WWE NXT
Episode 450
#WWENXT
Original Air Date: May 23, 2018
Event Date: May 9, 2018
(available on the WWE Network)
City: Winter Park, FL
Venue: Full Sail University
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness
Ring Announcer: Kayla Braxton
Intro Video
“Resistance” by Powerflo
Match 1
Heavy Machinery vs TM61
(referee: Eddie Orengo)
Result: Nick Miller pins Otis Dozovic with a prawn hold (with his feet on the ropes)
Time: 7:12
Match Thoughts
Good match. TM61 was able to put together some sustained offense despite a powerful performance from Heavy Machinery. The match went back and forth a few times, and TM61’s newfound rule bending attitude definitely showed up throughout the bout. I think this was a very solid tag match. I’d like to see more matches from these two.
Video
Bianca Belair is the fastest rising star in NXT.
Video
EC3 talks about being the top 1% and NXT’s golden goose.
Match 2
Kairi Sane vs Lacey Evans
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: Lacey Evans wins via pinfall with a Woman’s Right
Time: 5:06
Match Thoughts
I liked seeing Kairi fight angry. She was very aggressive in this match, but that aggressiveness didn’ always serve her well. It did make the match interesting though, and it led to a finish that I’m not 100% happy about, but one that does make sense and was probably needed.
Outside the Venue
Cathy Kelley asks Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae for a word. Gargano says he and LeRae have come to a decision about their future, and they will announce it to everyone later tonight.
Backstage
Last week, Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan agreed that they deserve a title shot.
Backstage
The Undisputed Era thinks their loss last week was a fluke. There’s no way Burch and Lorcan deserve a title shot, and Roderick Strong says he wants to face Danny Burch in order to prove it.
Match 3
Handicap Match
Lars Sullivan vs Ricochet & Velveteen Dream
(referee: Darryl Sharma)
Result: Lars Sullivan pins Ricochet after a Freak Accident
Time: 9:48
Match Thoughts
I’m not a big fan of handicap matches, but as far as handicap matches go, this was pretty good. Dream and Ricochet worked very well as a team, and when they were on the same page they believably dominated this match. After a certain point Sullivan managed to isolate Dream and beat him up for a while, and that built up to a flurry of offense and tags that probably should have ended the match. The result of this wasn’t surprising in the least, but at least most of the action building up to it was good.
Backstage
Cathy Kelley asks Dakota Kai about her title match next week. Kai is excited. She also calls Shayna Baszler a bully. Baszler walks up and mocks Kai. Kai can’t say anything and just walks away.
Ring Area
Johnny Gargano (wearing a neck brace) and Candice LeRae head to the ring. Johnny says he is still hurting, and his body constantly reminds him of the attack from Tommaso Ciampa. He says that he and Candice have discussed things, and it’s time to start thinking about their future. He wonders, “is it worth it?” Johnny rips off his neck brace and calls out Ciampa. LeRae is not happy about what Johnny has decided to do.
Ciampa comes out and heads to the ring. Candice runs off and brings referees to the ring to prevent a fight from breaking out. Candice tries to get Johnny to stop as he tries to get at Ciampa. Johnny starts to walk away, but Ciampa when Ciampa gets on the mic, Johnny runs down to the ring. Johnny jumps up onto the apron and gets knocked off, crashing into Candice as he hits the floor. Candice is hurt, and medics come to check on her as the episode ends.
Show Impressions
This was a really good show. All the matches were good even if their results weren’t exactly what I would have liked, and the Gargano story continues to build in a good way. Top to bottom, I think this was one of the consistently better episode of NXT.
Match of the Night
Lars Sullivan vs Ricochet & Velveteen Dream
I liked the teamwork shown between Dream and Ricochet, and despite the finish, this is one of the few handicap matches that had me believing most of the action.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2018-05-23