5 things WWE NXT got right this week: Dolph Ziggler retains; more main roster stars show up
Dolph Ziggler surprised the WWE Universe by winning the NXT Championship last week. The Miz arrived on the show this week to host an episode of Miz TV and celebrate with his friend.
Rey and Dominik Mysterio were the two main roster superstars who showed up on this week’s episode and gave fans an entertaining contest. Meanwhile, Cora Jade stole Toxic Attraction’s championships backstage.
Malcolm Bivens tried to find out who attacked The Creed Brothers on last week’s show. MSK made it clear that they had nothing to do with the act, and Imperium agreed to fight both teams in a Triple Threat Match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver for the tag team championships.
Dexter Lumis returned to the brand and helped his on-screen wife, even the odds against Persia Pirotta and Duke Hudson. It looks like the creative team will book a mixed tag team match between the two sides at TakeOver.
It was an entertaining episode of the show filled with a few surprises. Take a look at the five things WWE got right on Tuesday night’s show.
#5. Santos Escobar won the Ladder Match Qualifier
Cameron Grimes and Santos Escobar competed in the first qualifier for the NXT North American Championship ladder match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams joined the commentary to watch the action unfold.
Legado del Fantasma kept helping their leader with some distractions. Escobar locked in a submission hold and punished the former Million Dollar Champion. Grimes broke out and hit a hurricanrana before wiping him out with a big dive outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Escobar hit a knee strike before Grimes connected with a Superkick. He went for the Cave In, but Escobar countered it and hit the Phantom Driver for the win.
It was one of the more entertaining matches of the night that brought the best out of the two top superstars. Grimes has featured in numerous title matches but has failed to win an active title. Hopefully, he will win a championship soon and get the recognition he deserves.
Meanwhile, Escobar has the skills to put on some great spots during the ladder match at TakeOver. He could even end up stealing the match at TakeOver and surprise everyone with a title win.
#4. A-Kid made an impressive debut against KUSHIDA
NXT UK’s A-Kid made the jump to the big leagues this week. He took on KUSHIDA in his debut match for the brand. It was announced that the winner would face Grayson Waller to qualify for the NXT North American Championship ladder match.
The Japanese Superstar grounded the newcomer early and worked over him for some time. A-Kid countered a series of moves and reversed a crossface into a slam before getting a near fall.
KUSHIDA hit a German Suplex and nearly picked up the win with the Northern Lights. A-Kid hit a beautiful tilt-a-whirl DDT and picked up a massive victory on his debut.
It was a great first match for A-Kid, who needed a top performer to work against. KUSHIDA has been underutilized, and it was good to see him come out and give the newcomer a good rub.
A-Kid will now go up against one of the biggest heels in NXT, Grayson Waller. It will be interesting to see who picks up the win in the contest.
#3. Dominik Mysterio made a statement on his WWE NXT debut
Santos Escobar cut a promo backstage on WWE NXT, calling himself the greatest luchador. Rey Mysterio and Dominik showed up, and the former told Escobar that his son would be the future of Lucha Libre.
The interaction led to a match between Dominik and Raul Mendoza. It was good to see another member of Legado Del Fantasma compete in the ring on NXT.
Dominik gave Mendoza a tough time and kept him on the backfoot. Legado Del Fantasma had to keep distracting the Young Mysterio and the referee to help Mendoza get back in the contest.
Fallon Henley, Josh Briggs, and Brooks Jensen evened the odds. This allowed Dominik to hit a 619 and Frog Splash to pick up his first win on NXT.
It was a star-making performance from Dominik. The match was done well, and it looks like the younger Mysterio could benefit from moving to the brand for some time and competing against stars with various styles.
WWE could look to book a dream match between Santos Escobar and Rey Mysterio down the road.
#2. Tony D’Angelo returned to target Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa showed up on WWE NXT after taking the final pin on last week’s show. He said he was thankful to the company and the fans. However, he was disappointed that he could not be the NXT Champion on WrestleMania weekend, and he had no idea what he would do.
Tony D’Angelo interrupted the veteran and said that he respected The Blackheart. He agreed to fight Ciampa at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver before kneeing him between the legs. He kissed the former NXT Champion on the cheek to bring the segment to an end.
The Blackheart has been the most unique character on the brand for some time now. He worked the crowd and came across as a big babyface. D’Angelo’s rivalry against Pete Dunne was good, and he could have a great match against Ciampa at Stand & Deliver.
Dunne has already moved to the main roster, and Ciampa could do the same after putting D’Angelo over on WrestleMania weekend.
#1. Dolph Ziggler successfully defended his NXT Championship against LA Knight
The Miz hosted an episode of Miz TV on WWE NXT with special guest Dolph Ziggler. The new NXT Champion arrived with Robert Roode by his side. It was revealed that Bron Breakker was sent home to avoid any confrontations.
LA Knight showed up to challenge Ziggler for the title instead. The two men agreed to fight for the title in the show's main event. Ahead of the bout, Gunther confronted Knight for jumping the line and getting a title shot backstage.
The match got going at the end of the show, and Ziggler worked over his opponent’s injured ribs. The Million Dollar Superstar continued to sell his rib injury during the contest after losing to Grayson Waller in a Street Fight last week.
He went for the BFT late in the contest, but The Show-Off countered it. He sent Knight into the turnbuckles and finished him off with a Superkick to retain the title.
Breakker showed up after the match and challenged Ziggler to a rematch for the title at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. The heel accepted the challenge after Breakker laid out Roode with a right hand.
NXT did well to sell Ziggler as a fighting champion by giving him a title defense early in his reign. Knight did well against The Show-Off but could not put away the new champion. Breakker might take the title back at TakeOver on WrestleMania weekend, giving him a huge push to set him up for a main roster move.