NXT Quick Takes 7/13/21

Sean Covington
Jul 17, 2021
2 min read

Dakota Kai vs Ember Moon

Kai wins a NXT style opening match, reminiscent of the old school of the black and yellow brand. I was expecting Moon to win but I was wrong. Kai picks up a win and will probably be in line for a title shot in no time.

Immediately after the match, Xia Li steps straight to Raquel Gonzalez right by Dakota Kai, challenging for the NXT Women’s Championship.

Rust vs Fish

Bobby Fish challenged Strong but Rust stepped up to the plate. Rust is good and Fish is good but the match could have been much much more, I’m a little disappointed they didn’t go all out to get us more interested in Diamond Mine. Rust wins via distraction, Kushida saves Fish from a post match beatdown.

Grimey butler

LA Knight and Cameron Grimes are great together, they need to stay together as long as they can. Grimes makes a fool of Knight without even trying, he is just naturally a cool guy and Knight hates it.

Gigi Dolin vs Sarray

I really liked this match. Gigi was great, her backstage interview was weird but at least it was different. Mandy Rose shows up distracting both women, leading to Sarray winning and a ton of speculation. Everyone involved has a promising future.

Santos Escobar vs Lumis

Escobar is trying to climb back to the top. Indi carries Lumis and Candace stops them from kissing. Hit Row interrupted the celebration and set the stage for an upcoming 6 man tag match.

Ikemen Jiro vs Duke Hudson

First round breakout tournament

Great match, excellent storytelling, fast paced as well. I can’t wait to see these two guys at a Takeover. Duke should just steal Wade Barrett’s entire gimmick and moveset, he will do well with it. As for Jiro, I get Funaki vibes and that’s a very good thing. Funaki may seem like a joke but he was adored by fans and super over no matter what, as solid as they come in the ring and got more TV time than anyone on the midcard nowadays.

Kayden Carter and Catanzaro vs the Rob Stone brand

Two tag teams I wanted to see go to the main roster. Good match from start to finish for everyone involved. Aliyah stomps Robert Stone after the match, seemingly turning babyface and leaving NXT. Frankie steals Jessie Kamea, Robert Stone is done.

Kross[c] vs Gargano

Special guest ref Samoa Joe was a real treat all show, explaining the rules to Kross and Johnny throughout the show in backstage segments. The crowd was really behind Gargano but Kross came across as a dirty heel, earning some respect from the audience. Kross wins clean and when he is done with Johnny Gargano he lets Samoa Joe get some. With NXT’s special enforcer provoked, what will happen next?

Honorable mentions