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NXT ON USA TV REPORT
JANUARY 27, 2021
ORLANDO, FLA., AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
REPORT BY MATT HUSTWAITE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Announcers: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett
[HOUR ONE]
– Highlights of the Fight Pit match and other happenings on last week’s edition aired before the show went to the arena where Drake Maverick and Killian Dain were already in the ring ahead of their match.
(1) DRAKE MAVERICK & KILLIAN DAIN vs. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) – Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match
The match started with a chain wrestling sequence, with Maverick coming out on top. Lee was able to get Maverick into MSK’s corner following an Irish Whip and MSK made frequent tags in-and-out to isolate Maverick with tandem offense and a pair of springboard sentons. Both Carter and Lee made pin attempts but Maverick managed to kick out. Maverick made the tag to Dain who used Maverick as a weapon by shoving him into MSK. Dain ran wild on both members of MSK and hit a senton on Carter. Maverick tagged back in and was picked up by Dain who bodyslammed him on to Carter for a two-count. Dain tagged back in and delivered stereo kicks with Maverick. Dain covered Carter but the pin attempt was broken up by Lee. MSK double-teamed Dain with firey roundhouse kicks. Lee took to the top rope but was shoved down by Dain as the show went to a picture-in-picture commercial. [c]
Back from commercial, Dain was still in control and had isolated Lee in the corner. Dain hit a senton and Maverick tagged in to make the cover, but could only manage a two-count. Lee tried to make the tag but Maverick applied a front chancery to stop Lee from making it to his corner. Lee sent Maverick flying with a backdrop and made the hot tag to Carter, who unloaded on Maverick with a series of kicks. Carter sent Dain to the floor with a dropkick. Lee tagged back in and MSK hit their signature Hot Fire Flame. Lee covered Maverick but the pin was broken up by Dain. Carter came flying off the top rope with a moonsault to neutralize Dain. Maverick tried a quick roll-up but Lee kicked out. Carter returned to the ring and MSK hit a Hart Attack inspired Blockbuster move for the victory.
WINNERS: MSK at 11:05
– The LED screens in the arena lit up with graphics showing that MSK would face the winner of the Legado del Fantasma vs. Lucha House Party match.
– Pete Dunne, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan were shown arriving at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
– A hype video promoting the upcoming Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Aliyah & Jessi Kamea match in the women’s ‘Dusty Classic’ tournament. [c]
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: A good way to start the show with the right balance of “sports entertainment” and quality wrestling. The amazingly entertaining duo of Maverick & Dain and their story has lost a bit of steam over the last few weeks, and while I would’ve liked to seem them progress further in the tournament as a means to develop their story, MSK was absolutely the right team to get the win here.)
– McKenzie Mitchell conducted a sit-down interview backstage with Curt Stallion. Stallion talked about his background and working his way up through the independent scene. He shared a story of when he saw a shooting star and said that inspired him to be a lone star. Stallion said that he has a rocket strapped to him and that he will now become a superstar.
(2) ALIYAH & JESSIE KAMEA (w/Robert Stone) vs. RAQUEL GONZALEZ & DAKOTA KAI – Dusty Rhodes Women’s Tag Team Classic first-round match
Unsurprisingly, Gonzalez dominated the opening portions of this match as she made light work of both Aliyah and Kamea. Kai tagged into the match and Kamea turned the tide with a body slam. Kamea hit a springboard elbow and covered Kai for a two-count. Carter tagged in and maintained control over Kai. Carter sent Kai into the corner and landed a big boot. Aliyah went for a basement dropkick but Kai avoided contact and got out of the ring.
Aliyah followed Kai to ringside and ate a pump kick from Kai. Kai rolled Aliyah back into the ring for a two-count. Gonzalez tagged in and dropped Aliyah with a whirlwind slam. Kai tagged back in briefly but soon tagged back out, with Gonzalez returning to the ring and hip-tossing Kai onto Aliyah before tagging out again. Aliyah managed to hit a pendulum DDT on Kai which allowed Aliyah to make the tag to Kamea. Kai tagged out to Gonzalez, who dropped Kamea with a clothesline. Gonzalez hit her Uranage move to win the match.
