A Room with a Review: NXT 1/29/20

Posted: January 30, 2020/Under: Belts/By: Richard Phillips

NXT looks to build on star-making performances at Worlds Collide and Royal Rumble. Join me, won’t you?

NXT starts off with Finn Balor vs Trent Seven. At Worlds Collide, Moustache Mountain saved Johnny Gargano from a Balor beating. Tuesday night, Finn attacked Seven in the parking lot to prompt this match. Balor jumps Seven before the bell and keeps the advantage for most of the match. Trent manages a brief flurry, including the Seven-Star Lariat, but Finn kicks out. Balor wins after the 1916 DDT. I can’t wait for Finnjamin vs Big Strong Boi Tyler Bate.

Queen Cathy Kelley is interviewing The Broserweights backstage. They plan on winning the Dusty Cup and Riddle wants everyone to see why Dunne is the life of the party. They’re doing a good job feeding into the odd couple dynamic.

After a commercial break, Shotzi Blackheart comes to the ring in Sammy Guevara’s tiny tank. She’s pretty great. Her opponent is Deonna Purrazzo, who was legit the best wrestler at the NXT show I attended last month. Great psychology early as Purrazzo, whose finisher is an armbar, focuses on Blackheart’s left arm. Shotzi recovers, though, and wins after a top rope back senton.

Time for the new NXT North American champion, Keith Lee. He can’t even talk because he has so many crowd chants. Once he finally starts going, Lee is interrupted by Hot Topic manager Damian Priest. He plans on taking the belt from Lee, but then he gets interrupted by Dominik Dijakovic. He says that he deserves the first title shot and Priest takes offense. A referee heads to the ring and we get a match between Damian and Dominik. Priest hits a sick crucifix bomb onto the ring apron. After Dijakovic recovers, Priest hits an Avalanche Poisoned Rana, but isn’t able to secure the victory. Dijakovic gets the duke after hitting Feast You’re Eyes.

Backstage, Tomasso Ciampa tells Cathy Kelley that Goldie’s coming home at Takeover, but tonight he’s going to make sure it happens. He brandishes a steel pipe and walks off into a commercial.

Back from commercial and a cameraman finds three-fourths of the Undisputed Era unconscious. Ciampa walks by, dropping his pipe and grabbing a table on his way to the ring. He sets up the table in the ring and spray paints a yellow X on it. Adam Cole (bay bay) comes out and Ciampa says that he plans on putting Cole through the table. GM William Regal brings out a contract for an NXT Championship match at Takeover: Portland, but Cole wants to deliver it himself. He jumps Ciampa, but Tomasso puts Cole through the table, as promised. Ciampa was accidentally busted open during the melee and wipes the blood on the contract.

Next is a video package of Bianca Belair’s night at the Royal Rumble. She eliminated a record eight women and lasted longer than anyone else. She is a star.

After a commercial, we finally get Tegan Nox vs Dakota Kai. Kai is using the War Games footage as her TitanTron! They quickly start brawling through the crowd and nearly get counted out. Dakota tries to use a chair, but gets stopped by Candice LeRae. While the ref deals with Candice, Nox hits Kai with her knee brace, followed by the Shiniest Wizard for the victory.

Following that match is Chelsea Green w/ Robert Stone vs Kayden Carter. If Carter starts teaming with Kacy Catanzaro again, will they be Kacy and KC? Anyway, the former Hot Mess loses her NXT re-debut to Carter via small package. It was unexpected, as I had already written in Green as the winner, but I like it. Carter gets her first win and can continue being built up slowly and Green and Stone get to be whiny heels.

Looks like we are finishing up with the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic between the Broserweights (Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne) vs Grizzled Young Veterans (Zach Gibson and James Drake). Dunne is taking a lot of the heat in this match. A lot of great action, but it almost turned into one of those AEW tag matches where the ref has no control. GYV hit Dunne with a Doomsday Device to the floor, but he recovers and hits a tandem maneuver with Riddle to score the victory. The Broserweights become the latest pairing of singles stars to win the Dusty Cup, following Ricochet & Aleister Black and Finn Balor & Samoa Joe.

NXT delivers again and the sight of Tomasso Ciampa holding the NXT Championship while blood pours from the top of his head will be used in promo packages for a long time. Let me know what you thought of the show in the comment section below.

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