{"id":210800,"date":"2026-01-28T16:04:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T22:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=210800"},"modified":"2026-01-28T16:04:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T22:04:43","slug":"5-yrs-ago-nxt-tv-report-1-27-2021-the-episode-where-bronson-reed-wrestled-swerve-strickland-when-both-were-underutilized-in-nxt-plus-danny-garcia-losing-in-a-squash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/01\/28\/5-yrs-ago-nxt-tv-report-1-27-2021-the-episode-where-bronson-reed-wrestled-swerve-strickland-when-both-were-underutilized-in-nxt-plus-danny-garcia-losing-in-a-squash\/","title":{"rendered":"5 YRS AGO \u2013 NXT TV Report (1-27-2021): The episode where Bronson Reed wrestled Swerve Strickland when both were underutilized in NXT, plus Danny Garcia losing in a squash"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3597612183\" 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><strong>NXT ON USA<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>JANUARY 27, 2021, 8PM EST<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA., AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>AIRED ON USA NETWORK<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>REPORT BY KELLY WELLS, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em><strong>Commentary<\/strong>: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>[HOUR ONE]<\/h3>\n<p>-Recap of last week started with Thatcher and Ciampa\u2019s Fight Pit match followed by their entry into the Dusty Cup and also covered the uneasy alliance between Kyle O\u2019Reilly and Finn Balor.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(1) MSK (Nash Carter &amp; Wes Lee) vs. DRAKE MAVERICK &amp; KILLIAN DAIN \u2013 Dusty Classic quarterfinal match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Lee and Maverick opened. Collar and elbow into a waistlock takedown by Maverick. Rollup for two. Headlock by Maverick. The two battled to a rope for a clean break. Go-behind by Wes Lee and a waistlock takedown. Maverick reversed to a front chancery and Lee reversed again and worked the arm. Irish whip and Carter tagged in. Tandem attack and a bronco buster by Carter. He covered for one. Tag to Lee, who hit a springboard senton. Tag again and Carter hit one of the same for two. Rope run and Maverick put on the brakes, then made the tag. Dain used Maverick as a dart against Carter and pounded him in a corner. Maverick tagged in and the two teamed up for a senton by Dain and Maverick covered for two. Dain tagged in again and hit a back elbow in the corner. Tandem kick and Dain covered for two. Lee tried to break up the pin and Dain saw him and moved. Nice touch.<\/p>\n<p>Lee tagged in and the two use4d quick kicks to put Dain on his knees. Lee hit a forearm and went up the corner but Dain followed and tossed him to the floor heading to split-screen commercial. Lee played face in peril throughout the break, though all four are faces.<\/p>\n<p>Back to full screen, Dain and Lee were legal. Dain was in control and hit a slam and a senton. Maverick tagged in and leaned in to cover for two. Front chancery by Maverick kept Lee from tagging. Lee was able to escape long enough for the hot tag and Carter struck fast and often with kicks. He put Dain on the floor with a kick and he and Lee teamed up for a Carter senton and Lee covered for two, broken up by Dain. Carter hit a moonsault on Dain and both were cleared to the floor. Maverick rolled up for two, but Lee made a tag and Carter hit a blockbuster to finish.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: MSK at 11:04.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2749625748\" 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><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: Of the various cup matches tonight, this one had the most doubt with the face-face dynamic. Going far with MSK makes sense, but Maverick and Dain were one of NXT\u2019s hottest acts a couple of months ago and it seems like they\u2019ve faded well into the background now. MSK showed off a little more of their tandem moveset tonight and the audience again seemed to respond well to the act)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Earlier today, Pete Dunne drove Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch to the arena and they jawed at the camera about tonight\u2019s assumed main event.<\/p>\n<p>-A brief hype package promoted the Women\u2019s Dusty Classic matchup of Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai facing Jessie Kamea and Aliyah, up next. Robert Stone was the voice-over to hype Kamea and Aliyah.<\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell talked to Curt Stallion in a backstage interview. He talked about his tough road on the indies and how he saw a shooting star that made him want to call himself the \u201clone star.\u201d He said the rocket was strapped to his back and the lone star was going to become a superstar. He faces Santos Escobar for the Cruiserweight championship tonight.