WEEKLY OVERVIEW – NXT (thru 3/7): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

By Robert Doherty, PWTorch Contributor

NXT Photo credit Scott Lunn (@ScottLunn)

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

The following is the latest in a new series of weekly in-depth articles exclusive to PWTorch which will help put in perspective major wrestling promotions with a weekly overview, looking at news and roster developments, results, future line-ups, social media activity, key interviews, plus a timely commentary at the end. We will be featuring similar features on other promotions each week and each will be updated weekly.


•Top Stories of the Week

  • On Wednesday, WWE announced that NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa will undergo neck surgery on Thursday March 7. As fist reported by Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Ciampa will be forced to vacate the NXT title and his scheduled NXT Championship match against Johnny Gargano for Wrestlemania weekend is off.
  • The Women’s NXT Championship picture will become a lot clearer after next week. Bianca Belair will take on Io Shirai to determine the number one contender for Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship.
  • The Dusty Rhodes classic will continue next week with two Semifinal matches. Moustache Mountain will take on The Forgotten Sons and Aleister Black and Ricochet will face off against DIY.

•NXT Live Event Results

Feb. 28 Columbus, Ohio

  • Ricochet and Aleister Black beat The Forgotten Sons
  • Punishment Martinez beat Kassius Ohno
  • Candice LeRae and Mia Yim beat Rhea Ripley and Reina Gonzalez
  • Dominick Dijakovic beat Keith Lee
  • The War Raiders beat The Undisputed Era (O’Reilly and Fish) to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
  • The Velveteen Dream beat Roderick Strong to retain the NXT North American Championship
  • Shayna Baszler beat Bianca Belair to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Johnny Gargano beat Adam Cole

(Results courtesy of f4wonline.com)

Feb 28 Tampa, Fla.

  • Raul Mendoza beat Luke Menzies
  • Chelsea Green beat Jessie Elaban
  • Brennan Williams beat Mansoor Al-Shehail
  • Kona Reeves beat Eric Bugenhagen
  • Montez Ford beat Marcel Barthel
  • Babatunde beat Denzel Dejournette
  • Aliyah and Vanessa Borne beat Lacey Lane and Karen Q
  • Matt Riddle beat Riddick Moss

(Results courtesy of fightful.com)

March 1 Pittsburgh, Penn.

  • Johnny Gargano beat Kassius Ohno
  • Bianca Belair and Candice LeRae beat Reina Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley
  • Roderick Strong beat Keith Lee
  • Punishment Martinez beat Donovan Dijakovic
  • Aleister Black and Ricochet beat The Undisputed Era (Fish and O’Reilly)
  • The War Raiders beat The Forgotten Sons to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
  • Shayna Baszler beat Mia Yim to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Velveteen Dream beat Adam Cole to retain the NXT North American Championship

(Results courtesy of fightful.com)

March 1 Casselbury, Fla.

  • Humberto Carrillo beat Luke Menzies
  • Io Shirai and Taynara Conti beat Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir
  • Babatunde beat Kona Reeves
  • Adrian Jaoude and Cezar Bononi beat Mohammed and Denzel
  • Kairi Sane beat Aliyah
  • Riddick Moss beat Stacey Ervin Jr.
  • Chelsea Green beat Deonna Purrazzo
  • Fabian Aichner beat Montez Ford and Danny Burch to earn tag team title shot

(Results courtesy of f4wonline.com)

March 2 Jacksonville, Fla.

  • Montez Ford beat Adrian Jaoude
  • Mansoor Al-Shehail beat Daniel Vidot
  • Eric Bugenhagen air guitar performance
  • Kona Reeves and Vanessa Borne beat Denzel Dejournette and MJ Jenkins
  • Deonna Purrazzo beat Chelsea Green
  • Matt Riddle beat Riddick Moss
  • Kairi Sane beat Marina Shafir
  • Luke Menzies beat Stacey Ervin Jr.
  • Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch beat Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner

(Results courtesy of wrestleyard.com)

March 2 Cleveland, Ohio

  • Aleister Black and Ricochet beat The Forgotten Sons
  • Roderick Strong beat Dominick Dijakovic
  • Mia Yim and Candice LeRae beat Reina Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley
  • Keith Lee beat Kassius Ohno
  • The War Raiders beat The Undisputed Era to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships
  • The Velveteen Dream beat Punishment Martinez to retain the NXT North American Championship
  • Shayna Baszler beat Bianca Belair to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Johnny Gargano beat Adam Cole

(Results courtesy of wrestleyard.com)

March 3 Detroit, Mich.

