Top 3 NXT performers of the week (22nd August 2018)
After another knockout Takeover: Brooklyn, NXT returned to regularly scheduled programming. While many of the heavy hitters that featured on the Takeover card were given a pass this week, there was still plenty of good wrestling. As traditional with NXT episodes following Takeover shows, most of the show replayed and dissected the events of Takeover, as opposed to new matches and storylines.
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This weeks episode opened with the EST of NXT, Bianca Belair against Deonna Purrazzo. Belair continued her dominant ways and shapes up as a future contender for Kairi Sane's title. She was previously positioned as the No. 1 contender but was withdrawn from the fatal 4 way due to an injury.
The Undisputed Era's Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong then found Richochet in the corridor and a fight between the pair with Pete Dunne standing up for the newly crowned North American champion for next week's NXT.
More clips on Aleister Black's surfaced suggesting that Nikki Cross saw what happened in the attack as the "whodunit" mystery continued.
Finally, a stellar main event between Pete Dunne and Zack Gibson for the WWE UK Championship capped off the episode, which Dunne won with the Bitter End.
A look at the standings so far show the table as follows:
#1 Tommaso Ciampa - 3 points
#2 Johnny Gargano - 3 points
#3 Tyler Bate - 3 Points
#4 Aleister Black - 2 points
#5 Shayna Baszler - 2 points
#6 Kairi Sane
#7 EC3 - 1 point
#8 Keith Lee - 1 point
#9 Roderick Strong
#3 Bianca Belair
After a short break due to injury, unsure if storyline or actual, the "est" of NXT came back to in-ring action against Deonna Purazzo, one of the women set to compete in the second Mae Young Classic. Belair dominated the match, picking up the victory with a Sit Out Burning Hammer.
Prior to the injury, Belair was on a hot streak with lots of momentum behind her. She was originally positioned in the spot of the number one contender, and it looks like she's set to reclaim that position since returning from injury.