WWE nXt Results
May 16, 2018
Full Sail University, Orlando, FL
Commentary by Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson
Opening Segment
We open to Johnny Gargano’s entrance music and fans are hyped!
It doesn’t last though because out walks persona non grata, Tommaso Ciampa.
Ciampa’s complaining about losing at Takeover: New Orleans, but he says he’ll always win the war. Gargano’s sitting at home in a neck brace and he put him there. Ciampa says he’s broken Gargano’s heart, mind, spirit and body. Crowd chants “you tapped out” and, walking down the ramp, it’s Candice LeRae.
LeRae grabs Ciampa’s mic and she is unhappy. She says she doesn’t recognize what Ciampa’s become. She doesn’t understand why Ciampa is so obsessed with ruining their lives.
Ciampa pretends to wipe tears from his eyes. LeRae says she’s done trying to figure out what happened to the man who stood besides she and Johnny on their wedding day. Ciampa’s a monster she’ll never forgive. She says he’ll know that Johnny Gargano was better than you.
Ciampa says maybe…but we know that Gargano isn’t half the man that he is. That’s why he sent his cute, precious wife here instead of confronting him face to face. LeRae’s always been more of a man than him.
Ciampa makes fun of the crowd’s chants. He says, on their wedding day, he was thinking how LeRae could possibly be marrying a big…
LeRae slaps him, which cuts him off!
Ciampa rolls out of the ring to compose himself. LeRae leaves, too as the crowd chants at Ciampa.
Second Segment
Singles Match: Lacey Evans vs. Brandi Lauren
Evans laces into Lauren with kicks in the corner. Using the ropes as leverage, she swings up and slams her weight down on to Lauren. Slingshot elbow drop. Evans mounts the turnbuckle, salutes the crowd, and then moonsaults Lauren. Picture perfect.
She grabs Lauren by the hair and nails her in the head with the Woman’s Right (knockout punch). That’s that.
Winner: Lacey Evans via pinfall in 2 minutes
Post-match, Evans is walking back up the ramp and Kairi Sane flies from the backstage area to sucker punch Evans. Sane rolls her into the ring, climbs to the top rope….and Evans rolls out to escape. Sane receives cheers from the crowd as she looks on, wondering what happened with Evans.
One cool point for Evans’ moonsault. Seriously, track down a clip of it on Twitter or YouTube. It was prettier than Charlotte’s. I like the post-match attack by Sane, who’s showing some much needed edge. Finally, I think we’re going to get a meaningful feud that doesn’t involve the championship in the Women’s Division.
Last week, Ricochet opened the show and was confronted by Velveteen Dream. This set up the booking of their match tonight.
Earlier tonight, nXt cameras follow Aleister Black who is pacing outside of the building. Everyone knows the history between he and Dream. If Ricochet wants to call himself the one and only, let’s find out. Once these guys step in the ring with him, they become the target. Black was looking pretty spiffy there with vest and dress pants.
Third Segment
Earlier today, Dakota Kai is being interviewed by a number of reporters. Nikki Cross interrupts, holding up a cell phone that is videoing Kai and she asks when Kai will beat Shayna. With fear comes opportunity. Face the fear! Cross laughs in Kai’s face, then stares her down, and leaves.
Man, Kai is really getting played for a sympathy card.
Singles Match: Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet
Fans are hyped for this match and chants for both wrestlers are being shouted simultaneously.
A little bit of grappling and arm-twisting, accompanied by gyrating, by both wrestlers, kicks off this match. Dream successfully takes down Ricochet, but Ricochet applies a head scissors submission for a spell, until Dream escapes and re-applies the side headlock. It doesn’t last.
Ricochet responds with his own side headlock. Off the ropes, Ricochet shows off his tumbling, using the back of Dream to roll off. Dream shows off the exact same moves and pays for it with a dropkick that sends him to the outside. The two men meet in the centre of the ring after Ricochet shows off with a back handspring off the ropes.
Forearms and stomps in the corner by Dream on Ricochet. The two collide in the opposite corner and, suddenly, the crowd is roaring and it’s unclear why.
Moments later, Lars Sullivan rushes into view and begins laying waste to Dream and Ricochet with powerslams. Crowd boos as Sullivan raises his arms, saying the nXt Championship belongs right here around his waist.
Winner: No Contest
This match was just getting good when Sullivan interfered. One cool point for Dream and Ricochet, and their echoing antics. Each man was able to perfectly replicate the other’s habits and manoeuvres, and it was quite entertaining. A good teaser of a match that would fit in well on a future Takeover.
Fourth Segment
Singles Match: Kona Reeves vs. Raul Mendoza
Reeves is sporting a gold chain with a cursive “K” on it, and a white jacket, with a wide, fur trim on the lapels that reads “The Finest” on the back. He’s significantly taller than Mendoza.
Reeves twists the left arm of Mendoza a number of times, contorting it and wrenching it. They break up. Reeves turns to a strength game, hitting Mendoza with a shoulder takedown. He stomps him down in the corner. From there, vertical suplex. Falling back elbow from the second rope. This one’s all Reeves.
