NXT recap: 4/24/19

We got another action-packed broadcast of NXT this week. There is never a dull moment with this brand. There was a new ring announcer on the show. Her name is Alicia Taylor, and she did a pretty good job. With the normal ring announcer Kayla Braxton now working on the Smackdown brand, that leaves the job up for grabs. I wish her well. Now let’s get into the recap!

The first match of the night was between Jaxson Ryker (Formally Gunner in TNA Impact Wrestling) of the Forgotten Sons vs. the high flyer Humberto Carrillo. You have a great clash of styles here. Ryker is as tough as they come. Carrillo brings that exciting cruiserweight style to the mix. Ryker was dominant early on, but Carrillo got some good offense in as the match continued. Ryker snaps later on, and the match ends up in the crowd. He hits Carrillo with a series of knee strikes. The match ends in a double count-out, while Ryker continues the attack on Carrillo outside the ring.

Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan come out to help Carrillo and begin to brawl with The Forgotten Sons. They grabbed a couple of chairs for insurance purposes. I wish the match could have continued because it was going well. This sets up a potential feud with these men, and I am definitely fine with that.

Next up is Adam Cole (Bay Bay). He is doing a photo shoot and is asked about the Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Gargano match. Cole says Johnny is afraid to face the leader of the Undisputed Era. He goes on to say Strong will beat Johnny just like he would. Out of nowhere, Matt Riddle shows up and says that he is next up for his photo shoot. Riddle feels that Cole is jealous of Strong getting the match with Johnny. Cole says he has got bigger things to worry about than Riddle. This looks like another potential feud in the works with these two.

Our next match of the night is Vanessa Borne and Aliyah vs. Candice LeRae and a partner of her choosing. Candice picked the rising star, Kacy Catanzaro. I was very impressed with her in this match, and I like the chemistry with Aliyah and Vanessa here too. Candice LeRae picks up the win with the SpringBoard Moonsault. I am so happy for her. Candice is very talented, and her skill has gotten lost because of her involvement in the Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa feud. She now has an opportunity to come into her own. Her and Kacy as a team can be something special.

Next, we get a recap from last week’s NXT Woman’s Title match. Cathy Kelley interviews Io Shirai to get her thoughts on the actions that took place last week. She barely gets a word out before she is attacked by Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Shafir. Duke and Shafir hold Shirai down while Baszler hits her with a vicious knee strike. This is another feud that is being built up. The question now is, who will help Shirai now that Kairi Sane is on the Smackdown roster?

They show a little video package highlighting the signing of the newest addition to the NXT roster, Kushida. He will make his debut next week. General Manager, William Regal, is interviewed, and he is very excited about the signing. Kassius Ohno shows up. He has been working on the NXT UK brand as of late. He pleads his case to be Kushida’s first opponent. Regal likes the idea and makes it official. I can not wait to see this match! Ohno really knows how to put over the new talent. This will be my first time seeing Kushida in the ring, and I look forward to seeing how he adapts to the NXT atmosphere.

The Viking Raiders, formerly known as the War Raiders, take on The Street Profits in the next match. This match exceeded my expectations. I am watching The Viking Raiders’ entrance and all of a sudden I see Montez Ford dive over the top rope taking them out in the process. It looked like The Street Profits were gonna pick up the quick win, but it did not happen after a near fall. These two teams continue to battle. The Street Profits really took it to the NXT Tag Team champions, but in the end, The Viking Raiders pick up the win. They are so athletic for their size. They did not stay down long after The Street Profits got a fast start. Now that The Viking Raiders are on Raw, it will be interesting to see how much longer we see them on the NXT Brand. Also, who will take the tag team titles off of them? Only time will tell.

Mia Yim is interviewed backstage. She talks about what has been going on in the Woman’s Division with Shayna Baszler as champion. Mia says she has learned a lot from her last match with the champ, and she wants another opportunity to compete against her. I can see Mia working with Io Shirai in her upcoming feud with Shayna, Jessamyn, and Marina. That seems to be where things are heading.

This week’s main event features Johnny Gargano vs. Roderick Strong. These are, pound for pound, two of the best wrestlers on the roster. We got some excellent chain wrestling with these two guys early on in this match. Johnny Wrestling hits a nice slingshot spear on Strong. We got a few backbreakers from Strong as well. He is so good with those, and it has definitely become one of his trademarks.

Later in the match, Adam Cole came down to the ring. He is telling Johnny he is not a champion and that he is a joke. Matt Riddle along with the rest of the Undisputed Era come out as well. They brawl a bit, and Cole accidentally hits Strong with a superkick. Johnny takes advantage and hits Strong with a Slingshot DDT to pick up the win. Strong was not happy even though he tried to play it cool. The show ends with the Undisputed Era leaving the ring and going backstage.

This was another good week of NXT. Good matches, potential feuds set up, and more tension within the Undisputed Era. That could be one of the best feuds in the history of the brand. I want to give a big shout out to Kacy Catanzaro for liking my tweet. I gave her credit for her match this week. That was cool to see!

If you want to hear me talk more about the NXT product, check out the podcast I host on the We Talk Now Network. It is called “We Talk Next.” It can be found on Podbean. Myself and my friend, Keda Hubbard, recap NXT each week. I will post a link below to the episode from last week as well as the Twitter handle with my own account. Until next time, take care and continue to support the NXT brand!

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-2b778-aea78d

Twitter: @WTNETWORK1 @MoneyMakerChris