Tonight is the night NXT fans have been waiting for, as the yellow and black fan-favorite brand of WWE starts its journey on USA Network, though tonight’s show is splitting time with the WWE Network as well. You knew Triple H and William Regal would pull out all the stops for the big premiere, and that included a much-anticipated bout between the Velveteen Dream and Undisputed member Roderick Strong, as Strong looked to computed the Undisputed ERA’s hold on NXT’s title picture. After tonight, it seems that Strong will now add his own title gold to the mix.
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The two superstars started out with more locks and holds, attempting to keep the other one grounded. Dream managed to get the better of Strong early, causing some frustration in Strong, but Strong would mount a comeback.
Most of this match though was contained to the mat, aside from a few aerial spots. There were some close calls throughout, and at one point Dream even sent Strong into the stairs.
The action would pick up a bit later in the match, and both superstars traded some hard-hitting strikes, including one huge kick to Dream’s face. Strong dished out another hard knee and then tied Dream up in the ropes. He eventually got him into the Stronghold after Dream tried to counter a pin, but Dream somehow got ahold of the ropes.
The rest of the ERA came out to the ring and surrounded it, yelling at Strong to hit another gear. Dream and Strong then traded blows and Dream mounted a comeback, but Strong threw Dream into the referee, knocking him out.
Dream kept them at bay but they were too much and Strong hit him with a move that should have finished him but again, somehow Dream kicked out. Dream almost came back again but Cole hit Dream when the referee couldn’t see him and that was too much for Dream, as Strong got the pin.
Before tonight Strong found himself the lone member out without a title to hoist over his shoulder, as Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly had the NXT Tag Team Title while Adam Cole is the current NXT Champion. Strong set his sights on Dream’s North American Championship, even going so far as to set his purple couch on fire during a previous episode of NXT.
You can check out the complete announced card for NXT‘s big USA debut below.
NXT North American Championship Match: Velveteen Dream vs. The Undisputed ERA’s Roderick Strong
No Disqualifications Street Fight Match: Matt Riddle vs. Killian Dain
Fatal 4-Way No. 1 Contender Match: Mia Yim vs. Bianca Belair vs. Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai
NXT airs on USA Network every Wednesday 7 pm CST.
What do you think of the show so far? Let us know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things NXT!
