Cold open with nXt General Manager William Regal sharing with Cathy Kelley that there will be an official investigation launched to determine who attacked Aleister Black.

Opening Segment: Johnny Failure & The Experience

Johnny Gargano limps out on to the nXt stage with one crutch. No music plays but fans applaud Gargano for his efforts in Brooklyn. Very supportive of him with multiple “Johnny Wrestling” chants.

Gargano acknowledges that the fans have always had his back, but he doesn’t deserve that right now. He’s adamant about that, despite the chants, because he broke a promise. He failed the fans and didn’t fix his mistakes because he is not the nXt Champion.

He says he lost himself in Brooklyn and he’s done a lot of stupid things lately. He doesn’t know what to do anymore or where to go next. In Brooklyn, he became Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa’s in his head and he doesn’t know. He just doesn’t know; he wants Ciampa out of his head. He’s got to be better for the Johnny Wrestling fans.

Cue GM Regal’s music. Regal makes his way to the ring for this so it’s not the usual match announcement.
Regal asks Gargano if he attacked Aleister Black. Gargano says you tell me. Regal asks again. Gargano asks Regal to look into his eyes and he’ll know the answer.

Cue Velveteen Dream’s music. He saunters out to the stage to huge “Velveteen” chants.

Dream is sick and disgusted with Gargano singing the same old song…woe..is..Johnny. This shouldn’t be about him or a man who isn’t in the building. It should be about the Experience: the Experience that stole Brooklyn, the Experience that had the world buzzing, and it should be about the Velveteen Dream!

Dream calls Gargano “Johnny Failure”. Gargano knocks the mic against his head a few times and says, he might have this crutch, but he’s good to go tonight. He throws the crutch at Dream who had made his way to the ring apron. Regal tells Gargano to stop and for Dream to go to his office. They can fight next week.

One cool point for everyone involved here. I’m curious why Gargano was so ominous in giving his response to Regal about the Aleister Black hit. He’s still a prime suspect. Dream oozes charisma with every word he says and every gesture he makes. He’s pulling for a top spot on the card.

Undisputed Era can be seen talking backstage about their match later tonight. Kyle O’Reilly practices his guitar playing on his Tag Team Title, continuing his entertaining shenanigans.

Second Segment: Dakota Kai vs. Aliyah

Strong grapple to start, but it’s Aliyah who overcomes Kai and gets her in a side headlock on the mat. Kai escapes and hits Aliyah with a dropkick, then a running knee. 1 count.

Aliyah evades a dropkick and drops all of her weight on Kai, slamming her legs down on her back. This leads to a 2 count. Kai fights back with punches to the torso, but Aliyah whips her to the turnbuckle. Back elbow!

Lou Thesz press by Aliyah, punches and another 2 count. Leg scissors immobilizes Kai in the centre of the ring for a half minute or so. Kai crawls to her knees, but Aliyah rolls through and cinches in the submission. Kai crawls to her knees again. Aliyah piggybacks on to her shoulders. Kai counters it, nailing Aliyah with consecutive standing and running kicks to the neck and face. 1-2- no!

Both women run the ropes. Aliyah with a takedown, swinging Kai’s head by the hair to the mat. She continues pulling at Kai’s hair, then stops to gloat. Kai seizes that pause, runs the ropes, jumps up, flips over Aliyah and hits the double knee backbreaker. That’s the Kai-Ropractor! It’s over.

Winner: Dakota Kai via pinfall in 5 minutes

One cool point for both girls. I think that was Aliyah’s best outing so far. She had attitude, few awkward spots, and effectively led on offense for most of that match. Kai got an important win as she looks to re-establish herself as a top contender for the Women’s Championship. A match against Evans or Belair, even Cross, would surely help, too.

GM Regal sits in his office, with his assistant, and he has just finished questioning Velveteen Dream. Dream walks out, claiming it was a waste of time. They call the next people in. They are Steve Cutler, Wesley Blake and Jaxson Ryker: The Forgotten Sons. Cutler mutters how it seems like Regal finally noticed them. They wanted this face-to-face to get an opportunity. Blake says they didn’t have anything to do with Aleister Black because they were on their way to Regal’s office. They wouldn’t have had the time to lay him out.

Regal says next week, they’ll get that opportunity in a tag match.

Third Segment: EC3 Attacked + Nikki’s Got A Secret

Backstage, there’s been an altercation in a narrow hallway where equipment is stored. Referees run towards a fallen EC3, and, in the background, walking through the doorway, is Lars Sullivan! It seems like Sullivan just attacked EC3. Perhaps a hint that EC3 was on the right track with his presumptions about Sullivan having something to do with the attack on Black.

Fade back to GM Regal’s office. Nikki Cross is spinning around on her chair. Regal pleads with Cross to share what she saw on the rooftop. Cross says it was beautiful what she saw. Now she hears a phone ringing. She asks if she can answer the phone. She picks it up and talks to no one, then starts singing that she knows a secret and lies down on his desk.

In comes Bianca Belair, who can hear Cross being ridiculous, and is tired of waiting for her meeting. Cross touches Belair’s long braid. Belair yells at her not to touch the hair. Belair tells Regal she’s healthy and ready for a title shot, above everyone else.

Cross wants to play too. Belair is exasperated with Cross and tells Regal to let her know when he’s done with this meeting.

Lars Sullivan Beats Up Raul Mendoza

Well, with EC3 laid out, here comes Lars Sullivan with a mic. Unlike the Aleister Black situation, there’s no question about who took out EC3, he did it. He’s pissed about what EC3 said a few weeks ago. As for Mendoza, he’s standing in Lars Sullivan territory.

Sullivan brings the headbutts and right hands to Mendoza, just mauling him. Throw power slam. He picks Mendoza up for the FREAK ACCIDENT. This match doesn’t even start. Just a good ol’ fashioned beatdown.

