NXT, Tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* A special announcement will be made
* Velveteen Dream challenges Gargano for NXT North American Title
* Aleister Black goes one-on-one with Roderick Strong
* Mia Yim squares off with Xia Li
* The Original Bro speaks out
This week in WWE, RAW and SmackDown audiences were exposed to some of the most talented stars NXT has to offer when Ricochet, Aleister Black, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, and NXT World Champion Tommaso Ciampa made their main roster debuts on WWE TV.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that WWE had a different episode of RAW put together sometime last week, one that didn’t include any new call ups. A week of ratings continuing to decline, All Elite Wrestling continuing to gain momentum, and the announcement that Undertaker is joining Starrcast 2 on AEW Double Or Nothing weekend, left McMahon feeling “off”.
McMahon decided to add some top tier wrestlers to the main roster, so he accessed the pool of available NXT stars and asked them to fly out their best four guys. Meltzer notes that Triple H didn’t initially know about the call ups and there was a lack of communication throughout the process.
The RAW match that ultimately saw Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor & new NXT call up, Ricochet, was reportedly set to be Finn Balor vs. Ricochet in a singles match just before the show aired. It’s believed that Triple H made the call to switch up the singles match between the two babyface characters because he was concerned about how the crowd would react, and he didn’t want either star going over the other after Balor had just won the title and Ricochet had just debuted.
It was also noted that, for the foreseeable future, Ricochet, Black, Gargano, and Ciampa will be performing on WWE NXT, RAW, and SmackDown. The idea is to give each superstar their respective push and be “put over like crazy” in the process.
It will be interesting to see how this translates to NXT’s TakeOver special on WrestleMania weekend. It was mentioned that NXT already had storylines and a card laid out for the upcoming TakeOver event but the sudden change of plans may alter that.
Source: Wrestling Inc
Fresh off the heels of NXT Stars – Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet & Aleister Black debuting on RAW and SmackDown live this week, WWE is teasing a “special announcement” for this week’s episode of NXT.
WWE.com posted the following:
Get ready, because this week’s NXT will feature a special announcement. With no additional details currently available, speculation about what’s in store for the black-and-gold brand is running wild. Be among the first to find out when NXT streams Wednesday at 8/7 C on WWE Network.
Last night in the opening segment of RAW, Triple H announced that NXT Stars – Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa would debut on RAW later in the show.
Video packages were played to hype each competitor.
The footage WWE shared on social media was captioned “Triple H introduces WWE’s newest Superstars” and Michael Cole welcomed them to WWE, so it sounds like a permanent call up. No word on what this will mean for Ciampa’s current NXT Championship run and Gargano appeared on RAW as the NXT North American Champion.
Ricochet teamed with WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor to defeat Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush in tag team action. The match was made after Ricochet saved Balor from a double team by Rush and Lashley. The match saw Ricochet get the pin on Rush after hitting the 630 from the top rope.
Johnny Gargano teamed up with former DIY partner Tommaso Ciampa to defeat the RAW Tag Team champions The Revival.
Aleister Black interrupted Elias then went on to defeat him in a singles match.
NXT, streaming today at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Ricochet vs. Adam Cole II
* What does Kassius Ohno have to say?
* Taynara Conti takes on Aliyah
* Street Profits prepare to bounce back
* Dominik Dijakovic meets Shane Thorne
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 p.m. ET on WWE Network.
* Johnny Gargano kicks off NXT
* Belair & The Sky Pirates battle Baszler, Shafir & Duke
* Drew Gulak’s campaign comes to NXT
* The Forgotten Sons’ heavy hitter storms the ring
WWE shared a video on Wednesday confirming what many had already suspected — Sarah Logan was one of the Vikings in War Raiders’ entrance at TakeOver.
“I’m gonna be a Viking for my husband’s first-ever TakeOver title match,” an excited Logan says at the top of the Performance Center video.
Rowe later revealed in the video that the crew also included his brother and sister.
After their big title win at the event, the tag team were interviewed with Logan by their side. “They always say aim for the stars and you’re gonna be ok,” her husband Rowe explained in the video. “This was the stars. This was the impossible dream.”
Watch the full behind the scenes video below.
WWE NXT streaming tonight at 8/7 C on WWE Network.
* The Streets Profits vs. The Forgotten Sons
* Kairi Sane & Io Shirai vs. Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke
* NXT TakeOver: Phoenix aftermath
WWE officials want to air Sunday’s Halftime Heat special live so there are no spoilers, and so it’s another piece of original live content for the WWE Network, according to PWInsider.
The current plan is to hold the match inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, streaming it live to the WWE Network and other WWE digital platforms. WWE could bring local fans into the PC so there’s a crowd, or they could use a bunch of wrestlers as extras in the crowd. They could also do an “empty arena” match like they did with The Rock and WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley years ago. It was previously speculated that the match would be taped at Wednesday’s WWE NXT TV tapings from Full Sail University.
As noted, the match will air during halftime of the NFL’s Super Bowl LIII on Sunday. It will be NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole vs. Ricochet, Aleister Black and The Velveteen Dream. WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels will serve as a guest commentator.
Source: WrestlingINC
Shawn Michaels announced during the Royal Rumble pre-show that next Sunday during halftime Super Bowl LIII, WWE will air a 6-Man Tag Match – Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream & Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa & Adam Cole.
