{"id":207394,"date":"2025-11-19T12:18:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=207394"},"modified":"2025-11-19T12:18:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T18:18:06","slug":"a-blindfold-match-two-top-current-aew-women-wrestlers-team-together-two-partners-in-this-years-war-games-face-each-other-5-yrs-ago-nxt-tv-report-11-18-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/11\/19\/a-blindfold-match-two-top-current-aew-women-wrestlers-team-together-two-partners-in-this-years-war-games-face-each-other-5-yrs-ago-nxt-tv-report-11-18-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"A Blindfold Match, two top current AEW women wrestlers team together, two partners in this year&#8217;s War Games face each other &#8211; 5 YRS AGO \u2013 NXT TV Report (11-18-2020)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3884702553\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p><em>The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>KELLER\u2019S NXT TV REPORT<br \/>\nNOVEMBER 18, 2020<br \/>\nORLANDO, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER<br \/>\nAIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK<\/h3>\n<p><em>Announcers: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Joseph introduced the show and said they were starting with one of two title matches tonight.<\/p>\n<p>-Leon Ruff made his ring entrance and celebrated by hanging upside down from the top rope and letting out a huge yell. They went to video package of Ruff\u2019s upset win over Johnny Gargano last week for the North American Title. It included some snippets of Ruff talking about his background.<\/p>\n<p>Gargano walked out and interrupted the video. \u201cStop it! Turn it off. Nobody wants to see that crap!\u201d he yelled. He said last week was just a fluke and everybody knows it. He said Ruff is just a pawn in Damien Priest\u2019s attempt to make him look like a fool. Fans chanted \u201cJohnny Sucks!\u201d Gargano said he doesn\u2019t suck, Johnny\u2019s the best. He told Leon that he\u2019s not a real champion. He said he\u2019s a joke. He said tonight, the joke is over. He pointed t the title and said the title is coming home to him. He punched Ruff.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) LEON RUFF (c) vs. JOHNNY GARGANO \u2013 North American Title match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Barrett accused Ruff of \u201cpractically stealing\u201d the title. Phoenix said Gargano keeps getting beaten because he lets his head get in his own way. Ruff made a comeback a minute in. He flip dove off the top rope and flipped over Gargano and landed on his feet. Gargano sold it as if he was taken down and it looked ridiculous. Barrett pushed back on Joseph saying he got \u201cjust enough of Gargano,\u201d saying Gargano just got out of the way. Back in the ring, Gargano took Ruff down with a clothesline. Barrett said lightning will not strike twice in the same place with Gargano.<\/p>\n<p>Gargano shot Ruff into the top turnbuckle like a dart. After another lawn dart move, Gargano asked Ruff to quit. Ruff said no. Priest walked onto the stage. Gargano yelled him that this isn\u2019t his match and he doesn\u2019t belong there. Ruff rolled up Gargano from behind for a near fall. Ruff fired back with a clothesline and then a top rope senton attempt, but Gargano moved. Gargano super kicked Ruff and then powerbombed him. Gargano landed his One Final Beat for a near fall. Priest yanked Ruff out of the ring by his feet at two. Priest then looked at Ruff and said, \u201cSorry kid.\u201d He punched Ruff in the face. The ref DQ\u2019d Gargano. Barrett said a title cannot change hands on a DQ, and Priest has screwed Gargano once again.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3769667927\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>WINNER: Ruff via DQ in 7:00 to retain the North American Title.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: I\u2019m sure some viewers got a kick out of it, but it just makes a complete mockery of NXT\u2019s rules and referee discretion.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Backstage Cameron Grimes said he showed last week he isn\u2019t afraid of Dexter Lumis. He said he showed last week Lumis just a regular man, whereas he is a rocket ship and he\u2019s going to the moon. He let out a laugh and walked away. [c]<\/p>\n<p>-They showed Rhea Ripley arriving outside the Capitol Wrestling Center with her rolling suitcase earlier.