WWE NXT Stars Working Dark Match

By Timothy Adams

Two members of the NXT roster received a dark match on the latest episode of WWE SmackDown. Even with WWE releasing a number of talent from the main roster and in NXT, the company is still looking to see what Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly have to offer after booking them for an untelevised match. John Pollock of POST Wrestling (via Fightful) reports Gargano and O'Reilly faced each other in a dark match before Friday's SmackDown in Evansville. As of now, there isn't an update on who won the match between the NXT stars, but both have continuously entertained fans separately, so it's safe to assume those in attendance were not disappointed.

This week's NXT 2.0 saw Gargano and his tag team partner Dexter Lumis lose to NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams. As for O'Reilly, he also competed in a tag team with Von Wagner against Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza), with O'Reilly and Wagner coming up the losers in the contest.

It was reported in September that Johnny Gargano's WWE contract is scheduled to expire on December 3rd. He is an NXT Triple Crown Champion, having won the NXT World Champion, North American and Tag Team titles. "I made my choice. I poured my heart and soul into this brand for YEARS. You think I'm gonna leave now that everything I helped work towards is finally happening? Not a chance! The phrase going 'up' is dead. We're THE Main Roster now. #WeAreNXT and when you're NXT.. you're NXT," Gargano wrote on Twitter back in 2019.

The first signs of O'Reilly and Wagner becoming a tag team began to fester in October in an episode of NXT. The superstars met out of the ring when O'Reilly was on a dirtbike, and Wagner rode up next to him in a pickup truck. They then head out into the woods to bond while training and sharing stories. O'Reilly is a three-time NXT Tag Team Champion and former member of the Undisputed Era with Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong. The group broke up, with O'Reilly entering into a fierce rivalry with Cole before he left WWE to sign with the company's competitor, AEW. Cole was in a similar position as O'Reilly, with his contract expiring and the opportunity to sign elsewhere. 

How do you think Johnny Gargano and Kyle O'Reilly would do on WWE's main roster? Let us know in the comments!

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