WWE nXt Results
March 7, 2018
Center Stage Theatre, Atlanta, GA
Commentary by Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson
Opening Segment
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First Round Match: Authors of Pain w. Paul Ellering vs. TM61
Rezar and Shane Thorne, wearing the black and red trunks, begin this match. Quick tag to Akam for a double-team beatdown in the corner. Thorne fights back a few moments later, retreats to his corner for a tag to his partner. Standing moonsault/fist drop combo Miller and Thorne.
On the outside, both Authors of Pain unite but only to receive a flying somersault plancha from Thorne. Akam gets rolled in for a 2 count pinfall by Thorne. Now it’s Miller but he’s not getting anywhere. Akam tags in Rezar who clobbers Miller with forearms and hammers to the head and upper chest. Rezar chokes Miller on the ropes as…
We go to commercial break.
On the return, Rezar whips Miller into the ropes and tackles him to the mat. Tag to Akam. From the second rope, Akam drops a big boot on Miller. 1-2- kickout. Miller’s got some energy left as he kicks out quite energetically. Akam immobilizes Miller with a headlock, but Miller does have his left arm free. He battles to his feet, elbows his way out of submission and hits Akam with a DDT! No pinfall attempt though.
Miller reaches for Thorne’s hand. Rezar’s in too. Big clothesline by Thorne. Dropkick to follow up and a running leg lariat in the corner on Rezar. Cannonball! It’s all Thorne here. He goes for a suplex. Rezar counters. Thorne nails Rezar with the forearm and then lifts Rezar for a 180 twirling suplex. Must be a name for that.
Rezar finds retribution with a big blast of a kick to the face of Miller. Akam’s tagged in for a double-team powerbomb-like manoeuvre. Thorne rushes in to help out. It looks like TM61 might receive a Super Collider but they free themselves. Rezar gets tossed out of the ring.
Miller to the top rope…MOONSAULT! 1-2-…NO! The pinfall is broken by Rezar. Thorne starts to beat up on Rezar until he gets powerbombed ON TO THE FREAKIN’ APRON OVER THE ROPES!
Meanwhile, Akam chucks Thorne into the turnbuckle, tags in Rezar for their Russian leg sweep/clothesline double-team combo. 1-2-3. AOP win and advance to the Semi-Finals.
Winner: Authors of Pain via pinfall in 10 minutes
One cool point for Rezar’s apron powerbomb on Miller. Crowd popped big time for that one and so did the announce team. Dangerous stuff there. One cool point for AOP’s big victory, reprising their victory over TM61 from 2016. Tough break for Thorne and Miller, but they’re just getting back into the swing of things.
nXt General Manager William Regal is asked backstage who he thinks might win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. He starts naming names and then says he won’t put pressure on any one.
Walking down the ramp is UK Champion Pete Dunne. He says the title is not going anywhere. Roderick Strong confronts him, congratulates him on the victory, and then says he’d like another match.
Undisputed Era shows up and Cole gets in Dunne’s face. GM Regal asks if there’s a problem and Cole says no.
Up Next: Bianca Belair is in action.
Second Segment
SAnitY can be seen in a somewhat unfinished, abandoned basement. The chaos will continue. Each member shares a similar sentiment on the chaos they will exact on nXt. Killian Dain says tonight, chaos will win.
Singles Match: Bianca Belair vs. Drew Renee
Belair grabs Renee by the hair and then hits her with a vertical suplex, followed by a second, rolling through for a front face suplex. She taunts her opponent….ALLEYOOP!
Pinfall for the very, very easy victory.
Winner: Bianca Belair via pinfall in 1.5 minutes
No cool points. I get that Belair is gaining momentum with these easy victories, but that’s about all I can say.
Last week, Lacey Evans is interviewed about her upcoming match with Dakota Kai. Evans says Kai is still shaking from her run-in with Shayna Baszler. Evans fully intends to check how much that arm of Kai’s has healed.
Baszler enters the screen. Another week, and no word from Ember Moon, she says. Normally, a fighting champion answers. All she’s gotten is silence. I guess she knows her answer.
Coming Up: Aleister Black vs. Killian Dain, touted as a #1 Contender’s match of sorts
Third Segment
Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic are in the weight room, and they are PUMPED for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Back to ringside, and Tommaso Ciampa saunters out on to the stage, dragging his single crutch behind him. Fans are booing him mercilessly. Mauro doesn’t even want to mention his name.
