3/13 NXT TV REPORT: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Moves On, Bianca vs. Shirai #1 Contender Match

NXT TV REPORT
MARCH 13, 2019
TAPED IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
REPORT BY JUSTIN JAMES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Pre-credits video package on the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Voiceover from War Raiders is almost laughably overblown.

I think the last time an NXT Champion felt this woefully incapable of carrying a promo was Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake, and they had Alexa Bliss to lean on.

(1) MOUSTACHE MOUNTAIN (TYLER BATE & TRENT SEVEN) vs. FORGOTTEN SONS (WESLEY BLAKE & STEVE CUTLER w/Jaxson Ryker) – Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-Final Match

Bate and Blake start the match. Bate out-wrestles Blake early on. Cutler tags in and is also out-wrestled. Suplex gets Bate one. Cutler lands an elbow to the back of Bate’s head to give him the advantage and Bate is isolated. Neckbreaker from Blake for two. Bate gets loose and tags Seven. Blind tag to Cutler who chop blocks Seven. Seven gets a two count with a surprise inside cradle. Blake tries a Figure Four but Seven reverses the hold. Blake gets to the ropes and tags Cutler in, who continues the attack. Seven slides down and rolls Cutler up for two. Cutler ducks an enziguri and continues to block Seven from reaching Bate. Clothesline, double tag, and Bate steamrolls Blake. Body drop to Blake sends Blake halfway to the moon. Airplane spin to Cutler, then Bate traps Blake on his shoulders too and spins them both. Bate wants a running shooting star press from the apron to the outside, Blake and Cutler dodge, Bate land son his feet continues the attack, another SSP on the outside to Blake. Bate to the top, corkscrew dive, Cutler breaks the cover up and gets thrown out of the ring. Tag to Seven, they set up a suplex and clothesline, Ryker puts Blake’s foot on the ropes. Bate nails a top-rope dive to Blake and Cutler, tags Seven, Seven sets up a torture rack, Bate gets thrown off the top and gets hit by Ryker. Forgotten Sons hit a team combo for the win.

Winners: The Forgotten Sons at 9:40. As usual, Bate was a true standout, and Seven was a ton of fun too. Forgotten Sons continue to unimpress. They are getting pushed for in excess of their talents.

Backstage with Matt Riddle and Cathy Kelley. Riddle claims he was just there last week to see the title. Adam Cole runs in and tells Riddle to shut his trap and that he will get the title next. Riddle says that Cole is good at talking, compliments Cole, and offers a match. Cole isn’t thrilled.

After a commercial, NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler is shown joining the announcers on commentary. Baszler calls Shirai a “nobody from Japan”. Baszler compliment’s Belair’s strength, but says she has Belair’s number.

(2) IO SHIRAI vs. BIANCI BELAIR – #1 Contender for the NXT Women’s Championship Match

Belair piefaces Shirai a few times. Shirai and Belair are moving fast, and dodging and countering everything. Belair catches a huracarana from the apron attempt, puts Shirai on her shoulder then dumps her into the steps, cover back inside the ring for two. Belair stomps, gets another two count. Shirai slips over a suplex, cover for one. Standing moonsault from Belair nets two. Shirai rolls through a standing chicken wing to hit a stomp, then follows with a 619. Springboard dropkick sends Belair reeling. Shirai with double knees, she wants a springboard moonsault, Belair catches her and puts her in a Tree of Woe and then whips Shirai with her hair. Belair to the top. Shirai meets her there and throws Belair off with a Frankensteiner, then goes up, moonsault, Belair gets knees up and responds with a spear. Baszler leaves the booth and stomps down to the ring, and yanks Shirai out of the ring, then puts Belair in a Kirafuda Clutch until she passes out. Kairi Sane tries to make the save and gets put into a Kirafuda Clutch until Sane passes out. Shirai bludgeons Baszler off Sane, then throws Baszler out of the ring. Shirai checks on Sane, that was a mistake, Baszler puts Shirai in the clutch as well as referee Jessika Carr tries to pull Baszler off. Shirai passes out too.

