5/23/18 WWE NXT Recap: TM-61 vs. Heavy Machinery; Sane vs. Evans; Sullivan vs. Ricochet/Dream Main Event
The opening credits roll and then Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, and Percy Watson welcome us to the show. We see that Lars Sullivan will take on Ricochet and The Velveteen Dream in a Handicap Match later tonight.
Match #1 – Tag Team Match: Heavy Machinery (Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic) vs. TM-61 (Shane Thorne and Nick Miller)
Dozovic and Thorne start the match and Thorne toys around with Dozovic. Dozovic comes back and drops Thorne with a few shoulder tackles and Knight tags in. They drop Thorne with a double shoulder block and Knight goes for the cover, but Thorne kicks out at two. Knight lifts Thorne up and delivers an atomic drop. Miller tags in, but Knight takes him down with a hip toss. Knight smashes Miller in the corner and Dozovic takes Thorne out. Dozovic and Knight slam Thorne into Miller in the corner and then Knight slams Miller into the opposite corner. Knight slams Miller into the corner again and then a third time. Thorne tags in and takes Knight down to the mat and then delivers uppercuts in the corner. Thorne delivers knee strikes and Miller tags back in. Miller delivers right hands in the corner and then a knee strike of his own.
Thorne tags back in and keeps Knight grounded on the mat. Miller tags back in and delivers a right hand to Knight’s midsection. Knight fights back, but Miller gets the advantage right back and tags Thorne back in. Thorne goes for a suplex on Knight, but settles for an uppercut. Miller tags back in, but Knight double suplexes both of them. Dozovic tags in and he runs over Miller and Thorne repeatedly. Dozovic slams Miller down to the mat and sends Thorne to the floor. Dozovic connects with the Caterpillar and an elbow drop and goes for the cover, but Thorne breaks it up at two. Knight gets back into the ring and tosses Thorne across the ring. Kngiht charges in the corner, but Throne moves and Knight falls to the floor. Dozovic tosses Miller across the ring and goes to the middle rope. Thorne kicks him in the face and Miller puts his feet on the ropes and gets the pin fall.
Winners: TM-61.
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We see a vignette with Bianca Belair. We will see an in-depth look at Belair on next week’s show with a “Who is Bianca Belair” video package.
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Back from the break, we see a vignette with EC3. He says his presence is already taking effect and he has only had three matches. He says just wait and see what is in store for his fourth match.
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Match #2 – Singles Match: Kairi Sane vs. Lacey Evans
Sane drops Evans with a dropkick and then backs her against the ropes. They tie up and Evans backs Sane into the ropes this time. Evans delivers a chop and Sane fires up. Sane goes behind and then slaps Evans across the chest. Sane drops Evans with a modified blockbuster and goes for the cover, but Evans kicks out at two. Evans comes back and whips Sane into the corner and then kicks her in the midsection. Evans works on Sane’s knee and goes for the cover, but Sane kicks out at two. Evans applies a modified Cobra Clutch, and takes Sane down to the mat. Evans delivers a knee strike to Sane’s elbow and then kicks her in the chest. Evans slams Sane into the corner and then wraps Sane’s arm around the ropes for leverage.
Evans stomps Sane down to the mat and then delivers the bronco buster. Evans goes for the cover, but Sane kicks out at two. Evans bends Sane’s neck over her knee, but Sane counters with a kick to the face. Sane delivers a blockbuster and then an ax kick to the back of Evans’ head. Sane delivers a spear and Evans falls into the corner. Sane delivers the Sliding D in the corner, but Evans rolls to the floor. Sane delivers an elbow shot from the stairs and tosses Evans back into the ring. Sane goes up top and goes for the elbow drop, but Evans counters with the Woman’s Right and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Lacey Evans.
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We see Cathy Kelly outside of the NXT Arena. She runs up to Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae, who are walking toward the arena. Gargano is still wearing a neckbrace and says he and Candice have assessed the future and they have come to a decision. He says that he will tell everyone their decision in the ring.
We see that Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet and The Velveteen Dream in a Handicap Match is after the break.