WINNERS: Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai at 5:55
– The graphics came up showing that Gonzalez & Kai would now move on to face Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter next week.
– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed the Gargano Stable with LeRae and Hartwell excited about their chances of winning the Dusty Classic tournament. Mitchell turned her attention to Gargano who freaked out at the mention of Kushida’s name, which Theory described as being like a curse. In a funny bit, Theory kept inadvertently saying Kushida’s name, causing Gargano to freak out even more. After Gargano’s Stable left, Dexter Lumis appeared from behind the curtain. [c]
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: It was hard to get super into the women’s match, as both teams were heels. Aliyah & Kamea were the defacto babyfaces, but there was just nothing to get invested in. However, what will present a more dynamic matchup is next week’s match of Gonzalez & Kai vs. Catanzaro & Carter. I’m looking forward to seeing the plucky, underdog faces take on a dominant heel team.)
– A cinematic Scarlett vignette aired where she was reading tarot cards. Scarlett was vague about exactly who she was describing but compared them to the Heirophant.
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: For what it’s worth, I Googled “Heirophant” and it is about someone who stands for tradition and convention. Looks like Karrion Kross and Tommaso Ciampa are on a collision course, perhaps?)
– A Tegan Nox appearance on Brie Larson’s YouTube channel was promoted.
(3) TYLER RUST (w/Malcolm Bivens) vs. enhancement wrestler
Rust spent most of the beginning of the match dominating the enhancement wrestler while a picture-in-picture promo from Malcolm Bivens aired. Bivens said that he hand-picked this opponent because they could test Rust. The enhancement wrestler scored a two-count off of a backslide and followed up with a guillotine choke. Rust rammed him into the corner to escape the hold. The enhancement wrestler dove from the second rope into a superkick from Rust. Rust hit a float-over neckbreaker followed by a clutch submission move for the tapout victory.
WINNER: Tyler Rust at 3:55
– Bivens joined Rust in the ring and they took a selfie over the fallen enhancement wrestler. [c]
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Not too much to say about this match, just a straight-forward squash to keep redefining Rust under Bivens tutelage.)
– McKenzie Mitchell was backstage with Finn Balor but Kyle O’Reilly interrupted before the interview could get going. O’Reilly asked Balor if he was ready for their tag match tonight and Balor replied that he is “always ready”. O’Reilly said that they don’t have to trust each other, but that they needed to be on the same page in their match.
– Kushida & Leon Ruff were already in the ring as Zack Gibson cut a promo during the Grizzled Young Veterans entrance.
(4) KUSHIDA & LEON RUFF vs. GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS (Zack Gibson & James Drake) – Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic quarterfinal match
The faces quickly went to work, isolating Drake with fast tags and even faster strikes. Drake briefly turned the tables after slamming Ruff and knocking Kushida to the floor. The faces regained control though, with Ruff jumping from the top rope and landing feet first onto Drake’s arm. Ruff continued to target the arm before hitting a hurricanrana. Drake took down Ruff and managed to make the tag to Gibson. GYV went for a double suplex but Kushida broke up the move. Ruff came off the top rope and took down Gibson with a cutter move for a two count. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
GYV had taken control of the match during the commercial break and hit Ruff with a plancha/ backbreaker double-team combination soon after the show returned to air. Ruff hit a neckbreaker out of nowhere but wasn’t able to make the tag before Gibson tagged out to Drake. Drake sent Ruff to the corner but soon after Ruff managed to make the tag to Kushida. Kushida went after Drake who tagged out to Gibson. Kushida applied an octopus hold to Gibson, who managed to escape. GYV hit a Doomsday Device and Drake made the cover for a two-count. GYV went for the Ticket to Mayhem but Kushida countered with a handstand boot.