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) CAMERON GRIMES vs. DEXTER LUMIS \u2013 Blindfold Match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After Lumis put the hood over his head, Grimes complained to the ref saying if he did that, he wouldn\u2019t be able to see. Grimes finally put it on, but just bounced around the ring with bad aim, bouncing into turnbuckles. The hoods were on completely loose, which looked really dumb. Grimes took a swing and almost hit the ref. The ref ducked. Lumis the whole time just stood there and didn\u2019t move at all.<\/p>\n<p>When Grimes backed into the ref, Grimes turned and punched and stomped on the ref dozen times. He took off his hood and got wide-eyed. He told fans to be quiet since Lumis didn\u2019t know he took his blindfold off. Grimes went for a Cave In, but Lumis moved, showing his sixth sense, according to Grimes. Lumix punched Grimes, who fell backward and mistakenly yanked off Lumis\u2019s hood. Lumis punched away at Grimes and clotheslined him in the corner, then landed a running bulldog.<\/p>\n<p>Lumis took it to Grimes at ringside, throwing him into the plexiglass at ringside. Grimes ended upleaping over the plexiglass and escaped as Lumis stared through the plexiglass.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3472663579\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>WINNER: None announced.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: Uh, this match was too stupid for anyone to care there wasn\u2019t a finish. But still, this was low-IQ booking drivel. The loose hoods which would have fallen off easily telegraphed that they wouldn\u2019t be on long. Even Grimes complaining about having to wear a hood was dumb. Yes, he\u2019d like to get away with not wearing a hood while Lumis had to, but even his character isn\u2019t dumb enough to think he could talk the ref into letting him wrestle without a hood when he was in favor of the stip to being with. He acted like he had Lumis right where he wanted him, then changed the rules. It was just an arbitrary way for him to whine as the booking imagines fans would respond by having a knee-slapping hoot of a time when in reality they\u2019re feeling their intelligence is being insulted with sloppy booking and execution. I\u2019d probably be less annoyed if they didn\u2019t pull that stupid finish in the opening title match.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Backstage, G.M. William Regal told Damien Priest he shouldn\u2019t have interfered like that. Priest said he shouldn\u2019t have done it, but he\u2019s sick of watching Johnny walk around like he owns the place. He said he was just having fun and joking around. Ruff walked in, upset, asking Priest if he\u2019s a joke to him. Priest said he\u2019s not a joke to him. Ruff said if he can\u2019t retain the title, he shouldn\u2019t be champion. Priest said it\u2019s not like that, and he thought he needed his help. He said he didn\u2019t want Johnny to win the title. Ruff slapped Priest and said, \u201cI\u2019m nobody\u2019s joke.\u201d Regal said, \u201cIt serves you right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: If there was any way to redeem the stupid finish earlier, this helped because Ruff called it out for what it was and made clear he doesn\u2019t consider himself a worthy champion if he can\u2019t defend the title. This did serve to make Priest look really bad, though.) [c]<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-A vignette aired with Shotzi Blackheart. She said people like to tear you down and destroy everything, \u201cbut in life, you rebuild and you rise up.\u201d She held a hammer and smashed things. She said on Dec. 6 they are going to war. Guitar rock played in the background. Then a graphic advertised War Games on Sunday, Dec. 6 on WWE Network.<\/p>\n<p>-Phoenix said Blackheart and LeRae better start recruiting partners \u201cbecause it\u2019s officially War Games season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) KACY CATANZARO &amp; KAYDEN CARTER vs. CANDICE LERAE &amp; INDI HARTWELL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Barrett predicted that LeRae and Hartwell will click and do damage in this match. Phoenix wondered what Hartwell has to gain from this alliance, noting she bought \u201ca very expensive flat screen TV for the Garganos.\u201d (I\u2019ve checked the Black Friday specials at Best Buy and there is almost no such thing as a very expensive flat screen TV anymore.) A graphic in the corner of the screen hyped the main event title match. Barrett said sometimes in life you have to upgrade everything including your friends. Phoenix said that was callous. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s wrong, Beth,\u201d said Barrett in response. Carter got a hot tag a couple minutes in and knocked Hartwell out of the ring and then scored a near fall on LeRae. LeRae yanked on her hair to take over, then landed a brain buster suplex. She finished her with the Wicked Step Sister.