirai vs. Martinez at the next NXT TakeOver.

Bronson Reed vs. Tyler Rust (w/ Malcolm Bivens)

5 OF 7

    Malcolm Bivens waited outside William Regal's office while Tyler Rust asked for a match against Bronson Reed. Bivens wanted Rust to face an easier opponent, but he just tried to motivate Rust once the contest was set.

    The Colossal dominated Rust while Bivens seemed uncertain how to coach his client in this mostly impromptu match. Even though Rust found a few openings, he still could not stop the bigger man from planting him with the Avalanche for three. Afterward, the manager told his client to let him pick the battles next time.

              

    Result

    Reed def. Rust by pinfall.

               

    Grade

    C+

                

    Analysis

    The idea of Reed vs. Rust was better than the execution. The talented wrestlers worked fine together, but there was not much story and focus to the contest. The Colossal works well with those who have confidence in their ability to improvise and build a story.

    Bivens and Rust are an awkward pairing. It may come together soon, and it is good to see Bivens on television again. However, the manager is still looking for his ideal client.

Lucha House Party and Curt Stallion Clear Out Legado del Fantasma

6 OF 7

    Finn Balor demanded a match with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch from William Regal, and the NXT general manager only agreed if the NXT champion could find a partner. The Prince cashed in a favor and asked Kyle O'Reilly to team with him. The Undisputed Era star agreed.

    Legado del Fantasma took the ring as Santos Escobar mocked the entire roster. He was certain he was the absolute best champion in NXT. As he put over Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde, Lucha House Party arrived and began brawling with the trio. Curt Stallion arrived to help clear the ring of the heels.

    Drake Maverick put over MSK, but he was certain he and Killian Dain would win the Dusty Classic.

               

    Grade

    C

                

    Analysis

    The series of segments leading up to Balor asking O'Reilly to team with him worked; however, it is ridiculous that NXT thinks fans couldn't believe The Prince could team up with his biggest recent rival. The two have been helping each other just as much as hurting each other for weeks.

    Legado del Fantasma vs. Lucha House Party is a fun rivalry that luckily did not end early. This segment was a time-waster, but it was nice of WWE to acknowledge the No. 1 contender to the NXT Cruiserweight Championship finally. Stallion does not feel like the man to dethrone Escobar yet.

NXT Fight Pit: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher

7 OF 7

    In the pre-match weigh-in, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher almost got into a fight, but William Regal separated them.

    The two men started above the Fight Pit where The Blackheart brutalized the technician early. The two fell off the top into the steel pit below. Thatcher turned the action by targeting the left elbow with suplexes and elbow smashes. The heel smiled as he nearly broke his opponent's fingers.

    It was only with a low blow that Ciampa got back in the fight, hitting the Willow's Bell for a near knockout. The Blackheart planted Thatcher with the Fairytale Ending and then went for a submission, but the heel fought through. He trapped Ciampa's leg in the steel and used a stretcher muffler to force a tapout.

    The two stared at each other with malice and a tinge of respect to end the night.

              

    Result

    Thatcher def. Ciampa by submission.

               

    Grade

    B+

                

    Analysis

    Thatcher needed to win this match, and he did just that. He looked incredible battling through the best that Ciampa could give him. He got creative but never played scared. He went after Ciampa to the point that The Blackheart resorted to more underhanded tactics to stay in the fight.

    This was what it needed to be. It was physical and brutal. The technical side from both men was excellently sold. The lighting made it hard to watch in moments, but ultimately the goal was achieved. Thatcher came out looking like an unstoppable monster in his style of match.

Find more