Ciampa takes his time getting to the ring and then into it. Fans are chanting “We Want Johnny”. Cameras catch a fan dressed as Mankind, and a fan dressed as Sting, with pretty incredible face makeup.
Fans continue to boo and Ciampa starts to look irritated. He examines his crutch and lifts the microphone, again receiving heavy boos and jeers. “You Suck” chant takes off, and not the endearing “Kurt Angle” kind.
Ciampa chucks the microphone down and looks like he’s going to leave. He retrieves it again, re-enters the ring…but then chucks the mic again. He stares out at all the fans, from the top of the steel steps. A “Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye” chant begins. This is followed by a “Delete” chant. Ciampa just saunters around the ring until he snaps, grabbing a fan’s Johnny Wrestling sign. He rips it up as the fans continue to jeer. He throws the sign in the ring, gets his crutch and wails on the sign, more of a symbolic gesture than a destructive one.
Ciampa walks up to the stage, surveys the scene and stretches out his arms to receive the boos one final time.
Final Segment
Next Week: UK Championship on the line: Pete Dunne (c) vs. Adam Cole, and two Dusty Classic 1st Round matches: SAnitY vs. Sabbatelli/Moss and Street Profits vs. Heavy Machinery
Singles Match: Aleister Black vs. Killian Dain (SAnitY)
Early pinfall by Dain, exploding out of the corner to catch Black off guard. Body avalanche into one corner by Dain, Black evades the second attempt. He begins his striking combination of kicks and punches, which successfully forces Dain to the outside. Black follows it up with a top rope splash to knock Dain to the ground.
Commercial Break
On the return, Black is moved from the corner and receives a running sideways splash. Ouch. 1-2- kickout. Ribcage is receiving a lot of damage. Black is positioned in the ropes and Dain attacks again. Lateral press for a 2 count.
Abdominal stretch/headlock by Dain, putting pressure on the ribs of Black and his arm. Black’s allowed to get up only to get knocked down again #Tubthumping
Another pinfall attempt only gets to 2. Splash on the ribcage by Dain. 1-2- kickout!
Yet another splash by Dain, this one to the back of Black, but it’s still not enough to get the victory. Submission applied. Side headlock. Black’s getting no offense in at all, but he counters out of a suplex attempt…he’s trying to get some kicks in now. Nothing’s taking Dain down, not even running back elbows. Black trips Dain and nails him in the face with a swift front kick. Kinrada off the ropes! 1-2- Dain kicks out.
McGuinness mentions that Black’s a step slower due to the rib injuries sustained thus far. Dain throws Black through the ropes to the apron. Black ascends the turnbuckle and gets caught with a clothesline by Dain. 1-2- kickout again.
Dain hits himself in the head a few times, seething and shouting at Black. He lifts Black by the chin and yells, “My time!” Black responds with a kick, enziguri, goes for a sunset flip, Dain counters with a spinebuster but he somersaulted with it to apply extra weight to the move. Wow. Senton! Dain’s up on the second rope…VADER BOMB! 1-2- Black kicks out! Where did he find the energy for that?
Dain’s shaking his head. He lifts Black up into the electric chair. Black rolls down for a pinfall attempt. Dain kicks out and gets up RIGHT INTO BLACK MASS! It’s over!
Winner: Aleister Black via pinfall in 12 minutes
One cool point for both Black and Dain, and an extra cool point for Black who continues his undefeated streak in singles matches. I think that was the only way Black could hope to win, catching Dain off guard with Black Mass. He sustained a lot of damage to get there though. Dain dominated that match with a variety of strikes, power moves, flying manoeuvres and submissions.
It’s a great outcome for both guys. Dain looks strong in the loss and Black gets the win and the well-deserved opportunity to challenge nXt Champion Andrade “Cien” Almas. I hope that match gets booked for Takeover: New Orleans but there’s still a month to go. nXt feuds sometimes only get a few weeks lead time.
What do the readers think? Will it be Black vs. Almas?
Looking forward to reading your cool point suggestions and comments on tonight’s nXt show. For some of the best creative writing about wrestling on the net, check out the LOP Columns Forum . Read, comment and join in on the writing yourself.
Peace!!