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: LeRae &amp; Hartwell in 3:00.<\/p>\n<p>-A short vignette aired on Arturo Ruas. He called himself \u201cTotal Destruction.\u201d [c]<\/p>\n<p>-They showed Io Shirai walking into the venue with her rolling suitcase behind her. Phoenix said she looked confident. (She actually looked like she was arriving after being informed of a loved one getting a bad medical diagnosis or something.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>(4) KUSHIDA vs. ARTURO RUAS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Barrett said Kushida\u2019s killer skill is his speed and quickness. Phoenix said this could end in a second with a sudden submission given both men\u2019s skills in that area. Barrett said he hasn\u2019t seen Ruas in person before and he is an impressive \u201chard-looking man.\u201d They cut backstage to McKenzie Mitchell who said she\u2019s still on the lookout for Finn Balor. She said she asked Regal earlier if he knew about his plans. Regal said he just said Balor will have all the time he needs to address the fans. Kushida eventually bridged back as a counter to a Ruas leg lock attempt for a leverage pin. Ruas showed frustration after rolling to ringside after the loss.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Kushida in 5:00.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: Godo while it lasted. Distinct styles on display, with good chemistry between these two on the mat.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Mitchell interviewed Ember Moon and Toni Storm about having issues with Dakota Kai. Moon said they\u2019re all sick of her and Raquel Gonzalez. Storm said they\u2019ve fallen victim to the numbers game and it stops tonight. Toni then told her to remember that when it comes to the NXT Women\u2019s Title, she\u2019s interested. Moon said first things first, and they\u2019ll address that after their tag match. [c]<\/p>\n<p>-A video preview aired of the Io Shirai title defense against Rhea Ripley. It included soundbites of wrestlers picking a winner including Road Dogg, Ciampa, Shawn Michaels, Cameron, Kushida, Priest, Triple H, and Thatcher.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;PWT Talks NXT&#8221; with Kelly Wells and Nate Lindberg, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/pwt-talks-nxt-wells-lindberg-discuss-ricky-saints-and-trick-williams-in-last-man-standing-match-two-blake-monroes-having-a-conversation--68532235\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWT Talks NXT - Wells &amp; Lindberg discuss Ricky Saints and Trick Williams in Last Man Standing match, two Blake Monroes having a conversation\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=68532235&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>(5) DAKOTA KAI &amp; RAQUEL GONZALES vs. EMBER MOON &amp; TONI STORM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Phoenix picked Ripley to become a two-time champion tonight. A couple minutes in, Storm tagged in Moon. They cleared the ring both heels, including clotheslining Gonzalez over the top rope (she began bumping way early before contact). They cut to a break, but stayed with the action on split-screen. [c\/ss]<\/p>\n<p>Gonzales was in control of Storm after the break. Moon got the hot-tag and rallied and showed fire. She gave Gonzales a Code Breaker style move after leaping off the second rope. Kai broke up the cover. When Moon chased Kai at ringside, Gonzales caught her with a boot to the face. Gonzalez cut off Moon from crawling over for a tag by running around ringside and re-entering the ring. Barrett talked about how impressed he is Gonzalez.<\/p>\n<h3>[HOUR TWO]<\/h3>\n<p>Moon eventually did head scissors Kai and hot-tag in Storm. Storm gave Kai three powerful German suplexes. She hip attacked her in the corner, then landed a fisherman suplex for a near fall, broken up by Gonzalez. Moon entered and four-way action broke out. Storm and Kai battled for a couple minutes. Gonzalez \u201cshoved\u201d Storm into the ringpost. She was standing on the floor and had no real leverage, but Storm sprinted into the ringpost like she was shot out of a cannon. It looked pretty ridiculous. Moon leaped under the bottom rope and tackled Gonzalez into the announce table. Storm surprised Kai with a small package seconds later for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Storm &amp; Moon in 12:00.<\/p>\n<p>-As they celebrated at ringside, Hartwell and LeRae attacked them from behind and threw them into the ring. Gonzalez and Kai dished out more punishment. LeRae and Hartwell smiled from ringside. Joseph wondered if an olive branch was extended for War Games.