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: I\u2019m unfamiliar with the Stallion act for the most part, so I\u2019ll reserve some judgment, but Stallion kind of comes off as an arrogant, apathetic tool)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>(2) ALIYAH &amp; JESSIE KAMEA (w\/Robert Stone) vs. RAQUEL GONZALEZ &amp; DAKOTA KAI \u2013 Dusty Classic first round match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gonzalez easily handled Aliyah. Tag. She easily handled Kamea until she escaped and hit a quick dropkick, but Dakota Kai distracted her and Gonzalez hit a lariat. Kai tagged in but ran right into a body slam. Springboard elbow by Kamea got two. Aliyah tagged in and the two ran the ropes and Aliyah hit a forearm and slam for two. Aliyah booted Kai in a corner and fired up. Kai bailed and Aliyah missed a basement dropkick. Kai hit a pump kick on the floor and rolled Aliyah in for two. Gonzalez tagged in and battered Aliyah. Whirlwind powerslam by Gonzalez got two. Kai tagged in and hit a stiff kick in the corner for two. Kai shoved Aliyah into the Kai corner and Gonzalez tagged in. Gonzalez kicked Aliyah, then hit a hip toss and did a kind of hip toss on Kai to throw her atop Aliyah for two as Kai tagged in. Kai worked a cravat briefly. Aliyah attempted to reverse but Kai yanked her down by the hair. Aliyah finally made the tag, but so did Kai. Gonzalez hit a running lariat and then her finisher for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Raquel Gonzalez &amp; Dakota Kai at 5:56.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3646669403\" 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><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: I didn\u2019t know if this one would even make it to NXT, or if it would be on YouTube or some other WWE channel with the heel-heel dynamic and the foregone conclusion. Aliyah and Kamea had to work de facto babyface against the monster Gonzalez and the audience didn\u2019t much know what to do with it. Gonzalez and Kai face Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter in the semifinals)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell talked with all four members of The Way backstage. Indi Hartwell made a \u201cway\u201d pun about winning in the Dusty Cup and Candice was proud. Mitchell mentioned Kushida pinning Johnny Gargano twice, and Gargano flipped out and walked off. Austin Theory explained that Mitchell shouldn\u2019t say Kushida because Gargano thought he was cursed. In his explanation, he kept saying Kushida\u2019s name himself, which repeatedly set Gargano off. The group exited and Dexter Lumis appeared from behind a curtain where they all had been standing. They\u2019re really dancing around the edge of good silliness and too much.<\/p>\n<p>-Scarlett spoke forebodingly and menacingly about something or other to promote Karrion Kross in a brief cinematic segment.<\/p>\n<p>-Available tomorrow, Tegan Nox trains Brie Larson in a Captain Marvel tie-in<\/p>\n<p><strong>(3) UNNAMED ENHANCEMENT TALENT (Daniel Garcia) vs. TYLER RUST (w\/Malcolm Bivens)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The bell rang out of nowhere after the Brie Larson segment. Rust and Bivens spoke in an inset interview and Bivens once again had to say \u201cDiamond in the Rust.\u201d The announcers talked about Rust getting back on track after last week\u2019s loss. Rust and his unnamed opponent grappled for a moment and Rust took the opponent down, then worked a wristlock and threw an uppercut under his arm. Rust spun around the opponent and snapped him down by the arm. The opponent (called \u201c[the] opponent\u201d by Vic, who also apparently doesn\u2019t have a name for the kid) rolled up Rust for two. Rust hit a brief guillotine. The opponent came off the second rope into a superkick by Rust, who hit a float-over neckbreaker and his finisher for the tap.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Tyler Rust at 3:53.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: Beth quickly said the name of the opponent during the replay of the finish, and it was something like Rio (Sleuthing says it\u2019s Daniel Garcia, who\u2019s done some jobs on 205 Live). It was irritating that the guy didn\u2019t even get a name. As always, Rust was a technical marvel in the short affair.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Another brief segment promoted Kushida &amp; Leon Ruff vs. Grizzled Young Veterans, up next.<\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell wanted to know Finn Balor\u2019s thoughts about tonight\u2019s match, but she scattered when Kyle O\u2019Reilly showed up. Kyle asked if Finn was ready and Finn said always. Kyle asked if he could trust Finn, who responded \u201cWhat do you think?\u201d Kyle said he didn\u2019t really have to trust him as long as they were on the same page.