Kushida tagged out to Ruff who sent Gibson to the floor with a big missile dropkick. Ruff dove on to Drake and launched himself with a diving senton onto Gibson at ringside. Back in the ring, Ruff dropped Gibson with a clothesline and went up top for a swanton. Drake saved Gibson by shoving him out of the way. Drake tagged in and sent Kushida flying to the floor with a dropkick. GYV hit the Ticket to Mayhem for the win.
WINNERS: Grizzled Young Veterans at 13:15
– As GYV basked in their victory, Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory ran in and attacked Kushida & Ruff. Gargano hit Kushida with the One Final Beat. Dexter Lumis appeared out of nowhere, causing Gargano & Theory to flee up the ramp.
– The show cut backstage where Curt Stallion was on the ground after being attacked. Stallion said “Legado” to William Regal, signaling who was responsible for the attack. [c]
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: A particularly good showing for GYV in this match, who benefited from facing such a strong and clearly defined babyface team of Kushida and Ruff. Ruff is a particularly good face for heels to get a shine on, as he sells very well as a severe underdog character. Should it come to pass, GYV vs. MSK in the finals would be a spectacular match.)
– Legado del Fantasma were in the locker room, high on themselves after their attack on Curt Stallion. William Regal stormed in and declared that the Stallion vs. Escobar match would take place next week and threatened that there would be consequences if Stallion was “magically” injured again.
– Toni Storm came to the ring and cut a promo on Io Shirai, with Storm declaring her intentions for the NXT Women’s Championship. Shirai came out to confront Storm in the ring. Shirai said she’d fight Storm at any time and the two ended up in a brawl. Mercedes Martinez blindsided Shirai and slammed her down. Martinez posed with the NXT Women’s Championship and Storm bickered with her over who got the belt. Shirai returned to the fray and dropped both Storm and Martinez with a slingshot dropkick. Shirai went up top for a moonsault, but Storm shoved her off. Storm drove Martinez into the ring apron and took out Shirai with repeated Hip Attacks in the the corner. Storm stood tall and held up the NXT Women’s Championship.
– McKenzie Mitchell was backstage with Isaiah Scott ahead of his match with Bronson Reed. Scott took issue with people judging his recent behavior when everyone else is acting the same. [c]
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: A three-way feud between Shirai, Storm and Martinez is interesting because all three really need to be protected at this point. Scott cut a good heel promo here and his transition has been pretty seamless.)
– An Imperium vignette aired with Wolfe, Aichner and Barthel talking about controlling NXT and NXT UK (with Walter). Wolfe said that his arrival in NXT is only the beginning.
– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Adam Cole and Roderick Strong about their upcoming match against Ciampa and Thatcher. Cole said that the Fight Pit match showed that Ciampa and Thatcher will be a handful. Strong called them both dorks and said that nothing would stop Undisputed Era from reaching their goal.
(5) BRONSON REED vs. ISAIAH “SWERVE” SCOTT
Reed went after Scott early, pummeling him with strikes before sending him to the outside. Reed made his way on to the apron and Scott sent him falling with a pump kick. From the floor, Reed tripped Scott on the apron which Scott sold in a big way. The action briefly returned to the ring where Reed clotheslined Scott over the top rope and dove out onto Scott on the floor as the show went to a commercial break. [c]
Scott had turned the tide during the break and was working over Reed with body strikes as the show returned from commercial. Scott went for a paydirt but Reed pushed him off. Reed landed a running hip thrust and followed up with a running senton. Reed dropped Scott with a Death Valley Driver for a two-count. Reed tried to get Scott up for a slam but his shoulder gave way. Scott took advantage of an opening when Reed went to the second rope by hitting a jumping kick. Scott stayed in control with an elbow slam and a House Call. Scott went up top and hit a 450 Splash, but Reed powerfully kicked out of the pin attempt, sending Scott flying. Reed landed a headbutt and dropped Scott with a short-arm clothesline. Reed hit the Tsunami Splash and covered Scott for the win.
WINNER: Bronson Reed at 9:20
– Tommaso Ciampa was backstage and reflected on fights that he remembers taught him respect. Timothy Thatcher joined Ciampa and said that he gained respect for Ciampa in the Fight Pit. Thatcher confirmed he would join Ciampa in the Dusty Classic tournament and Ciampa said their match with Undisputed Era would be a war.