<\/p>\n<p>-Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch arrived. McAfee said they want to hear what Finn Balor has to say later.<\/p>\n<p>-They showed Io Shirai warming up. [c]<\/p>\n<p>-Highlights aired of Balor vs. Kyle O\u2019Reilly last month, the match where Balor suffered a jaw injury. Joseph said they are still awaiting Balor\u2019s arrival to update his status. They didn\u2019t overtly said he might give up the title, but more used phrasing like \u201cWe\u2019ll find out what\u2019s on his mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>(6) TIMOTHY THATCHER vs. AUGUST GREY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Grey charged at Thatcher before the bell. Thatcher threw his jacket at him, but Grey got the better of him with a left punch to the jaw. Thatcher backed into the corner and snarled. He got up, but Grey scored a two count after a backslide. Thatcher came back with a belly-to-belly suplex. He then settled into a grinding chinlock. Barrett said this nasty business isn\u2019t made for everyone, and that\u2019s the only lesson Thatcher is trying to impart on his students. Phoenix said she wasn\u2019t buying that and said Thatcher just likes to inflict pain. As he went for an Achilles lock, Grey upkicked to break free. He landed a back sidekick to Thatcher\u2019s jaw, but when he leaped off the top rope, Thatcher caught him with a European Uppercut and then an underhook suplex. He followed up with a submission for a quick tapout.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Thatcher in 3:00.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: Thatcher is always fun. He\u2019s so into his act. Grey looks like the 1980s jobber guy on almost every wrestling TV show, who could also get a bit of a push in a smaller territory.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Thatcher leaned down and yelled at him that his lesson is not to pick a fight with someone he can\u2019t beat. He then lifted him up and began choking him with a front chancery. Tommaso Ciampa walked out next. Phoenix said it appears Ciampa has had enough of Thatcher\u2019s bullying. Thatcher and Ciampa locked eyes in intensely as Ciampa walked to the ring. They went face-to-face. Thatcher then backed away and said, \u201cI\u2019ve got no problem with you. I\u2019ve got no problem with you.\u201d He left the ring, but seemed to be trying to get a read on Ciampa in the ring.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: It was an interesting approach they chose with Thatcher. Instead of portraying him as a confident badass bully who won\u2019t back down from anyone, but you still want to see him get beat up by someone tougher than him for once, they chose to turn him into a bully who acts tough against inferior competition but shows fear and backs away from a tougher fight. Either way works for me, but it\u2019s worth noting that\u2019s the definite direction they showed here.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-They showed Priest swaggering toward the entrance stage. [c]<\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell asked Ciampa what happened out there with Thatcher. Ciampa said he tried to make it obvious. \u201cI want to fight Thatcher,\u201d he said. He then walked away.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: Thatcher was right. That was a dumb question.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Priest came out for a match against an unnamed opponent. Gargano surprised him at ringside with an attack. Priest took it to Gargano in the ring and then threw him to ringside. He threw Gargano onto the announce table and punched away at him. Gargano leaped off the table and punched Priest. Priest kicked him the face in response. He threw Gargano back into the ring and grabbed a chair. Ruff ran out and dropkicked the chair into Priest, although it appeared he was aiming for Gargano. He then knocked Gargano into Priest. Joseph said Ruff was taking it to both Gargano and Priest. Barrett said he has a beef with both of them. When Priest entered the ring, Ruff looked scared. Priest went for a big boot, but Ruff ducked. Ruff then drop-kicked Gargano into Priest. He then backdropped Gargano over the top rope onto Priest. Ruff stood on the stage and smiled as Gargano and Priest stood in the ring and contemplated what just happened. Gargano then saw Priest and he leaped out of the ring.