NXT this week certainly had its quality moments as storylines progressed and the women were also the main event of the show.
There were two matches. The first was Mia Yim facing Santana Garrett. Garrett who can’t seem to pick up a televised win continued her losing streak after Yim hit her Protect Ya Neck finisher and grabbed the three count for the win. What came next was a look into a progression of the heel turn with Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano.
For the past few weeks we have seen promos by LeRae and Gargano in their home around the dinner table. Both are making promises to rise to the top of their respective divisions. LeRae’s first main target seems to be Yim as the couple made their way out to the ring after the aforementioned match.
Yim was congratulated about her win against Garrett but was then mocked that she wasn’t able to win the gold against Flair when she had that opportunity. LeRae says she would have loved that opportunity and if she would have had it, she wouldn’t have wasted it. Gargano would get on the ropes with enough of a distraction for LeRae to attack Yim from behind. The odds were evened once Keith Lee’s music hit. He joined Yim as the two would chase the Gargano’s out of the ring as they retreated.
The second match of the night involved what was advertised and that was Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley. Although this match wasn’t considered a number one contender’s match, we all know they both want to take that gold away from around Flair’s waist. The match was placed in the main event and it did not disappoint as it was easily the best of the night. The strength of Ripley combined with the agility of Shirai made this match work as expected.
Midway through the match, the NXT Women’s Champion would make her appearance as she slowly made her way down the ramp. At this point both Ripley and Shirai were spilled out on the outside of the ring at the bottom of the ramp. Flair seemed to motion that she wasn’t going to get involved and the two could continue their battle.
This would take a turn as Shirai launched Ripley into The Queen thus knocking her down. The two competitors would indeed get back in the ring and the frustrations with Shirai mounted as she had a couple near falls and was just moments away from pinning The Nightmare.
As Shirai gets up after getting a close three count following a massive DDT, Flair then enters the ring and takes down Shirai with a big boot to cause the disqualification. She then hits a spear on Ripley. As both women are laid out on the mat, Flair holds her championship up in the air smiling to end the show.
Let’s get into this week’s Winners & Losers:
WINNER: Charlotte Flair
Flair did what she had to do in order to progress this storyline and luckily it happened the way it did. At this point it wouldn’t make any sense to not have a triple threat at TakeOver: In Your House. I would have liked to see the match be announced by Flair herself after she took down both of them, but I am sure we will randomly be told it on social media or something as per usual.
WINNERS: Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley
The two put on a great match. I generally dislike it when a great match ends in a DQ, but for what is going on, it was logical. I really want to see them fight again and this time with a longer time and with a clear winner. These two are clearly the front runners of NXT and I really want to see Shirai win a title.
LOSER: Santana Garrett
This one is an obvious one. I have said it before and I will say it again: There is no reason why Santana is a jobber. No reason. I understand not everyone follows the indie scene, but for those who do understand where I am coming from. It is hard to even get into her matches as we know it will end in three minutes with her shoulders on the mat.
What did you think of this week’s NXT? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
