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The March 3 edition of WWE NXT was a night of tag team excellence as the WWE women's tag team champions made a special appearance on the black-and-gold brand.
Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler have been dominant tag team champions, but Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai ran through the women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to earn this shot. Everything is on the line as Kai and Gonzalez may never get another chance at the gold.
After The Grizzled Young Veterans attacked the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners MSK, it left NXT tag team champions Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan without an opponent for this week. Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher stepped up for a non-title clash with the champs.
These two big matches were sure to define the night, but there was more promised in the form of pure insane entertainment.
Johnny Gargano lost last week to Dexter Lumis after Austin Theory hesitated to help him. The Rebel Heart decided it was time for The Way to take the recently abducted star to therapy.
After weeks of taunting the NXT Universe, LA Knight was finally ready to make his presence felt on the black-and-gold brand. The charismatic star had plenty to say about his bright future.
This week's NXT was a mix of massive matches and ridiculous entertainment, but it was as always a matter of how WWE balance this choatic blend of talent.
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Timothy Thatcher went after Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan early, attacking with ferocity until the numbers got to be too much for him. Tommaso Ciampa helped him, but he did not let his partner recover before tagging him back in, landing poorly on his leg off a suplex.
Hitting a second wind with pure adrenaline, Thatcher and Ciampa fought together, but Imperium appeared on the stage, distracting The Blackheart from getting the tag. The champions hit an elevated DDT on the vulnerable Thatcher to win.
Backstage later in the night, Thatcher said his history with Imperium is in the past.
Result
Burch and Lorcan def. Ciampa and Thatcher by pinfall.
Grade
B+
Analysis
This was a physical and intense technical showdown. However, it was a little too focused on Thatcher to reach its peak. Ciampa barely got involved for much of the match. This is a pairing that needs to happen with time and spotlight down the line.
Imperium's arrival was fascinating. WALTER has yet to arrive in NXT again, but the teases continue. Especially if MSK win the NXT Tag Team Championships, Imperium could have a fantastic feud against the tag team champions while WALTER begins to dominate the black-and-gold brand.
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Roderick Strong called out Adam Cole, asking if he had ever been a friend to Undisputed Era. Finn Balor answered Strong's call-out. He told Strong to get greedy if he ever wanted to thrive. The Prince offered Cole an NXT Championship match next week if he showed up.
The Way wanted to talk to Linda Nicoli, MD. Austin Theory said he was on vacation with Dexter Lumis while Indi Hartwell doodled about herself and The Tortured Artist. The psychologist called out Johnny Gargano, and Johnny Wrestling lost it until the doctor forced him to leave the room.
Candice LeRae and Hartwell kept talking over Theory until they were thrown out of the room as well. This left Dr. Nicoli to ask Theory about what really happened to him with Lumis. The young star explained that he got a chance to watch cartoons and eat cereal.
The psychologist told Theory that she had spoken with Lumis, and he had told her that The Tortured Artist hated Theory. After Theory cried his way out of the ring, Gargano revealed he had staged the whole thing without letting Theory know.
Grade
B
Analysis
This was a solid follow-up to last week. Strong was motivated and sold the idea that he wanted to truly hurt Cole for betraying them. Balor's arrival threw a wrench in the story in a great way. Balor vs. Cole has been done, but it works as a way to build next week's show.
The Prince has not qualms about fighting anyone. It makes him a more dangerous champion. He has been sold as one of the absolute best champions in WWE. His performances have backed it up in the best run of his career to date.
The therapy segments were fun as most of the recent segment with The Way have been. Theory has truly found his voice with Gargano, going as ridiculous as possible. It is good to see him thriving finally after his overhyped surprise run on Raw.
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Aliyah played far too cocky against Ember Moon, and it backfired. The War Goddess got rolling, driven by pure speed. Robert Stone and Jessi Kamea tried to distract Moon. Shotzi Blackheart took them out then The War Goddess won with The Eclipse.
NXT showed a vignette to hype the history of Io Shirai and Toni Storm. The Genius of the Sky saw Storm as the final obstacle while Storm shined with pure confidence for the match next week.
Result
Moon def. Aliyah by pinfall.
Grade
D+
Analysis
Aliyah remains the most well-known enhancement talent on the roster. She does not raise the talent on the opponent faces but can put them over in semi-competitive matches. This was particularly just about keeping The War Goddess on the show.
Blackheart and Moon have now been fully established as a tag team. It seem like NXT is accepting that the brand needs a full tag team division. It is the best way to keep everyone relevant in a packed division.
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Dakota Kai came into this match confident, but she found herself outmatched by the capable and technical style of Shayna Baszler. Nia Jax helped beat down The Captain of Team Kick, trying to keep her away from Raquel Gonzalez.
