NXT Television Report Card - July 25, 2018
The first episode of the most recent NXT television tapings aired last night. For the first time since May 23, 2013, the NXT Championship changed hands on a regular edition of NXT at Full Sail Arena when Tommaso Ciampa defeated Aleister Black.
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It was over five years ago when Bo Dallas defeated Big E for the title to become the third ever NXT Champion. Seth Rollins was the first ever NXT Champion when he defeated Jinder Mahal in the championship tournament in July of 2012.
Much like SummerSlam, NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is a major night for the brand. This will be the fourth year in a row that Takeover will be at the Barclays Center, and the next few weeks of NXT television will shape that card.
While Shayna Baszler v. Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship is the only thing set in stone, for now, we have a good idea on most of the card after this week's episode.
As always on my report card articles, the best grade a match or segment can earn is an A+, with an F being the worst grade one can earn. Also on the final slide, I will include my overall grade for last night's show.
This week, we kick things off with the Panama City Playboy, BAY-BAY!
#4 - Adam Cole and The Undisputed Era get more than they bargained for
The evening kicked off with NXT North American Champion Adam Cole taking on former Cruiserweight Classic competitor Sean Maluta. You may remember that Maluta was the one who faced Kota Ibushi in the first round.
Cole made quick work of Maluta, but the greatness of the opening segment is what happened after. Cole got on the mic to brag about how great of a champion he is when Ricochet's music hit.
The NXT Universe went nuts at Full Sail because they just realized that we are probably getting Adam Cole v. Ricochet for the NXT North American Championship at Takeover.
Cole backed away from Ricochet's challenge saying he wasn't worthy, and the rest of The Undisputed Era came to his side only for the War Raiders to come out and stare the Era down. The Era tried to escape through the crowd only to get cut off by Moustache Mountain.
Looks like we might get a triple threat for the NXT Tag Team Championships too! Great opening segment.
GRADE: A