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(4) KUSHIDA &amp; LEON RUFF vs. GRIZZLED YOUNG VETERANS (Zack Gibson &amp; James Drake) \u2013 Dusty Classic quarterfinal match<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Gibson did some mic work on the way to the ring. The babyfaces were in the ring already as we continue the trend of even upper midcarders not getting entrances sometimes. Kushida and Gibson grappled in the ring and Gibson got frustrated that he couldn\u2019t keep hold of Kushida. Kushida threw strikes in a corner and Drake helped Gibson block an Irish whip and Gibson took down Kushida with a clothesline. Drake entered for a spinning heel kick for two. The two hit their feet and grappled a bit. Ruff tagged in and took Drake\u2019s left leg out from under him with kicks. Ruff did his Spider-Man moves in the corner to avoid Drake\u2019s strikes and he tagged Kushida. The faces drove Drake\u2019s knees to the mat and Kushida covered for two. Kushida wrenched Drake\u2019s arm and tagged. Ruff came off the top with boots to Drake\u2019s arm. Ruff wrenched the same arm over his own right shoulder, then hit a Pele kick on the arm. Ruff hit a huracanrana in a neutral corner and worked a brief front chancery. Drake reversed and snapped Ruff to the mat, then made the tag. Tandem suplex attempt was broken by Kushida and Ruff hit a cutter from the top rope on Gibson for two heading into a commercial break.<\/p>\n<p>Ruff had likely been dominated throughout the break. Ruff rolled up Drake for two but Drake took control back with a lariat. Drake threw a left that put Ruff out on the floor and Gibson tagged and held Ruff up for a Drake elbow that he finished with a backbreaker.<\/p>\n<h3>[HOUR TWO]<\/h3>\n<p>Back in the ring, Ruff found a small opening and tried to make the tag, but Gibson tagged Drake, who cut it off. Ruff nearly made it through Drake\u2019s legs for the tag but couldn\u2019t get there. After a back elbow, he made the hot tag and Kushida threw his offense at Drake quickly. Drake blocked a Hoverboard Lock and backed him into the GYV corner where Gibson tagged in. The two reversed holds until a reset. Gibson hit a double chop to the throat and tagged Drake. Doomsday Device got a long two on Kushida. \u201cWhat a rush that would have been,\u201d Vic quipped.<\/p>\n<p>GYV went for Ticket to Mayhem, blocked by Kushida, who made the tag. Missile dropkick by Ruff to Gibson, then a tope for Drake. Ruff ran to the other side again and hit a rolling senton to the floor on Gibson. Back inside, clothesline by Ruff, who went up and missed a senton as Drake dragged Gibson away. Drake tagged in and dropkicked Kushida to the floor to clear him out. Ticket to Mayhem finished Ruff.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Grizzled Young Veterans at 13:14.<\/p>\n<p>As GYV admired the Dusty Cup outside the ring, Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory charged past them and into the ring to attack Kushida and Leon Ruff. Theory held back Ruff as Gargano hit One Final Beat on Kushida. Dexter Lumis showed up behind Theory and scared the hell out of him. Theory and Gargano took off the other way.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: Fun tag affair with just a tiny bit of doubt, but this is likely GYV\u2019s tournament to lose. Ruff once again plays the part of a hard-fighting face who still takes the fall in the end, which is likely going to be the story of his career. They face the winners of Undisputed Era vs. Ciampa and Thatcher.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Backstage, Curt Stallion had been attacked near a vending machine. Officials checked on him as William Regal appeared. Stallion simply said \u201cLegado\u201d to Regal.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: It\u2019s so rare in wrestling for babyfaces to know who attacked them backstage, I was genuinely surprised when he identified the perpretrators)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell told Legado del Fantasma that Curt Stallion wasn\u2019t medically cleared and Escobar tried to lie about what he\u2019d done. Regal stormed into frame and said the match would happen next week, and if Stallion was magically injured again, they\u2019d face consequences. Regal left and Legado del Fantasma laughed it off. Someone had put a tarot card on Escobar\u2019s duffel bag and he sold it like fear, saying \u201cThe end is near!\u201d He then laughed this off as well and the three walked off to enjoy the night.<\/p>\n<p>-Toni Storm started cutting a promo on Io Shirai, announcing her intentions for the Women\u2019s Championship, just like most of the roster recently. Io\u2019s music played to bring her out. Shirai said she\u2019d defend against her anytime, and reminded her that she didn\u2019t like her. Storm attacked but Shirai took control before long. Shirai cleared Storm from the ring, and Mercedes Martinez appeared and did a powerslam to Shirai. Martinez admired the belt and she and Storm briefly argued over who would be taking it before Shirai attacked both. Storm and Martinez then fought over the chance to attack Shirai, and Storm won that battle and hit three hip attacks on Shirai in the corner. Not sure if this suggests a triple threat, or Storm and Martinez each taking a turn.