– Matches for next week’s edition of NXT were promoted and Kyle O’Reilly made his entrance as the show went to commercial. [c]
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: A very enjoyable little match that showed that a good story with good action can be done in a short amount of time. An interesting pairing at this point in time considering the trajectories that Reed and Swerve seem to be on. Hopefully they can get clear direction from here and not bob around in the NXT ocean like other evolving talents sometimes do.)
(6) FINN BALOR & KYLE O’REILLY vs. ONEY LORCAN & DANNY BURCH
This match was a non-title match. Balor and Lorcan started out with chain wrestling, which Balor came out on top of. O’Reilly blind-tagged Balor to bring himself into the match and applied a side headlock on Burch, who had tagged in. O’Reilly transistioned from an armdrag into an armbar. Burch managed to reverse the move which allowed him to tag in Lorcan, who took down O’Reilly with a European Uppercut. Lorcan tagged out again and Burch came back in to apply a headlock, throwing in some punches on the prone O’Reilly for good measure. Burch went for a bodyslam but O’Reilly slipped out and tagged in Balor. Balor and O’Reilly showed that they can work together, as they tagged in-and-out to isolate Burch. The harmony didn’t last long though, exchanging a leery look at each other after clearing the heels from the ring as the show went to a picture-in-picture commercial. [c]
When the action returned to full screen, Balor was stomping away at both Lorcan and Burch. The heels tackled Balor back but Balor still railed on them. Lorcan turned the tide after tripping up Balor and driving his elbow into the mat. Burch and Lorcan exchanged tags to isolate Balor. Lorcan worked over Balor with joint manipulation but Balor managed to land a Pele Kick in response. Balor crawled to his corner to make the tag but was held back by Lorcan. A moment of tension was teased with Balor seeming to show frustration at O’Reilly’s efforts to reach for the tag. Balor hit Lorcan with a slingblade and made the hot tag to O’Reilly. O’Reilly ran wild but was stopped in his tracks by a kick to the jaw from Burch. Burch went up top for a missile dropkick but O’Reilly caught his leg and locked in a heel hook for the submission victory.
WINNERS: Balor and O’Reilly at 12:00
– Pete Dunne appeared and the heels outnumbered Balor and O’Reilly. Lorcan eliminated O’Reilly and then held Balor in place with Burch so Dunne could kick at Balor’s head. Adam Cole and Roderick Strong came out to back-up Balor and O’Reilly, but not before Dunne snapped Balor’s fingers. The heels fled as Cole and Strong ran to the ring. Undisputed Era and Balor stood tall in the ring, with Balor eventually leaving the ring first and alone. Undisputed Era continued to stare down Dunne, Burch and Lorcan as the show went off the air.
(Hustwaite’s Analysis: Balor and O’Reilly have great chemistry, with both playing off the unease of partnering up well. The match was unsurprisingly good, and the post-match angle kept this feud bubbling away. Karrion Kross is obviously lurking in the shadows of the title picture (even if there was a subtle tease of a Ciampa feud earlier in the show) but there is still plenty of milage to get out of Balor/ O’Reilly/ Dunne. It’s also worth noting that Beth Phoenix name-dropped Pat McAfee on commentary. It might have meant nothing, but perhaps it’s a subtle indication that he isn’t completely out of the picture.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: A typically good show, and I like the structure and focus the two Dusty Classic tournaments are bringing to the storytelling at this time of the year. If NXT aren’t going to have much involvement in the Rumble, then it is nice to have a centrepiece for the shows as a feature of the beginning of the year. My only concern is that rather than utilising the tournament to establish the tag division, the tournament will end up just being a vehicle to start or extend a feud between one of the slapped together teams of singles wrestlers.
Make sure to check out Kelly Well’s report of tonight’s show here and then tune into the PWT Talks NXT podcast in the Audio section. You can find me on Twitter at @mattyhuss.
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