NXT will emanate from the Performance Center in Orlando once again tonight with just two episodes left before the Great American Bash. Several matches have been confirmed for the show, including another #1 contenders match with Great American Bash implications, a Low-Key Legend in action, and the start of the Women’s Speed Tournament. Be sure to tune into the action on the CW starting at 8 PM ET, and follow along with all the action right here on Cageside!
D’Angelo & Naraku Face-to-Face
Since arriving on the scene less than two
months ago, former IWGP Champion Naraku has taken a measured, patient approach to his pursuit of the NXT Championship. Instead of taking a more direct and physical approach to get Tony D’s attention like other contenders have, Naraku played the long game by letting D’Angelo know that they would eventually go to war. After biding his time and waiting patiently, a date was finally set for Naraku’s vow to become reality on last week’s show.
After defeating Mason Rook in a #1 contenders match last Tuesday night, Naraku will move on to the Great American Bash in just 12 nights to compete for the NXT Championship. Before going to war, Naraku requested an opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation with his opponent on tonight’s show. Will he and D’Angelo play nice and save the physicality for the Bash? Or has this measured, peaceful approach that Naraku has taken all been a ruse to lull Tony D into a false sense of security? Plus, will Mason Rook or Kam Hendrix get involved again or do they have their own business to sort out before taking aim at the NXT Title again?
Myles Borne Gets a #1 Contender
Since winning the NXT North American Championship at the end of February, a solid title run by Myles Borne has been flying under the radar a bit. After successfully defending his title against Ethan Page, Johnny Gargano, Dion Lennox, and Saquon Shugars in recent months, Myles has made it clear to anybody that would listen that he is ready for another challenger.
As Borne has looked ahead to his next title defense, his former tag team partner Tavion Heights has been trying to find his own path. He returned a little over a month ago and attacked Tony D’Angelo, which rubbed his former NQCC mate the wrong way. It was clear that Borne and Heights weren’t on the same page, but they found themselves teaming up two weeks ago after DarkState attacked them backstage. Despite losing that match, Tavion hoped he and Myles could try to get their win back, but Borne let him know that their reunion was just a one time thing.
Heights, feeling jilted by his former partner, immediately shifted gears and decided he wanted to be the next to step up to Borne for the North American Title. As tension continued to grow, Jackson Drake and the Vanity Project strolled up to stir the pot even more as they have become the masters of doing in recent months. The end result was Tavion taking on Jackson Drake this week, with the winner getting a shot at Myles and the North American Championship at Great American Bash.
Will Tavion pull himself together long enough to come up with a win? Or will the Vanity Project numbers game be enough to help the former Evolve Men’s Champion earn a shot at NXT gold?
Ms. Parker Meets Ms. Neidhart
Earlier this year, Jaida Parker was mired in a slump. After losing matches to Blake Monroe and Kelani Jordan, Jaida seemed to hit rock bottom after coming up short in a match with NXT newcomer Kali Armstrong. Sitting at a bit of a crossroads in her NXT career, Miss Parker was paid a visit by a Low Key Legend. Nattie made an appearance and let Miss Parker know that it seemed like she had lost her edge. In the weeks that have followed, Jaida has done her damnedest to prove Nattie wrong.
After interrupting Nattie’s LFG interview and then beating another competitor from Evolve in Layla Diggs with Nattie watching at ringside, Parker may have crossed a bit of a line last week when she casually strolled into Nattie’s wrestling school in the middle of a lesson and attacked Miss Neidhart in front of her students. GM Robert Stone responded by signing a match between the two this week.
Will this match ever get started? Or is it more likely this will just be the vehicle they drive to set up an NXT Underground match between Nattie and Jaida at the Bash?
Quick Hits
- Like Tony D, Lola Vice also learned who her next title defense will be against last week after Kendal Grey defeated Kelani Jordan to become the #1 contender. Vice and Grey had kept it cordial in discussing a rematch between the two of them for weeks, but Kendal was recently on the receiving end of an errant spinning backfist, planting the seeds for some discord between the two. Has Kendal forgiven the NXT Champion? Or will tension begin to spill over this week as we get closer to their title match at the Bash?
- Zaria finally earned her first taste of gold last week when she defeated Tatum Paxley in a dominant showing to become the new Women’s North American Champion. Who will be the first challenger to emerge from the pack and step up to the Aussie powerhouse? And, after seeming to say goodbye to the Performance Center faithful after the match, was last week the final time we can celebrate Tatum Tuesday?
- Elsewhere in the women’s division, Wren Sinclair will get a week closer to figuring out who will be next to challenge her for the Women’s Speed Title, as the next #1 contender’s tournament gets underway tonight. Evolve star Layla Diggs will take on Arianna Grace of Birth Right in one semifinal with Izzi Dame of what’s left of The Culling taking on former Chase U student Thea Hail in the other. Which two women will advance and move a step closer to a title shot?
- Just weeks after teaming up and defeating the top two champions in NXT, Mason Rook and Kam Hendrix seem to be on a collision course. After appearing at ringside during the #1 contender’s match last week and distracting the big man who will bodyslam yer dad, Kam should probably be prepared for a receipt this week. Will Rook get his hands on Mr. Maxxine Dupri, or is a showdown at the Bash a more likely outcome?
- The Vanity Project duo of Smokes and Baylor have been NXT Tag Team Champions for almost four months and have only defended their titles twice. Further, they’ve only even competed on NXT programming once since retaining their straps at Stand & Deliver. Are two-time former NXT tag champs Fraxiom planning on sticking around on Tuesday nights to try to regain the titles they held cumulatively for almost a full year? Are there any other teams like OTM or Hank & Tank that want to throw their hats in the ring?
- Saquon Shugars continued getting revenge on his former DarkState buddies las week, striking Osiris Griffin with a baseball bat last week just a week after laying out Cutler James. With the Shuga Man taking out his former buddies one at a time, is it Dion Lennox’s turn this week? Or have James or Osiris the Virus recovered enough to watch his back this week?
- Just moments after Shiloh Hill won the first ever Mr. NXT Pageant last week, his only competition in the pageant left him laid out with a vicious attack in the middle of the ring. Tristan Angels won the Attire portion of the pageant before losing out to Hill in the talent and public speaking portions. A match between the two seems inevitable, but will it go down this week or will NXT save it for the Bash?
All this and more on NXT on the CW tonight as WWE’s developmental brand heads towards the Great American Bash in less than 2 weeks! Let us know what you’re most excited for on tonight’s show in the comments below, and be sure to follow along with the live coverage here on Cageside tonight, starting at 8 PM Eastern!
