COOL POINTS: Dusty Classic 2020 Finals & Deciding a Men’s #1 Contender
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Welcome to the Cool Points. After an entertaining weekend of special events in WWE, Worlds Collide & Royal Rumble, nXt is back at Full Sail with important matches to set the stage for TakeOver: Portland. A number of nXt stars increased their profile by having starring roles in the Men’s and Women’s Rumbles. Imperium and the Undisputed Era had their first official tag match, which did not disappoint. So, who can follow up on their momentum? Let’s find out.
nXt Men’s Division
Dominik Dijakovic vs. Damian Priest
The Set-Up
Dijakovic and Lee have been fighting with or alongside one another, on and off, for the past year. Priest was recently added to the mix when he had a spot in the #1 Contender’s match for the North American Championship.
Tonight, they interrupted North American Champion Keith Lee’s first TV promo as the champion. Lee acknowledged that they both wanted a title shot but left them to their own devices to resolve it. GM Regal booked the match and here we are.
The Match Result
Dijakovic defeats Priest by blocking the Reckoning finisher move and hitting Priest with a Feast Your Eyes, from a torture rack set-up.
Cool Points Clincher
1 cool point for Dijakovic. To see his feud with Lee renewed, and with a title in the mix, is a great call. They have fine chemistry with each other and it’s an appropriate direction for Dijakovic who starred in WarGames this past November. He’s earned a higher mid-card role, so let’s see what he can do with another TakeOver match, I say.
Priest gets a cool point, too. Glad they slowed down on his push for the moment. I haven’t found his character very engaging yet, but keep giving him matches and promo time, and let’s see what he can do with it.
Other Men’s Division Results
Finn Balor def. Trent Seven.
Balor had a chip on his shoulder during this statement match. When Bate and Seven defended Gargano during Balor’s backstage attack at Worlds Collide, Balor didn’t forget, and attacked Seven in the FSU parking lot last night.
Seven holds nothing back in his efforts to win, nailing a suicide dive by the barrier. Balor takes advantage of a top-rope climb by Seven to knock him down and then hit him with a Coup de Grace/1916 DDT combo.
Tommaso Ciampa signs the contract to face Adam Cole for the nXt Men’s Championship at TakeOver: Portland. He signs it after planting Cole with a powerbomb into a table, inside the wrestling ring. He signs it after beating up O’Reilly, Fish & Strong in the backstage area. He signs it after reminding the crowd he never lost “Goldie” and it’s only right he come back for it. Great segment.
nXt Women’s Division
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai
The Set-Up
At TakeOver: WarGames, Team Kick was aligned with Rhea Ripley and Candice LeRae. When Kai’s turn to enter arrived, she attacked her friend, preventing her from competing int the match.
Since then, the two have brawled on and off, including at the Royal Rumble on Sunday. It’s time for a grudge match!
The Match Result
After brawling around the arena for a bit, they return to ringside. There, Candice LeRae runs down to take a chair from Kai’s arms. As the referee is resolving that, Kai enters the ring and rushes Nox, only to receive a knee brace to the face. One Shiniest Wizard later, and Nox gets her win over Kai. Sweet emotion, sweet revenge.
Cool Points Clincher
1 cool point for Nox. She gets the victory, with an assist from a real friend in LeRae. After all the fighting between her and Kai, is this the end of the conflict, or will Kai keep coming after Nox? That’s the question I’m left with after this rather short TV match.
Other Women’s Division Results
Shotzi Blackheart def. Deonna Purrazzo by pinfall.
Blackheart fared better this week against a sparingly used star on nXt TV. Clearly, nXt holds her in high esteem, giving her a Royal Rumble spot. Cue the push. We’re going to see a lot of her and her mini-tank on TV this year.
Kayden Carter def. Chelsea Green w. Robert Stone
Green walks out of this one with the rare debut loss. I believe this is Carter’s first TV win, after a number of outings against top ranking women in the division. So, good on her, but it does set up some questions for Green. Can she live up to the hype? Will she correct the mistake of gloating next time out? What can Stone do to help?
2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final
The Broserweights (Riddle/Dunne) vs. the Grizzled Young Veterans (Drake/Gibson)
The Set-Up
Riddle & Dunne defeated Andrews & Flash Webster, and Imperium from nXt UK to get to the finals. They’ve established excellent chemistry, gaining the nickname of “The Broserweights”, and will likely be the Full Sail favourites.
Grizzled Young Veterans, Drake & Gibson, defeated Kushida & Alex Shelley, and Undisputed Era to get to the finals.
The winners tonight get the big trophy, year-long bragging rights and an nXt Tag Team Championship title shot at TakeOver: Portland.
The Match Result
After a heavy final few minutes of double team manoeuvres, consisting of top-rope flying and powerful strikes and kicks, Riddle & Dunne scored the pinfall to win the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament.
Cool Points Clincher
2 cool points for both teams. For a 3 week tournament, this wrapped up quite nicely, providing a feature spot to two of the most popular stars of nXt, Riddle & Dunne. Ragging on them for not being a proper tag team? Fair enough, but Riddle & Dunne were easily the most exciting team to watch, and they proved it again tonight against a top team from nXt UK. It was like a Worlds Collide final, really.
Now Riddle & Dunne, aka the Broserweights, get to wrestle O’Reilly & Fish to try and continue the trend of toppling nXt’s golden faction. I’m undecided, at this point, about who will win. Assuredly, it will be a TakeOver-quality matchup, and, likely, get the nod as opening match.
IN CLOSING
Another Dusty Classic in the books, and two more matches booked for TakeOver: Portland. Ciampa takes out the Undisputed Era, reminds Adam Cole who Goldie’s Daddy is, and powerbombs the nXt Champion through a table. Dominik Dijakovic gains a title shot of his own, a North American Championship one, when he defeated Damian Priest tonight. Nox and Kai finally lock horns, with the former exercising some sweet revenge with the knee brace to get the win.
Lots to like in this action-packed, post-Rumble episode. What’s your take? Something to share on those matches and events? Drop your cool points in the comments section or send me a tweet, and let’s talk nXt.
Have a great week!
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Related Columns: nXt Cool Points- January 22, 2020 (Lee vs. Strong)
nXt Cool Points- January 15, 2020 (Women’s #1 Contender’s Battle Royal)
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