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: I think Ruff managed to get about five attacks in on Priest, and with each of them it was either accidental or he at leashed plausible deniability that he was trying to hurt Priest, and usually he was using Gargano as a weapon against Priest. The announcers didn\u2019t seem to catch that, and acted like Ruff was intentionally going after Priest.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-They went to Joseph and Barrett at ringside. They hyped the \u201cUndertaker: The Last Ride\u201d special airing after NXT. Barrett said he won\u2019t be able to be on NXT next week, so he reached out to Kevin Owens to fill in for him.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: That should be fun hearing Owens next week on commentary.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-The announcers threw to clips of the older man approaching Boa last week and marking his hand. Joseph said Boa called him his master. Regal knocked on Boa\u2019s door. Boa answered and he looked like he had two black eyes. Regal said he hasn\u2019t reported to the P.C. all week. Boa said he doesn\u2019t want to go to the P.C. Boa said, \u201cShe\u2019s coming.\u201d Regal asked what that meant. Boa rambled and closed the door. Regal looked perplexed.<\/p>\n<p>-Rhea Ripley was showing doing pull-ups on the lockers backstage.<\/p>\n<p>-They showed a Tale of the Tape, including Ripley at 5-10 and Shirai at 5-1. [c]<\/p>\n<p>-Joseph talked about Takeover: War Games taking place live on WWE Network on Sunday, Dec. 6.<\/p>\n<p>-Regal asked Ruff if has any idea what he\u2019s doing. Ruff said people think he\u2019s a joke, so the punchline is that he\u2019ll take on both of them at one. Barrett said Ruff doesn\u2019t lack guts.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(5) IO SHIRAI vs. RHEA RIPLEY \u2013 NXT Women\u2019s Title match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Phoenix said Ripley a year ago was the hottest thing in NXT and she has a chance tonight to get back to that level with a win tonight. They locked up. Shirai knocked Ripley to the floor a minute in with a kick, then went for a dive, but Ripley elbowed her in the head mid-dive. Mitchell broke in with a report that Balor was arriving and would speak after this match about the status of the NXT Title and his injury. They cut to a break, but stayed with the acton on split-screen. [c\/ss]<\/p>\n<p>Back from the break, Ripley was in control with a body scissors. They went to split-screen and showed Balor in the parking lot, carrying his title belt. Oddly, Beth tried to announce that and then Joseph cut her off and picked up where she left off, as if it was a big deal who described the scene of Balor\u2019s arrival. It was awkward, and likely not Joseph big-footing her, but a producer\u2019s instructions.<\/p>\n<p>Shirai came back by taking Ripley off the second rope with a German suplex. An \u201cNXT\u201d chant broke out as fans banged on the plexiglass. Shirai rallied and double-stomped on Ripley\u2019s chest. Then she hit a basement dropkick for a near fall. Fipley\u2019s ear was busted open and bleeding. Shirai applied a crossface mid-ring.<\/p>\n<p>Ripley leveraged Shirai back for a two count. She realized she was bleeding, touched her ear, then wiped the blood on her cheek. Shirai worked over Ripley\u2019s arm. Phoenix said her strategy is to affect her ability to execute the Rip Tide and other power moves that take advantage of her size. After Shirai yanked on Ripley\u2019s arm and smashed it against the edge of the ring apron, the ref asked how bad he arm was. She yelled back, \u201cLeave me alone.\u201d Funny.<\/p>\n<p>They exchanged blows on the ring apron, but Shirai leaped off the ring apron and yanked Ripley\u2019s arm as she dropped. She then whipped Ripley shoulder-first into the ringside steps. They cut to another break, but stayed with the action on split-screen. [c\/ss]<\/p>\n<p>Back from the break, Ripley gave Shirai a superplex. She scored a two count, but continued to clutch her injured arm in pain. A \u201cThis is awesome!\u201d chant could be heard, although none of the fans in the pods on camera were actually chanting. Ripley applied a cloverleaf and then spun Shirai around Cesaro Swing style while holding Shirai in that cloverleaf. Shirai crawled over toward the bottom rope to force a break.<\/p>\n<p>Shirai countered into an armbar. Ripley eventually reached the bottom rope. Shirai connected with a 619 and then leaped off the top rope with a missile dropkick for a two count. Barrett said the crowd are on their feet because they know they are witnessing history. (Don\u2019t they have to stand in the pods? Haven\u2019t they been standing all show? And aren\u2019t the fans on the monitors all sitting at their laptops? Strange comment.)