WWE NXT
Episode 474
#WWENXT
Original Air Date: October 24, 2018
Event Date: October 17, 2018
(available on the WWE Network)
City: Winter Park, FL
Venue: Full Sail University
Commentary: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson
Ring Announcer: Kayla Braxton
Outside the Venue
William Regal instructs security to make sure Aleister Black sees Regal before he enters the building.
Intro Video
“Resistance” by Powerflo
Ring Area
All four members of Undisputed Era head to the ring. Adam Cole says Undisputed Era is at 100%, and that should be a warning to everyone. Just ask the War Raiders. People will fear NXT, because the Undisputed Era is NXT. Cole goes on to address Ricochet. He says Ricochet has his property, and Ricochet didn’t beat Cole in the triple threat match a few weeks ago. Cole is then interrupted by EC3’s music.
EC3 comes out to the stage. He says Cole does not deserve a rematch for the North American Title. Cole wonders if EC3 is making a smart move by challenging the Undisputed Era right now. EC3 doesn’t care about that. Cole tells EC3 to shut up. He challenges EC3 to a match right now, and EC3 accepts.
Match 1
Adam Cole w/ Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong (NXT Tag Champs), Bobby Fish vs EC3
(referee: Darryl Sharma)
Result: EC3 wins via pinfall with a schoolboy
Time: 6:53
Match Thoughts
Good match. It was fairly even, with both men getting some good offense. The Undisputed Era didn’t really make their presence known until near the end of the match, and it didn’t really help Cole much. I think EC3 needed a strong showing, and though the finish was far from definitive, EC3 did look strong.
Ring Area
After the match, the entire Undisputed Era attacks EC3 at ringside. They drag EC# up to the stage where Cole hits him with a running knee strike to the back of the head. Bobby Fish then grabs a chair and hits EC3 in the knee with it. The Undisputed Era leaves as EC3 is attended to.
Video
Mia Yim is bringing a whole new style to NXT.
Outside the Venue
Nikki Cross laughs as she warns security that “he’s coming.”
Match 2
Aliyah vs Mia Yim
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: Mia Yim wins via pinfall after Seoul Food
Time: 3:40
Match Thoughts
Good match. Somewhat surprisingly, Aliyah dominated most of this match. Yim seemed to get off to a good start, but Aliyah quickly took control. Aliyah mostly kept Yim down on the mat, so when Yim managed to get to her feet she started to take over. Once Yim got on a roll, she made quick of Aliyah. I liked that this wasn’t just a squash. Aliyah looked pretty good, and it no way hurt Yim’s NXT debut.
Backstage
Bianca Belair yells at William Regal because she wants a title shot. Why? Because she’s un-de-feat-ed. Regal will take it into consideration.
Cathy Kelley approaches Regal and asks him if he knows what Nikki Cross told Aleister Black last week. He doesn’t.
The Undisputed Era approaches, and they aren’t happy. Adam Cole thinks it’s ridiculous that Regal allows EC3 to do whatever he wants. Cole tells Regal to get his act together. Regal disapproves of what Bobby Fish did last week, so he puts Fish and Cole in a match with the War Raiders set for next week.
Video
Clips from this week’s RAW when Roman Reigns revealed that he has leukemia and has to step down as champ.
Video
A package promo for Lacey Evans.
Backstage
Tommaso Ciampa paces.
Video
This Sunday, Kairi Sane will defend her title against Shayna Baszler at Evolution.
Match 3
Justin Xavier vs Kassius Ohno
(referee: Tom Castor)
Result: Kassius Ohno wins via pinfall after a discus elbow smash
Time: 3:05
Match Thoughts
Mostly a squash, though Xavier got a move or two in. Ohno hit Xavier really hard multiple times. It was fun to watch.
Ring Area
After the match, Nikki Cross comes out to the stage. She says “he’s coming” and that she knows. Kassius Ohno is confused, but doesn’t really seem to care.
Video
A promo for Matt Riddle. He will debut in the ring next week.
Ring Area
In the ring, William Regal prepares to announce who will be facing Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Title at War Games. Tommaso Ciampa heads to the ring before Regal can name anyone.
Ciampa tells Regal to wipe that smug look off his face. He just wants Regal to say what he has to say, but Velveteen Dream interrupts as he comes out and heads towards the ring. Dream says the people want an experience at War Games, and Dream wants Regal to say his name. Lars Sullivan comes out next. Sullivan says everyone is standing in his territory, and the NXT Championship belongs to him. Dream would like for Sullivan to put on some pants if he wishes to address the Dream. Sullivan grabs Dream.
Nikki Cross then appears at ringside. She yells “he’s coming” as we see Alesiter Black attacking the security guards outside the venue. Black heads to the ring and kicks Sullivan in the face. Everyone else flees as Black demands for Regal to tell him where “he” is. Johnny Gargano appears and superkicks Black. Gargano says he’s right here.
Show Impressions
This episode seemed like a lot of setup, but I still enjoyed it pretty well. I did really like how NXT has been mixing things (and people) up a lot lately. In particular, I like how Nikki Cross has been providing a kind of thread to tie everyone together. She even tied the final few segments together tonight, adding chaos, intrigue, and continuity to the reveal of who attacked Black.
I’m not sure if I like the actual reveal of who did it though. It might grow on me, but right now it feels a little like they just went with “shock” over anything else. I mean, it does make sense given Gargano’s state of mind at the time the attack occurred, but going forward I feel I might be disappointed by some things. I really wanted Johnny Wrestling back. So I guess that means they got me, but it still feels a little cheap right now.
Match of the Night
Adam Cole vs EC3
This was good, but it was also the most competitive match in a night that was pretty light as far as the wrestling goes.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2018-10-24