WWE NXT Results, video highlights, and analysis - 20 February 2019
Tonight's episode of NXT featured some top tier talent in action, including a fantastic opener between former NXT Champion Aleister Black and Roderick Strong.
Tonight, Velveteen Dream cashed in on his opportunity he earned at the Worlds Collide Tournament. Outlasting the best competition that NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live had to offer, the Vainglorious One earned a shot at any NXT championship of his choosing. A few weeks ago, he revealed that he would look to dethrone the recently crowned NXT North American Champion, Johnny Gargano.
Aleister Black vs Roderick Strong
Strong wrestled Black down to the mat early, but the Dutch Destroyer wouldn't be on his back for long. Quickly getting back to his feet, he rocked Strong with a kicking/knee combination, followed by a spinning back elbow and a bridging German suplex. Strong kicked out at two.
Strong sent Black outside and sent him crashing into the ramp with a wrecking ball dropkick. The Messiah of the Backbreaker then dropped Black spine first across the steel steps. Back inside, another backbreaker left Black in anguish. Strong locked him down with a front headlock, attempting to prevent his opponent from throwing any more of his deadly strikes.
Black fought back to his feet, bringing Strong into the corner for an elbow. Strong recovered quickly, however, and whipped him across the ring, following up with a baseball slide to the face. He continued to work his opponents back, driving him into the apron on the outside.
Strong took Black up top for a superplex. Black escaped and picked him up in the powerbomb position, but his back wouldn't allow him to hold Strong, allowing the Undisputed Era's representative to connect with another backbreaker. Black eventually began to build momentum after countering the End of Heartache, delivering some monstrous kicks to Strong's jaw.
After a stiff roundhouse, Strong was dropped with a brainbuster but kicked out at two. Strong avoided the Black Mass and brought Black down with the fireman's carry gutbuster. Black rebounded, sending Strong outside with a high knee. Black went up top, but Strong prevented it, dragging him down and sending him into the turnbuckle spine first. Back inside, Black kicked out.
Black fought away from a Boston crab, but Strong sent him throat first into the ropes. A back suplex facebuster set Black up for the End of Heartache, but Black escaped once again, putting Strong away with the Black Mass.
Results: Aleister Black defeated Roderick Strong via pinfall.
After the match Undisputed Era ran down to beat down Black. Black fought off O'Reilly but Fish and Cole were too much for him. Luckily for the former champion, Ricochet made the save, and the two managed to send Undisputed Era back up the ramp.
In footage from last week, the Three Horsewomen were talking trash to the rest of the women's locker room. Many of them refused to back down, however, including Mia Yim, who was set for action tonight when she took on Xia Li.