<\/p>\n<p>Ripley clotheslined Shirai, who did took a 360 flip bump. Ripley set up a Riptide, but Shirai countered mid-move into a DDT. Both were down and slow to get up. Another \u201cNXT!\u201d Chant was piped in. Shirai then delivered a sunset flip of Ripley off the ring apron onto the announce table. Ripley crashed onto and over the announce table. Ripley was slow to get up. A \u201cThis is awesome!\u201d Chant was piped in. Ripley stood and barely beat the 10 count. Shirai then landed a moonsault to the back of Ripley\u2019s legs, then rolled her over for the three count.<\/p>\n<p>After the match, Shirai and Ripley hugged and smiled together after a tough battle. Ripley left and let Shirai hold her belt.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Shirai in 22:00 to retain the NXT Women\u2019s Title.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: Really good match. This seems to indicate Rhea Ripley is heading to the main roster. Shirai has been a great champion in the ring, and they\u2019ve done a lot to frame her as a star with their video packages, but you\u2019d think Ripley would be the one to invest in as the face of the brand right now, especially without a singular standout male top star, if she was going to stick around.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Finn Balor entered the ring and asked for the mic. He congratulated Shirai on her win. He said the last time he was on NXT, he defended the NXT Title with a broken jaw in two places. He said he stands before them with three plates in his jaw that says he\u2019s a bad son of a bitch. Pat McAfee interrupted and called him, \u201cBroken Jaw Man, I mean Prince. Looks more like a princess.\u201d He made fun of Balor for having to sip smoothies through a straw the last several weeks. He said while he was sitting at home, nursing his jaw, he had to see what they\u2019ve been up to. He recapped how they\u2019ve been taking people out. He called Kyle O\u2019Reilly \u201cCauliflower O\u2019Reilly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said now Balor returns with the belt over his shoulder, and everyone wants to know what he\u2019s going to do. They leaped onto the ring apron and surrounded him. McAfee said what Balor is going to do is hand the title over to the men who have been running the show from top to bottom for the last few weeks, or he\u2019ll end up like the others \u2013 dead.<\/p>\n<p>Balor said it\u2019s easy for the mice to play when the cat\u2019s away, but the cat is back. \u201cAnd look what I just dragged in,\u201d he said. Then the lights went dark and then Undisputed Era music played. They charged to the ring. Barrett said, \u201cI thought they were dead and buried.\u201d The two foursomes brawled, setting up the War Games main event. Cole gave McAfee a running boot to the face. Then he threw him into the plexiglass as the show ended.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Keller\u2019s Analysis: So apparently Finn Balor is cleared to defend his title and won\u2019t have to relinquish it, although he didn\u2019t declare anything decisive about his in-ring return date.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWT Talks NXT - PWTorch NXT Goldrush (Night 1) Post Show w\/Wells &amp; Lindberg\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/m6UChTQTDt8?start=6&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3581360749\"><div id=\"pwtor-4111507021\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>The following report originally published 5 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com\u2026 KELLER\u2019S NXT TV REPORT NOVEMBER 18, 2020 ORLANDO, FLA. AT THE CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK Announcers: Vic Joseph, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/11\/19\/a-blindfold-match-two-top-current-aew-women-wrestlers-team-together-two-partners-in-this-years-war-games-face-each-other-5-yrs-ago-nxt-tv-report-11-18-2020\/\" title=\"A Blindfold Match, two top current AEW women wrestlers team together, two partners in this year&#8217;s War Games face each other &#8211; 5 YRS AGO \u2013 NXT TV Report (11-18-2020)\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":97814,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-207394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-specialfeatures","category-exclusives_flashbacks"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/05\/Screen-Shot-2020-05-22-at-12.57.01-AM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207394"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207611,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207394\/revisions\/207611"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}