<\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell talked to Isaiah \u201cSwerve\u201d Scott backstage, and Scott started acting the victim in all of his recent entanglements. Swerve wanted to try an experiment and asked McKenzie to point a finger at him. He then asked how many fingers were pointing back at her, and he walked off.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: Basic stuff here, but even so, for a guy who was such a likeable babyface, Swerve sure is a strong heel as well)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Imperium hype segment. They\u2019ve been separated for too long, they said. Alexander Wolfe said that his arrival was only the beginning. Oh my \u2013 when does Walter arrive?<\/p>\n<p>-McKenzie Mitchell talked to Adam Cole and Roderick Strong about their impending match with Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. They put the two over but Strong said there was no was no way those two dorks would keep them from their goal.<\/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-talk-another-hill-to-climb-for-zaruca-elio-lefleur-debut-ladder-match-to-crown-new-nxt-champ-taking-shape--69527953\">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 talk another hill to climb for ZaRuca, Elio LeFleur debut, ladder match to crown new NXT Champ taking shape\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=69527953&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) BRONSON REED vs. ISAIAH \u201cSWERVE\u201d SCOTT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Swerve backed up to a corner to get a break and hit a rising knee. Scott threw fists but Reed took Swerve to a corner for some shots, then tossed Swerve to the floor. Swerve landed on his feet and hit a pump kick on the apron, then missed a PK and Reed threw him overhead and he landed awkwardly on the apron, then the floor.\u00a0The action went back inside, but Reed quickly clotheslined Swerve to the floor, then hit a hard-looking tope as the match went to commercial.<\/p>\n<p>Swerve was in control. He took Reed to a corner shoulder-first. Swerve trapped Reed\u2019s arm on the mat and hit some back elbows. Swerve grabbed a headlock in transition and Reed reached a rope, but Swerve held on until the count of four. Swerve wanted a rolling flatliner but Reed swatted him from the air. Rope run and a block by Reed. Reed went for a delayed suplex but switched to a Death Valley Driver for two. Reed wanted a chokeslam but his hurt shoulder gave out. Overhead kick by Swerve with Reed on the second rope. Swerve went up the corner with Reed and took him down, landing on the bad arm. Swerve went up and hit a 450 splash for a believable near-fall.<\/p>\n<p>Swerve said \u201cThis is Swerve\u2019s house\u201d to Reed as the two were on their feet and slapped Reed. Reed returned with a huge palm strike, laying out Swerve. Reed went up and hit a Tsunami out of relative nowhere to finish.<\/p>\n<p>WINNER: Bronson Reed at 9:18.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: A good match that didn\u2019t need 40% to happen during a commercial break. Reed seems to be in a spot similar to where Kushida has often found himself where he\u2019s winning but has no clear direction after wins and as a result, he treads water. Swerve is newly a heel but isn\u2019t winning any more than before, despite how good his act is in every aspect. For now he\u2019s a great lower midcarder, but hopefully there\u2019s more in his future)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>-Backstage, Tommaso Ciampa said you win some and lose some, but some you always remember. Timothy Thatcher set up a chair next to him and said respect had grown. Ciampa said that next week, their match with Undisputed Era would be a war. Also next week, Legado del Fantasma face Lucha House Party.<\/p>\n<p><strong>(6) FINN BALOR &amp; KYLE O\u2019REILLY vs. ONEY LORCAN &amp; DANNY BURCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Non-title. Balor and Lorcan started the match as the bell rang at a quarter to the hour. Balor took down Lorcan with an armdrag and made the tag as Lorcan escaped. O\u2019Reilly and Burch locked up and O\u2019Reilly worked a headlock. Rope run and a block by O\u2019Reilly. He took down Burch and worked a brief armbar. Lorcan tagged in and the two hit tandem chops. Uppercut to the jaw by Lorcan as the announcers mentioned that O\u2019Reilly\u2019s ailing jaw is a bullseye. Burch worked a headlock on the mat and O\u2019Reilly tried to roll him up, but Burch rolled back. O\u2019Reilly fought to get to his feet and then threw body shots to break. He wrenched Burch\u2019s arm and tagged Balor, who viciously went after the arm and tagged O\u2019Reilly again, who continued the assault on the left arm. Tag to Balor, who came off the second rope with a shot to the arm. Yet another tag and O\u2019Reilly did the same. The faces elbowed a charging Lorcan, then cleared both heels from the ring and shared their usual look of respect and trepidation as the match went to split-screen.