WWE NXT
Episode 526
#WWENXT
Original Air Date: September 18, 2019
Event Date: September 18, 2019
(first hour aired live on USA, second hour aired live on the WWE Network)
City: Winter Park, FL
Venue: Full Sail University
Commentary: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Beth Phoenix
Ring Announcer: Alicia Taylor
Backstage
Triple H tells us that there are moments in life when everything changes in the blink of an eye. Tonight, don’t blink.
Match 1
NXT Women’s Title Number One Contender Fatal Four Way Match
Io Shirai vs Bianca Belair vs Mia Yim vs Candice LeRae
(referee: Jessika Carr)
Result: Candice LeRae pins Mia Yim after a springboard moonsault
Time: 6:40 (1 break)
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I love the fact that these women got to have the first match on the first live weekly episode of NXT. All four of them killed it and put on a highly entertaining match. It was kind of chaotic, and the action never really slowed down after the opening bell. By the end, it felt like every move could be a finisher if the person delivering the move could just get three seconds alone with one of their opponents. This was a great way to start the show.
Ring Area
After the match, Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir come out to intimidate the new number one contender for Shayna’s title. There is a stare-down, but there are no fisticuffs.
Video
A look at the NXT Champ, Adam Cole.
Backstage
The rest of the Undisputed Era help Roderick Strong prepare for his North American Title Match.
Backstage
The Velveteen Dream looks in a mirror as he gets ready to defend his title.
Video
Clips of Dominik Dijakovic versus Keith Lee.
Video
A look at the feud between Killian Dain and Matt Riddle.
Match 2
Sean Maluta vs Cameron Grimes
(referee: Darryl Sharma)
Result: Cameron Grimes wins via pinfall after a jumping double stomp
Time: 0:08
Match Thoughts
Surprisingly, this was a squash. Grimes hit Maluta with his finisher right at the opening bell, and that was it. I get why they did it, but I would have liked to have seen Maluta get a decent showing.
Video
A look at the feud between Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong.
Video
A promo video for Damian Priest.
Match 3
NXT North American Title Match
Roderick Strong vs Velveteen Dream (NA Champ)
(referee: Drake Wuertz)
Result: Roderick Strong wins via pinfall after End of Heartache (and a superkick from Adam Cole)
Time: 15:23 (2 breaks)
Match Thoughts
Great match! Strong came into the match thinking that he’d gotten into Dream’s head over he past few weeks, but Dream immediately showed that Strong would not be able to get to him mentally. Dream frustrated Strong for the first few minutes of the match by countering Strong’s moves. Dream mocked Strong as he deftly avoided most of Strong’s attempted offense, so Strong had to regroup. A quick and painful sequence out on the floor put Strong firmly into the match, and the fight was a lot more even from that point on. The action continued to pick up as the match neared its end. The rest of Undisputed Era made their presence felt late in the match, and even though there were some shenanigans, this was still a fun and exciting match.
Match 4
Pete Dunne vs Arturo Ruas
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: Pete Dunne wins via submission by cracking Ruas’s fingers
Time: 6:42
Match Thoughts
Very good match. I didn’t expect Ruas to put up such a good fight. I really liked the mesh of styles here. Ruas has an interesting mix of fighting styles that often involve grappling with some strikes. Dunne tried to match Ruas in grappling at the start of the match, and even though Dunne did well, Dunne did even better when he started getting a little dirty. Dunne brought some brawling to this match that contrasted really well with Ruas’s controlled style. This was fun.
Video
A promo video for the return of Dakota Kai. She’s back next week!
Match 5
Xia Li vs Aliyah w/ Vanessa Borne
(referee: Jessika Carr)
Result: Xia Li wins via pinfall after a windmill kick
Time: 1:51
Match Thoughts
Pretty good match. It was short and Aliyah had almost no offense, but Xia Li looked good.
Backstage
Oney Lorcan prepares for his match.
Backstage
Lio Rush smiles.
Ring Area
Denzel Dejournette heads to the ring for a match, but before his opponent can come out, Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel, and Alexander Wolfe emerge from the crowd. The three members of Imperium beat up Dejournette and throw him from the ring. Imperium looks up towards the ramp. Walter comes out and heads to the ring.
Walter says Imperium is here to restore honor to their sport. Anyone who disrespects the ring will pay the price. As Walter finishes, KUSHIDA comes out to the stage. As he walks to the ring, KUSHIDA says this is his time. Imperium attacks, but KUSHIDA manages to fight most of them off. Walter grabs KUSHIDA, but KUSHIDA escapes and kicks Walter. KUSHIDA escapes from the ring unscathed.
Match 6
Cruiserweight Title Number One Contender Match
Oney Lorcan vs Lio Rush
(referee: Darryl Sharma)
Result: Lio Rush wins via pinfall after the Dragon’s Call
Time: 10:48
Match Thoughts
Great match. Lorcan was fighting angry. I mean, he’s always kind of angry, but the commentators explained that he was extra angry that Rush got an opportunity to earn a title shot after being away for so long. Lorcan’s anger led to some exciting exchanges early in the match as he went after Rush hard right at the opening bell. Rush survived and mounted some fast offense of his own, but Lorcan took over the midle portion of the match. Rush continued to hang around though, and that led to a great back and forth exchange late in the match. It’s great to see Rush back.
Match 7
Street Fight
Matt Riddle vs Killian Dain
(referee: DA Brewer)
Result: the match ends in a No Contest when the NXT locker room gets into a big brawl
Time: 2:40
Match Thoughts
This wasn’t much of a match, but it was a fun way to end the show. Riddle and Dain were having a good, violent fight when they made their way to the backstage area. In the back, we saw a bunch of guys hanging out, some who were on tonight’s show and some who weren’t. The fight got too close to Imperium, and Water attacked Riddle. That set everyone off, and a huge brawl ensued. Everyone moved back towards the ring, and that’s where the show ended.
Show Impressions
This was a great episode for the first live weekly NXT. There were some great matches, some nice character-building matches, and some fun violence. I’ve been a little wary of the show changing to two hours and of the possibility of the format being altered due to the live, higher profile nature of being on USA, but if this show was any indication, then I have nothing to worry about.
Match of the Night
Roderick Strong vs Velveteen Dream
Unsurprisingly, the title match was the best bout of the night. It was the USA main event (they switched over to the WWE Network after that), and it was a great highlight of a taste of the wrestling NXT produces regularly.
Official Results: https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2019-09-18