Kai was too motivated to stay down and fought her way to her tag team partner. Off the hot tag, Gonzalez dominated The Queen of Spades. This set up Jax and Gonzalez to face off in a battle of power that The Irresistible Force was not interesting in continuing.
The challengers hit an elevated snap kick on Baszler for a near-finish. The Queen of Spades nearly had the win with the Kirifuda Clutch, but Gonzalez broke it up and got the tag. The referee went down as the two heavyweights in this fight battled over the announce table.
Baszler caught Kai in the Kirifuda Clutch. Even though The Captain was not legal, Adam Pearce had an official run down and call the match for the champions.
Result
Jax and Baszler def. Gonzalez and Kai by submission to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
Grade
A
Analysis
This was a fun match that built to a feverish conclusion. While these teams have better in them, it was the best match the WWE women's tag team champions have had since winning the gold. They brought it against a team that fit so well with their dynamic.
The finish set up plenty of intrigue. Kai and Gonzalez did not lose legitimately, and it was thanks to Pearce. NXT tag teams have been kept away from the tag team gold for so long, and it is the right time to let them fully integrate into the story.
It seems like Kai and Gonzalez could be invading Monday Night Raw soon to get their deserved rematch. That is a story that could extend to WrestleMania.
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Isaiah "Swerve" Scott talked from a studio where he wanted to make very clear that Leon Ruff did not deserve his opportunities. He promised to do anything that was needed to get deserved opportunities.
LA Knight stepped into an NXT ring for the first time and had quite a bit to say about his future in NXT. He talked down to the roster, promising he would put down anyone that stepped into his ring. Bronson Reed arrived for his match as Knight kindly let The Colossal take the ring.
William Regal found Cameron Grimes backstage gambling. The NXT general manager told Grimes that he would face Reed tonight for attacking a crew member last week. Grimes tried to buy his way out of the match, but Reed was not interested, sending the money flying.
Knight returned to the ring as The Colossal prepared for the Avalanche. He helped The Technical Savage knock Reed off the top rope, setting up the Cave-In for the win.
Result
Grimes def. Reed by pinfall.
Grade
B
Analysis
Knight is finally starting to find his spot in NXT. His promos are a little too similar week to week, but he should be able to find a better angle to run with now that he has a rival. Knight vs. Reed is a solid first feud, though The Colossal could lose steam by the end of this.
After his evolution, Grimes may start to build more steam as a competitor. He is too ridiculous to take seriously. However, he remains a unique presence in the company. It is important to make sure NXT feels as different as possible from wrestler to wrestler.
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Kayden Carter told Xia Li that she would make her pay for what happened to Kacy Catanzaro next week. NXT aired a vignette for Finn Balor vs. Adam Cole.
Ever-Rise were prepared to fight Breezango, but Legado del Fantasma struck. They laid out Breezango then Santos Escobar took out Ever-Rise. The angry trio stood in the ring while Escobar declared that this group was still as good as ever, even after losing to Karrion Kross.
Grade
B-
Analysis
Legado del Fantasma needed to build momentum after an embarrassing loss last week. The trio together could not defeat Kross. This was a fine way to make that clear as they took out four men. Tyler Breeze and Fandango could even be set up as the next challengers to the NXT cruiserweight champion.
Even though they did not get to compete, it is nice to see NXT continue to use Ever-Rise, who are also regularly on 205 Live. It feels like Chase Parker and Matt Martel are being rewarded in little ways to start for their work.
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Finn Balor wore down Roderick Strong with a shoulder lock. While The Messiah of the Backbreaker escaped, the damage to his left shoulder was obvious, allowing The Prince to keep striking at the injured arm. Strong fought back with backbreakers that left Balor moving slower.
The two wrestled again to the corner where Balor could not stop himself from taunting his opponent. This set off The Messiah of the Backbreaker, who went off with an intense second wind.
Reversal after reversal between these nearly ended it. However, Strong could not put this away, and The Prince caught him with the Coup de Grace and 1916 for the victory. Adam Cole stared down the NXT champion from the stage.
Result
Balor def. Strong by pinfall.
Grade
B+
Analysis
This should not have been the main event, especially with the surprise finish that came out of the tag team title match. That said, The Prince and The Messiah of the Backbreaker have solid chemistry in the ring, and it showed throughout.
The importance of this match was to sell Strong as more than a secondary member of Undisputed Era. Strong pushed Balor throughout, setting up for his potential opportunity at the NXT Title. It seems the future is Balor trying to survive three of the four former members of Undisputed Era.
It was smart, even with that goal, for Balor to continue winning. He has been sold as absolutely dominant, and a 50-50 booking cannot hurt that now.
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WWE NXT Results: Winners, Grades, Reaction and Highlights from March 3 - Bleacher Report
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