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We take a look back to last week’s main event, which saw Oney Lorcan, Danny Burch, and Pete Dunne defeat The Undisputed ERA in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. We see an interview with Lorcan and Burch. Lorcan says they have earned the right to be the number one contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Burch says they beat them once and they will beat them again to take the titles. We then see the Undisputed ERA. Adam Cole says Lorcan, Burch, and Dunne were the luckiest men on Earth last week. Roderick Strong says there is no way Lorcan and Burch are facing them at TakeOver: Chicago II. Kyle O’Reilly mispronounces their names and says nobody knows who they are. Bobby Fish says the charade comes to an end soon and Strong challenges Burch to a match.
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Match #3 – Handicap Match: Lars Sullivan vs. Ricochet and The Velveteen Dream
Dream starts the match, but Sullivan tosses him across the ring. Ricochet tags in and Sullivan slams him down to the mat. Dreams tags back in and they double team Sullivan with right hands. They double dropkick him into the ropes and finally take him off his feet. Dream goes for the cover, but Sullivan kicks out at one. Dream delivers ax-handle shots and tags in Ricochet. They back Sullivan into the corner and deliver right hands and elbows. Sullivan fights back and tosses Ricochet into the corner. Ricochet delivers a kick and then dropkicks Sullivan into the corner. Dream tags in and he and Ricochet double team Sullivan again. They deliver a double superkick and they both go for the cover, but Sullivan kicks out again.
They keep the attack going, but Sullivan fights back and drops both of them with lariats. Sullivan smashes Dream in the corner and then tosses him across the ring. Sullivan goes for the cover, but Dream kicks out at two. Sullivan rakes the face of Dream and then delivers a kidney shot. Sullivan drives his shoulder into Dream in the corner and then slams him into the opposite corner. Sullivan goes for the cover, but Dream kicks out at two. Sullivan delivers cross-face shots and then a chin bar submission down on the mat. Sullivan delivers a knee shot and then a forearm shot across the back. Sullivan delivers a power slam and goes for the cover, but Dream kicks out at two. Sullivan goes up top and delivers a diving headbutt to Dream’s back. Sullivan goes for the cover, but Ricochet breaks it up at two. Sullivan chases Ricochet around the outside and then Dream delivers the Purple Rainmaker to Sullivan as he gets back into the ring. Dream tags in Ricochet.
Ricochet delivers forearm shots and chops. Ricochet delivers a few kicks and sends Sullivan to the corner. Ricochet delivers a spinning kick and Dream drops Sullivan with a cross-body. Ricochet delivers a standing shooting star press and goes for the cover, but Sullivan kicks out at two. Dream tags in and kicks Sullivan in the face. Ricochet delivers a kick and Dream sentons onto Sullivan. Ricochet tags in and hits the 450 splash, but Dream turns on Ricochet and hits him with a rolling Death Valley Driver. Dream leaves the ring as Sullivan grabs Ricochet. Sullivan delivers the Freak Accident and gets the pin fall.
Winner: Lars Sullivan.
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We see that Shayna Baszler will defend the NXT Women’s Championship against Dakota Kai on next week’s show. We see an interview with Kai and she says this is something she has dreamed about for so long. She says it is insane, but she has allowed Baszler to get into her head. Baszler walks up and says Kai doesn’t stand a chance. Kai says they will see about that and walks away as Baszler looks perplexed.
We see that Aleister Black will return to NXT on next week’s show.
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Johnny Gargano’s music hits and he and Candice LeRae make their way to the ring. Gargano says the last time he was here, he was supposed to have an NXT Championship Match, but he left on a stretcher. He says his body reminds him of that day when he wakes up every morning. He says he has been wrestling pretty much his entire life, but now he realizes that it is time to think about his future. He asks if it is all worth it. He says with the injuries adding up and with the toll it is taking on his friends, his family, and his wife, is it all worth it. He rips off the neck brace and says it is all worth it, but Candice is telling him to calm down and acts worried. He calls out Tommaso Ciampa and Ciampa comes to the stage. Ciampa says he is going to walk to the ring and he is going to finish this.
Referees rush the ring to keep them separated and Candice tries to pull Gargano away. Ciampa tells Gargano to be a good boy and listen to his wife. Gargano rushes the ring, but Ciampa knocks him off the apron and he falls onto Candice. Ciampa leaves the ring and the referees call for help from the back. Gargano and the referees and trainers check on Candice on the ramp as NXT comes to a close.