<\/p>\n<p>Back to action, Balor tagged in and cleaned house. Double stomp for Lorcan, who was legal. Balor stomped Lorcan near a rope, then an intervening Burch. Lorcan took Balor to the heel corner and tagged Burch, and eventually the numbers caught up and Lorcan took control for some ground &amp; pound. Big chop by Lorcan. Tag to Burch, who hit an uppercut. Burch put Balor on the mat with an armbar. Burch charged a corner and hit a clothesline for two. Beth mentioned Burch and Lorcan selling their souls to Pat McAfee to get the championships and that\u2019s the first time McAfee has been mentioned in weeks, and neither of the other announcers expanded on the thought.<\/p>\n<p>Lorcan and Balor fought for position in the middle of the ring and Lorcan hit a knee to the abdomen and grounded Balor and yanked one arm back. Uppercut by Lorcan. Another and another, but Balor hit a Pele kick to create some separation. Balor crawled to his corner and reached for the tag, but Lorcan kept him at bay, hanging on as he got elbowed. Sling Blade and a hot tag by Balor. Big boots by O\u2019Reilly, who destroyed both of the champs. Running forearm for Burch in the corner. Burch took some shots at the jaw to fight off O\u2019Reilly\u2019s finisher. Burch tried a dropkick from the top but O\u2019Reilly snapped him out of the air and seamlessly snapped on a submission for the win.<\/p>\n<p>WINNERS: Balor &amp; O\u2019Reilly at 11:58.<\/p>\n<p>After the match, Pete Dunne showed up and the three beat down O\u2019Reilly and Balor. The three set up Balor for an attack on his digits and Adam Cole and Roderick Strong appeared on the ramp. Dunne went through with the attack, and then the three fled the ring and went to the apron. The three members of UE stood together in the ring with Balor just in front of them and the four looked back at the heels. Balor shifted back slightly and stood parallel with the other members of UE and the crowd lost it, likely waiting for the four of them to do the Undisputed Era signal, as I certainly was. Balor then fell back further and exited the ring as UE kept staring out at the three heels.<\/p>\n<p><em>(Wells\u2019s Analysis: Finn Balor continues to do his best work in this feud both from a ring standpoint and a character standpoint. It would seem Karrion Kross is still probably the long-term endgame for the championship, but with the strength of Finn\u2019s reign I\u2019d table that for now and milk this current faction warfare. Very strong match, of course, that was really little more than the next step in a much longer storyline)<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS:<\/strong> It\u2019s nice to have two Dusty Classics and the women have certainly earned the chance to have one, but having both of them running at once has totally taken over the show and left little room for anything else. That said, they still managed to work toward something in both the men and women\u2019s main event scenes. Most everything tonight was a thumbs up, many mild and a few better, but with all the chaos of the tournaments, it\u2019s hard to tell whether the tag matches are leading to something or detracting from some better storytelling that could be happening.<\/p>\n<p>Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are now part of the tag tournament after a respect pairing that I\u2019m sure many saw coming, so they\u2019re you\u2019re guaranteed wacky pairing from the Dusty Classic. A few have won it, so they could go all the way. TakeOver is just about three weeks away, so even with a lot of tournament matches left, we\u2019ll have to get to some other business \u2013 though I suppose both finals could end up at the show.<\/p>\n<p>Check out PWT Talks NXT tonight or stream later for more analysis on tonight\u2019s show. See you next week.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PWT Talks NXT - PWTorch NXT Post Show (1\/27) w\/Lindberg &amp; Cattani\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tGTJcCfEQbw?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-2953587778\"><div id=\"pwtor-1188769048\"><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 NXT ON USA JANUARY 27, 2021, 8PM EST LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA., AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER AIRED ON USA NETWORK REPORT BY <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/01\/28\/5-yrs-ago-nxt-tv-report-1-27-2021-the-episode-where-bronson-reed-wrestled-swerve-strickland-when-both-were-underutilized-in-nxt-plus-danny-garcia-losing-in-a-squash\/\" title=\"5 YRS AGO \u2013 NXT TV Report (1-27-2021): The episode where Bronson Reed wrestled Swerve Strickland when both were underutilized in NXT, plus Danny Garcia losing in a squash\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":204310,"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-210800","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\/2025\/08\/Screenshot-2025-09-12-at-12.36.46-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210800","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=210800"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211253,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210800\/revisions\/211253"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/204310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}