Winner: Lars Sullivan via pinfall in 5 minutes

One cool point for Sullivan’s return. That’s his first appearance in the ring since Takeover: Chicago. Ranallo remarked how he had a motive to attack Black because Black broke his jaw. Can’t dispute that. Sullivan’s work here was effective in reminding us of the big hoss he is and now I’m curious to see him feud with EC3. If so, EC3 might be due to lose again.

Somewhere, in a darkened space backstage, nXt Champion Tommaso Ciampa sets up a camera and sits down in front of it with the belt over his shoulder. Before he left for his knee surgery over a year ago, he made a promise to be the most dangerous S.O.B. nXt has ever seen. He ended the Gargano fairytale and captured the most prized possession in sports entertainment, the nXt title. He is the greatest sports-entertainer of all-time and this title is his proof.
Ciampa is the main event and he’s going to create a home there. No one will survive what’s coming next. He kisses the title and turns off the video.

Fourth Segment: Keith Lee vs. Luke Menzies

#Limitless, personified.

@luke_menz88 is learning what it means to #BaskInTheGlory of @RealKeithLee! #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/DeAoYVDl7v

— WWE (@WWE) August 30, 2018

Former professional rugby player Luke Menzies makes his nXt debut tonight. Big guy, but not as big as Lee. He was trained by Marty Jones.

Lee enjoys the chants for him to start the match, smiling and nodding his head.

Uppercuts from Menzies to start. Off the ropes…holy crap! Hurricanrana by Lee! Menzies runs at him and Lee holds up his hand for him to stop. Menzies ignores it, continuing with the uppercuts. Lee with body shots and a left hand haymaker, which sends Menzies to his knees.

Still, Menzies is back up and keeps throwing punches. He follows Lee around the ring, continuing to strike Lee, but that seems to be all he’s got, although Ranallo says he’s impressed folks around the WWE Performance Center.
Off the ropes, Lee tackles Menzies, sending him flying to the mat. Body avalanche in the corner. Two hand slap to the chest! Ranallo says it’s called “Grizzly Magnum”.

Throw to the shoulders and it’s the SPIRIT BOMB (Sitout powerbomb). 1-2-3!

Winner Keith Lee via pinfall in 3 minutes

Two cool points for Lee and the nXt commentators say it best. A man Keith Lee’s size should not be able to do what he does. The man runs the ring extremely well for his size and the combination of athleticism and power he portrays is unique. This was a much better outing than his first TV match.

A promo for Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan’s tag work is shown. They will return to Full Sail in two weeks.

Final Segment: Ricochet (NAc) & Pete Dunne (UKc) vs. Undisputed Era

Adam Cole and Roderick Strong will fight on behalf of the Undisputed Era in this match. Bobby Fish is not at ringside.

Highlights of the match include:
Stiff clothesline after a series of rope running by Dunne on Cole, following by a little digit manipulation. This brings in Ricochet but Cole doesn’t want anything to do with him, tagging in Strong.

Ricochet with his trademark tumbling head-scissors, dropkick combo on Strong, and the fans love it, chanting his name.

Strong halts that progress long enough to tag in Cole. Jumping neckbreaker on Strong by Ricochet! Cole’s got nowhere to go and the two begin trading shots.

Ricochet’s punches are on point. Nasty backbreaker by Strong, who tagged Cole’s back on the ring apron, unknown to Ricochet.

Strong taunts Dunne and continues pounding down on Ricochet in the UEra corner.
McGuinness calls the Undisputed Era an “army of harmony”, when agreeing with Watson on how each member is interchangeable in a tag match.

Gutbuster/Double Axe Handle double team move by Strong and Cole on Ricochet gets a 2 count.
Beauty dropkick by Strong when Ricochet was fighting out of the chicken wing submission. Cole’s tagged in and he continues the submission attack on Ricochet.

Dunne gets the hot tag and he’s full of energy. Huge back body drop on Strong who also tagged in. Step up enziguri in the corner. Stays on his feet after a belly to back suplex attempt by Strong. Dunne with the X-Plex on Cole, who lands on his partner. Cover for a 2 count.

Ricochet with a twisting suplex on Cole to send him out of the ring. Meanwhile, Dunne’s having his way with Strong. Sitout powerbomb for 1-2-…Cole interrupts the count.

Dunne catches a superkick attempt by Cole. Flying shoulder tackle by Ricochet!

Moonsault splits Cole and Strong on the outside! Ricochet’s in the ring and he takes off, accidentally hitting Dunne with a flying lariat, when Cole pulled Strong out of the way. That leads to the Last Shot and a Cole pinfall on Ricochet.

Winners: Undisputed Era via pinfall in 10 minutes

Post-match, Strong retrieves Ricochet from the floor and brings him into the ring where he’s beaten down by all 3 Undisputed Era members. Suddenly, War Raiders’ music hits and here they come, scaring the Undisputed Era out of the ring. Cole blows them a kiss as they walk backwards up the ramp, showing their UEra hand gesture.

Two cool points for what was a fairly exciting tag match, and it appears to have furthered the feud that will eventually manifest into the second nXt WarGames match. The fact that it got a main event match tonight signifies nXt trusts these guys to carry a show. Dunne and Ricochet excited the audience with their high-impact offense. Cole got his revenge on Ricochet, and Strong was the aggressive, consistently good wrestler he usually is. Good chemistry developing between these guys, and with the War Raiders threatening at every turn, there’s a lot to like.

Share your cool point suggestions and comments on tonight’s show. The “whodunit” is allowing for many wrestlers to get camera time, which is leading to matches. It’s a fantastic platform for the roster to be seen and heard. Looking forward to more of that next week.
Peace!!
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