No Contest at 5:32. Good match. It feels like we are heading to a Fatal Fourway at Takeover: New York.

Recap of the Keith Lee – Domink Dijakovic match from two weeks ago, followed by Dijakovic starting a brawl at the Performance Center last week. They are booked for next week. I am going to assume that match goes to another countout, a disqualification, or some other non-finish.

Outside the arena, Kelley asks Baszler why she attacked everyone else. Baszler says she just proved that no one deserves a title shot. Kelley catches up and tells Baszler that Regal booked a Fatal Fourway in response. Baszler looks angrier than usual.

Ricochet is out next, followed by Aleister Black. Think about this: two former NXT North American Champions, a former NXT Champion, and the current NXT Champion are all going to be in the ring at the same time. A few years ago, dropping the title was an automatic send up, and now champions hang out in NXT months after they lose the title.

(4) RICOCHET & ALEISTER BLACK vs. #DIY (NXT Champion TOMMASIO CIAMPA & JOHNNY GARGANO) – Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-Final Match

Black and Ciampa start with rapid action. Running knee gets right around one. Ricochet tags in. Gargano is in, dropkick to the back of Ricochet’s head gets two. Gargano starts to work Ricochet over, Ricochet and Gargano with some dazzling sequences. Ricochet finally gets the upper hand with a dropkick, but Ciampa saves Gargano from a dive to the outside. Ricochet and Black own the ring and both hit Black’s signature cross legged sit in the ring. Ricochet gets trapped in the #DIY corner. Black finally gets a tag and goes nuts on Gargano. Ciampa enters the ring and both Ciampa and Gargano eats a moonsault, two count on Gargano. Gargano and Black duck and dodge each other all over the ring. Knee counters Gargano’s slingshot spear, brainbuster for two, Ciampa breaks up the cover. Ciampa tags in and hits a knee to Black. They set up the #DIY finisher, knee to Ciampa from Black, Ricochet yanks Gargano out of the way. Ricochet and Gargano brawl outside, Ciampa hits Tower of London on the apron. Slingshot DDT from Gargano gets two, Gargano then puts Black into the Gargano Escape, Ciampa puts Ricochet into an armbar, recalling #DIY vs. The Revival. Ricochet deadlifts Ciampa, Deathvalley Driver into the Gargano – Black pile to break Gargano’s hold. Gargano sells a knee injury. Ciampa gets a tag as Gargano tries to look at his knee outside. Ciampa rolls out of the ring to check Gargano, which lets Black tag Ricochet. Ricochet and Black trade blows. More crazy sequences here. Ciampa and Black, Black Mass, tag to Ricochet, 630 splash, cover and that is it.

WINNERS: Aleister Black & Ricochet at 13:28. Really outstanding work here. I am liking this team of Black and Ricochet, they are so exciting in the ring and both work a wide variety of styles, much like Gargano and Ciampa. Whoever decided to pair these two is a genius.

Post-match, Candice LaRae runs out to check on Gargano. Ciampa gives them some space. He puts the title down on the apron and also checks on Gargano. Gargano indicates that his knee is bad. Ciampa and LaRae pick Gargano up and walk him out, with the NXT Championship remaining on the ring apron. Gargano falls at the top of the ramp, and Ciampa looks furious for a moment. Then he helps Gargano up again, and attacks Gargano. Gargano blocks it, then sends Ciampa into the ‘Tron, indicates he was faking the knee injury, and hits a superkick to Ciampa. The crowd is delighted, and so is LaRae.

FINAL THOUGHTS: What a great way to end the episode and initiate the final stage in this multi-year story. It is a shame that Ciampa’s neck injury means it likely won’t get paid off, or if it does, it will be about a year.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 3/6 NXT TV REPORT: Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Kicks Off with Four Big Matches