  • Aleister Black and Ricochet beat The Forgotten Sons
  • Roderick Strong beat Keith Lee
  • Candice LeRae and Bianca Belair beat Reina Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley
  • Dominick Dijakovic beat Punishment Martinez
  • The War Raiders beat The Undisputed Era (O’Reilly and Fish) to retain NXT Tag Team Championships
  • Johnny Gargano beat Kassius Ohno
  • Shayna Baszler beat Mia Yim to retain the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Velveteen Dream beat Adam Cole to retain the NXT North American Championship

(Results courtesy of fightful.com)


•Upcoming Major Show Line-up: NXT TakeOver New York

NXT TakeOver New York
April 5, 2019
Brooklyn, NY (Barclays Center)

Projected Lineup:

  • War Raiders (NXT Tag Team Champion) vs. Winner of Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Tournament
  • Shayna Baszler (NXT Women’s Champion) vs. Winner of Bianca Belair vs. Io Shirai
  • Who knows the rest of the card?!?!?!?!

•Upcoming Events

  • Thursday Mar. 7 – Minnireg Hall (Largo, Fla.)
  • Saturday Mar. 9 – Crystal River Armory (Crystal River, Fla.)
  • Thursday Mar. 14 – St. Petersburg Armory (St. Petersburg, Fla.)
  • Friday Mar. 15 – Venice Community Center (Venice, Fla.)
  • Saturday Mar. 16 – Rerserve Pavillion at Hilton Ocala (Ocala, Fla.)
  • Thursday Mar. 21 – Sanford Civic Center (Sanford, Fla.)
  • Saturday Mar. 23 – Havert L. Fenn Center (Fort Pierce, Fla.)
  • Thursday Mar. 28 – Midtown Cultural and Educational Center (Daytona Beach, Fla.)
  • Friday Mar. 29 – Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center (Gainesville, Fla.)
  • FRIDAY APR. 5 – BARCLAYS CENTER (BROOKLYN, NEW YORK) NXT TAKEOVER BROOKLYN
  • Thursday Apr. 18 – Lakeland Armory (Lakeland, Fla.)

•Latest TV Highlights: 3/6 NXT TV Report

  • Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Preview Video (0:33 – 3:54)
  • (1) Aleister Black and Ricochet beat Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel by pinfall (8:24 – 16:53)
  • Performance Center video of Dijakovic/Lee confrontation (19:44 – 20:38)
  • (2) The Forgotten Sons beat Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch by pinfall (23:01 -31:25)
  • Velveteen promo on top of the announce table (32:54 – 37:10)
    • Interrupted by Matt Riddle (34:48)
  • Io Shirai and Kairi Sane sit down interview (38:19 –
  • (3) Mustache Mountain beat The Street Profits by pinfall (42:08 – 50:46)
  • (4) DIY beat The Undisputed Era (O’Reilly and Fish) by pinfall (57:09 – 1:11:16)

(Check out PWTorch’s NXT TV Report HERE)


•NXT in the media

  • Johnny Gargano sat down with a local news station in his home city of Cleveland, Ohio. Johnny touched on his wrestling beginnings and his rise through the WWE ranks. LINK
  • The E&C Podcast of Awesomeness had two separate interviews with members of the Undisputed Era. First, Roderick Strong talks about living his dream in the WWE and the story behind his “Sh*tty little boots”. Then, Bobby Fish talks about his martial arts background and how that transitioned to success in the wrestling ring. Check out both HERE.

•Latest NXT Podcast – “PWT Talks NXT” PWTorch Livecast

In this episode, Kelly Wells, Harley R. Pageot, and Tom Stoup cover the ill-timed Ciampa injury, the first round of the Dusty Classic, the names that could be on the way to fill the void left by call-ups, plus more.

-On Tune In Radio HERE
-On Apple Podcasts HERE
-Or search “PWTorch” or “Pro Wrestling Torch” on your podcast app of choice


•Top NXT Tweets of the Week

Ciampa Tweet of the Week

*No tweets this week from Tommaso ☹*

Is marijuana on the WWE’s drug test panel? God I hope not…..

It must kill Johnny to watch Ciampa have to get through another devastating injury.

I need more Bugenhagen.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1103480896089292800


•Thoughts and Comments

  • This Ciampa injury sucks. Where does the NXT title scene go from here? Is the Johnny Gargano call-up delayed because of it? So many questions and less than a month to address them.
  • Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle. Yes. Please. If this is the way NXT is going for the North American Championship, then expect Velveteen to dive deeper into his heel side more and more every week.
  • The first week of the Dusty Rhodes Classic gave us four incredible tag matches. It’s too bad there had to be any losers Wednesday night because all eight tag teams impressed.
  • With The Undisputed Era losing in the first round of the Dusty, and Adam Cole kind of directionless at the moment, you have to wonder what is happening. Cole should be contending for the NXT Championship, or move him up and have him battle for the IC title on the main roster. He’s that good, and his NXT run has been wildly disappointing outside of his first NXT North American title reign.
  • Again, this Ciampa injury sucks.

NOW CHECK OUT OTHER WEEKLY OVERVIEWS HERE.

OR JUMP TO LAST WEEK’S WWE OVERVIEW: WEEKLY OVERVIEW – NXT (thru 2/28): Top stories of week, major show lineups, live event results, schedule of live events, noteworthy social media posts, more

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