NXT Highlights 5-6-20
- Sean Covington
- May 9, 2020
- 3 min read
Johnny Gargano vs Dijak
New music for Gargano, much needed for his heel turn. Candace LeRae helped Gargano get the victory with the one final beat ddt. Gargano’s stock is certainly on the rise. Dijak is in a tough spot but I think he is best suited for SmackDown and Gargano needs this win a lot more.
Io Shirai vs Charlotte Flair [c]
Good match, Io was giving Charlotte all she could handle them Charlotte did what any heel would do, she cheated. They have booked Charlotte like this before and that’s not good, she is capable of beating people so just let her, this made her look weak, unlike what they did when she beatdown Ronda Rousey. Rhea Ripley took out Charlotte then got an ear full from Io Shirai. Overall Charlotte winning was a foregone conclusion no matter how we got there. Io needs that title, I’m not sure what the plans are but Rhea Ripley may get the short end of the stick which is problematic in terms of building a new star in the company.
Tozawa vs Jack Gallagher
Tozawa was on a roll until the gentleman derailed his momentum. Akira was able to rebound pretty quickly and move on to go 2-0 in the tournament. Jobbing on Raw just doesn’t hold as much weight as the critics think. Gallagher is 0-2 but he’ll play spoiler to someone at some point. Gallagher has a lot left to offer NXT and guys like Dexter Lumis will get some significant, hard-fought victories over him. When it’s time to put Gallagher over it’ll be well worth the wait.
Xia li vs Chelsea Green
Green gets the win via distraction from Aliyah who has had her issues with Xia Li. This is a good spot for everyone involved. Aliyah needs her gimmick filtered through a manager and if Vanessa Bourne is still there she can also benefit from it. I was hoping Taynara Conti would be a part of something like this but she is a victim of budget cuts.
Karrion Kross
The man can make an entrance, I’ll tell you that. It was reminiscent of seeing Demon Balor for the first time. The match was a squash and Kross displayed his patented intensity. I don’t think there is any more that can be said about Kross and Scarlett.
Jake Atlas vs Kushida
The Time Splitter moves to 2-0 along with Akira Tozawa. Kushida is no stranger to tournaments and he has been the favorite from the start of this tournament. Jake Atlas was nearly squashed, the match wasn’t long but he’s had some moments in this tournament already. I would have liked to have seen a longer bout between Atlas and Kushida but perhaps that is something we will see down the line.
Grime time
Cameron Grimes gets the quick squash after a scary first few seconds from his opponent. Grimes gets some mic time to drop a promo afterward, challenging Balor for a push. Balor came out to put an end to all of that tough talk. This Finn Balor is intense, can’t wait to see Balor and Kross in a long, heated feud.
Adam Cole [c] vs Velveteen Dream
A hard hitting affair, with plenty of aggression pushing the pace of the match. Dream looked focused, this was the most polished he has ever looked in the ring. I liked that there was no nonsense, just wrestling. When there were shenanigans Dexter Lumis appeared from beneath the ring to help the Dream. I liked the last second appearance by Lumis and the UE. Overall a very solid match, something we just don’t get to see everywhere.
Honorable mentions
Riddle and Thatcher make a statement addressing Imperium. Imperium cut a promo challenging for the titles earlier in the night.
Finn Balor speaks.
Final take
The empty arena shows really helped the WWE production teams hide things better. There are plenty of little things that are easy for veteran eyes to see within a wrestling match but the lack of fans has put a much needed attention to detail on areas that make the show run that much smoother. The product is really good right now and the lack of audience has not hindered anything whatsoever. This is the best wrestling product in the world and they show it every week.
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