A bitter rivalry hit a boiling point as Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox faced off inside of a steel cage to start off NXT this week. A feud that turned best friends and tag team partners to bitter enemies ignited at TakeOver: WarGames in November. The irony is that the backstab of last year started in a holding cage at WarGames when Kai turned on Nox and now it has brought them to a cage yet again.
This time, however, Nox sees Kai coming. The problem though is the power known as Raquel Gonzalez was lying in wait outside of the cage. Since the Street Fight at TakeOver: Portland it has left fans wanting more and to see if Nox can get some retribution. The match hit many great spots.
Some big spots included a massive chokeslam from Nox to Kai from the top rope but Kai wouldn’t stay down. She would go right after her foe with some vicious kicks. The two would then run back and forth following each other from corner to corner. Each woman would take a turn of offense resulting in a two count from Nox.
A few moments later, Nox would climb up to the top of the cage and realize that Gonzalez was waiting for her on the outside. She decides to hit a cross body from the top of the steel structure which is said to be 20 feet in the air.
Nox would take advantage of this situation and try to escape out of the door of the cage. As the referee on the outside was opening the door, Gonzalez closed it shut by sandwiching the referee between her and the door. Nox not sure what to do at this moment was able to narrowly escape a kick from Kai. Kai inadvertently kicked open the door knocking down Gonzalez.
After Kai was hung up on the top rope from her kick for just a moment – Shiniest Wizard from Nox! Just when everyone thought that was it, Kai kicked out at two. The crowd chants for another Shiniest Wizard, but Nox heads towards the door instead. Gonzalez is between Nox and victory. Gonzalez is on the ring apron and stops her from exiting so she heads up the cage to climb over the top.
Kai quickly makes her way up to the ring to stop her, but Nox is able to knock her back down to the mat. Gonzalez tries to pull Kai out of the steel cage door but Nox, who is still at the top of the cage, kicks the door onto Kai’s surgically repaired knee. Nox attempts to climb down the cage for the win, but Gonzalez traps her in between the door and the side of the cage. This allows Kai to crawl out of the cage and hits the outside floor with a win.
Nox is left on the side of the cage completely stunned.
There is no guarantee that this will be the last we see of these two, however, Mauro Ranallo alluded to it. He originally stated this is the final chapter but then corrected himself saying – will it be? The WWE Twitter account seems to think it is “far from over.”
The second match of the night had implications in a different way. Instead of a personal vendetta, tonight saw a first qualifying match. There will be a series of qualifying matches leading up to the number one contender ladder match at TakeOver: Tampa Bay on April 4. This first match saw Shotzi Blackheart vs. Chelsea Green.
Green continued her momentum from a prior win over Kayden Carter by defeating Blackheart. Blackheart was a strong fan favorite to move on from this match, but she fell short to Green’s finisher, the I’m Prettier.
There is currently no fully explained structure to these qualifying matches. It is unsure if the ladder match at TakeOver will just be one-on-one or have multiple opponents. The confusion continues with this post from NXT’s Twitter. This states that Green is heading to TakeOver already
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week.
WINNER: Dakota Kai
Dakota continues to pull out victories. Sure, it is with the help of Raquel but they are wins nonetheless. We will have to see if this feud continues…at this point though with a Street Fight and a Cage Match they can’t simply have a regular match at this point. So what’s next?
WINNER: Chelsea Green
I am still not buying the “Robert Stone Brand,” however, I still support Chelsea in her climb. She has picked up a big win to advance towards the number one contender ladder match at TakeOver: Tampa Bay. After not using Chelsea for a good while, it is good to see her getting tv time. I do wish they wouldn’t have broken up
As previously discussed, the structure of these qualifying matches is a little confusing. According to the way NXT’s tweet reads, Green is in the ladder match at this point. With still several weeks left until the event, it sounds like it could be more than just two competitors.
LOSER: Shotzi Blackheart
Shotzi has been a fan favorite since putting ink to paper and signing with WWE. Many felt that she would be in this upcoming number one contender match so it definitely is a blow to her placement on the roster. This is especially head-scratching since she did get a small push that won fans over when she eliminated Shayna Baszler from the Battle Royal in January.
Perhaps Blackheart shouldn’t have been Chelsea’s opponent tonight. Chelsea losing at this point wouldn’t have made any sense either.
What did you think of this week’s NXT? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below!