Reeves applies the Million Dollar Dream, which forces Mendoza to sit on the mat. Mendoza struggles in it for a while and then hits Reeves with a jawbreaker. He rallies back with punches…then a step up enziguri! Cross-ring flying forearm. Another kick to the head from the apron by Mendoza.
Reeves retorts with his own counter kick and it lays out Mendoza on the mat. He lifts him up for a Hawaiian drop. 1-2-3.
Winner: Kona Reeves via pinfall in 4 minutes
One cool point for Reeves because this was mostly a showcase of his skills, and he demonstrated a good mix of offense to defeat the luchadore. Ranallo says he’s been just “fine”, winning his last two matches on TV.
Cathy Kelley is backstage, hoping to get a word with Ricochet. Kelley chases him down as he waits for nXt General Manager William Regal to answer his knocking on the door. Velveteen Dream shows up there too and asks what Ricochet was doing.
Ricochet wants Sullivan. Dream says he does too. He opens the door and both men go inside Regal’s office. But Regal didn’t invite them in??
Final Segment
Earlier today, Dozovic and Knight are talking about Mother’s Day. Knight says they don’t drink with cheaters when they happen upon Thorne & Miller in the hallway. Sounds like we might see a fight between these teams next week.
6-Man Tag Match: Pete Dunne (UKc), Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan vs. Undisputed Era
Wrestling for the UE tonight will be Adam Cole (NAc) and Tag Champs Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong.
Dunne and Strong tease fighting one another before tagging in partners Burch and O’Reilly, respectively. Announcers are impressed with the opening exchange between these two. Takedown by Burch into a side headlock on O’Reilly. O’Reilly attempts a head scissors but it’s broken up. Burch beckons O’Reilly to get up. O’Reilly kicks at Burch’s left leg, then grabs it and forces him to hop to the UE corner.
Cole’s tagged in and he tells Burch he’s a joke. Knee to the mid-section, then stomps in the corner on Burch. O’Reilly tags in and continues to isolate Burch. Pinfall attempt.
Strong’s tagged in and he hits Burch with a backbreaker. 1-2- kickout!
Jumping stomp on Burch’s left arm. Strong taunts Dunne on the apron. Burch holds Strong from behind, stumbles backwards towards his home corner and Dunne tags in. He takes it to Strong. He manipulates the fingers of Strong’s right hand while keeping him immobilized on the mat.
Everyone rushes into the ring! Burch and Lorcan also pull fingers on their opponents, along with Dunne! Synchronized pulling!
Cole tags in and stomps Dunne to the mat. O’Reilly tags in and keeps the onslaught going in their home corner. Quick tag to Strong who wraps up Dunne in a submission hold around the neck of Dunne. Backbreaker causes a 2 count and he tags in Cole.
Cole drives his knee into Dunne’s back. Dunne begins to fight back but Cole stops him dead, and tags in O’Reilly. Knee strikes to the ribcage. Strong’s tagged back in. He’s unable to keep Dunne at bay, and this eventually brings in the hot tag to Lorcan.
Lorcan with hard rights and chops on Strong and O’Reilly. Running forearm smashes! Exploder suplex on Strong! Twisting blockbuster on Cole. Lorcan absolutely flies over the top rope to the outside, cannonballing the UE.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Burch is laying out Strong. 1-2- the count is interrupted! Cole’s in there and he gets smacked with a right hand by Cole that sends the North American Champ flying back and rolling out of the ring. O’Reilly goes for a back suplex. Dunne flips over, lands on his feet, and kicks O’Reilly.
Just Strong and Burch left in the ring. Strong with a backbreaker. High knee on Burch in the UE corner. Cole’s tagged in and he hits the Last Shot on Burch. O’Reilly’s next…sick kick to Burch but incredibly, Burch kicks out!
Burch fires back with a hard right to O’Reilly. He spills Cole and Strong over the ropes. O’Reilly’s in and he gets stuck in a crossface. Burch with a single leg crab on Strong. Dunne’s got Cole all wrapped up, too, but Burch can’t hold Strong and he knocks Burch into Cole and Dunne, which breaks all the submission holds. Fans are super into this one.
Dunne suplexes Cole to sit on outside apron, but Dunne suffers a neckbreaker as that happens. Burch and Lorcan are rocking it in the ring after O’Reilly and Strong accidentally hit one another. Lorcan with a flying double blockbuster on both of his opponents, O’Reilly and Strong. He then helps Burch execute a wheelbarrow DDT on O’Reilly. 1-2-3!!
Winners: Dunne, Burch & Lorcan via pinfall in 14 minutes
Two cool points for everyone because this was a chaotic yet enjoyable main event. As expected, Undisputed Era went for quick tags and isolation strategies to try and keep the advantage. The Hard Knock Crew’s offense was exciting, as usual, and featured some of their most notable spots: digit manipulation, blockbusters, and hard striking slaps and forearms.
Lorcan and Burch could turns this momentum into an nXt Tag Title opportunity, and that’d be a fun match to watch.
Looking forward to reading your cool point suggestions and comments on tonight’s nXt show.
Peace!!
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