Results courtesy of
ProWrestling.net (direct link to Powell's real-time report).1. Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the NXT Championship. Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton were on commentary. Flair entered first and then a video package spotlighted the built to the match before Ripley made her entrance. Mike Rome delivered in-ring introductions for the title match. Flair took Ripley down, stood up, and said, “This is our NXT Champion.”
Flair teased an early figure four attempt, but Ripley kicked her away. Flair fired a few chops at Ripley, who shot her into the corner. Flair went upside down in the corner and was kicked by Ripley, who followed up with her Riptide finisher for a near fall. Flair rolled to ringside to regroup while Ripley jawed at her from the ring.
Ripley went to ringside and chased Flair back inside the ring. Flair attacked Ripley, who came back with a kick from her back and then dragged Flair to the floor. Flair shoved Ripley toward the ring steps, but Ripley climbed the steps and did a somersault from the steps onto Flair and then rolled her back inside the ring. Ripley threw a dropkick, then delivered repeated shoulder blocks in the corner.
Ripley suplexed Flair and covered her for a two count. Ripley put Flair in a body scissors and eventually rolled her into a pin for another two count. Flair rolled to the apron. Ripley went for a big boot, but Flair avoided it and then wrenched Ripley’s leg over the top rope. Flair went to work on Ripley’s knee.
Ripley cried out in agony while selling her knee as Flair continued to work it. Flair pulled Ripley to the corner and slammed her left knee into the ring post twice. Ripley used her legs to pull Flair face first into the ring post. Ripley struggled to get to her feet, then Flair gave her a chop block to the back of her bad knee. Flair set up for a suplex, but Ripley reversed it and slammed Flair face down to the mat.
Flair got back to her feet and said she never stops or gives up. Ripley ducked a Flair chop and then threw a couple of right knees at Flair’s head. Ripley threw a rough looking kick, then followed up with a good one and a dropkick to a kneeling Flair. Ripley yelled as she hit her bad knee. Ripley threw three short-arm clotheslines. Flair tossed Ripley over the top rope and onto the apron, then kicked her bad knee out from under her.
Flair went up top, but Ripley returned and cut her off. Ripley performed a face first slam for a near fall. Ripley clutched at her knee while Flair held her ribs. Flair caught Ripley with an elbow and then blasted her with a forearm in the corner. Ripley avoided Flair going after he knee and hit her with an elbow to the head. Ripley hit Flair with a missile dropkick for a two count at 13:30.
Flair caught a charging Ripley with a kick in the corner, then performed another chop block. Flair targeted the knee while Saxton said it was classic strategy perfected by her father Ric Flair. Charlotte went for a figure four, but Ripley rolled her over and threw kicks to her abdomen, then applied a standing cloverleaf. Flair used her hands to move toward the ropes, but Ripley pulled her back into the middle of the ring. Flair rolled Ripley over and kicked her.
Flair went for a figure four, but Ripley used three kicks to make her release her leg. Flair rolled up Ripley, who kicked out at two. Flair applied a Boston Crab at 16:30. Ripley countered into a pin, then Ripley rolled her over. They continued to reverse positions and get two counts and both women were on the mat at 17:00.
Flair got up first and put the boots to Ripley’s bad knee. Ripley got to her feet and surprised Flair with a big kick that led to a two count. Ripley and Flair ended up in the corner where they traded blows. Ripley placed Flair on the top rope in a seated position and then hit her. Ripley went to the second rope, threw several punches to Flair’s back, and then went for a superplex, but Flair avoided it and dropped Ripley to the mat just before 19:00.
Flair went for a moonsault, but Ripley put her boots up. Flair got up and speared Ripley for a near fall. Flair went for a figure four, but Ripley countered into an inside cradle for a two count. Flair got up and applied the figure four, then bridged into the figure eight. Ripley tapped out…
Charlotte Flair defeated Rhea Ripley in 20:30 to win the NXT Women’s Championship.
A very good match that was there with last night’s Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins for my personal favorite thus far. I was surprised to see them open the show and even more surprised that they went 20 minutes in an empty venue. I can’t say that I care for the outcome because Ripley was on the rise and Flair doesn’t need the NXT Women’s Championship, but hopefully they have something good in mind for Ripley coming out of this. If nothing else, I guess this means NXT gets a little star power while Flair holds the title.2. Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley (w/Lana). Phillips and Saxton were on the call for the Raw brand match. Lashley wore tights rather than his usual trunks. Lashley by overpowered Black during the opening minute. Lashley charged at Black, who held the rope down, causing Lashley to fall to the floor. When Lashley tried to return, Black caught him with a kick. Black went for a moonsault from the middle rope, but Lashley avoided it and then performed an overhead release suplex on the floor.
Lashley ran Black back-first into the barricade, then rolled him back inside the ring and covered him for a two count. Lashley had a run of offensive moves, including a neckbreaker. Lashley went for a suplx, but Black hit him with a knee to the head to break it up. Rinse and repeat, only Lashley dropped Black on the apron the second time. Black caught Black with a powerslam and got a two count at 4:30.
Lashley suplexed Black and covered him for a two count. Lana barked at the referee about his count and told him to do his job. Lashley went for a spear, but Black caught him with a knee to the head and covered him for a two count. Black threw a series of strikes, which included sweeping the legs out from under Lashley. Black sent Lashley to the floor and then moonsaulted onto him from the middle rope.
Black rolled Lashley back inside the ring where Lashley caught him with a running cross body block. Lashley clotheslined Black and then got another two count. Lana climbed onto the top step. Lashley hoisted up Black for a move, but Lana called for him to do something else. Lashley dropped Black and then went for a spear, but Black tagged him with a Black Mass Kick and scored the pin. After the match, Lashley glared at his storyline wife…
Aleister Black defeated Bobby Lashley in 7:20.
This went longer than I expected and it turned out to be a solid undercard match. I assume that Lana giving Lashley bad advice is the beginning of the end for their storyline marriage.3. Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Sonya Deville). Cole and JBL called the match. Ziggler dodged a charging Otis to start. Otis got his hands on him and roughed him up, then splashed him. Otis went for another splash, but Ziggler avoided it and superkicked Otis, who tumbled to ringside. Back inside the ring, Ziggler dropkicked Otis and got a two count. Cole said Tucker was injured when Ziggler gave him a Zigzag on the steps and that’s why he wasn’t in the corner of Otis.
Ziggler dropped an elbow on Otis and covered him, but Otis threw him off at two. Ziggler applied a choke while on his back. Otis got to his feet and broke it with a punch. Otis catapulted Ziggler into the middle turnbuckle. Otis headbutted Ziggler and then clotheslined him twice before bodyslamming him. Ziggler tried to roll out of the ring, but Otis stood on his back. Otis whipped Ziggler into the corner. Cole asked JBL who Otis reminds him of in WWE history. JBL said Ivan Putski and Bam Bam Bigelow.
Otis dumped Ziggler to ringside and followed. Otis slammed Ziggler’s head into the barricade and then the ring post. Back in the ring, Otis performed a solo version of the Compactor. Otis started to perform the Caterpillar, but he stopped when Deville climbed onto the apron and barked at the referee. Meanwhile, Ziggler kicked Otis below the belt.
Mandy Rose’s music played and she walked to ringside and slapped Deville across the face. Rose roughed up Deville. “What are you doing out here?” Ziggler asked. “You’re running everything.” Rose entered the ring and gave Ziggler a low blow while the referee was turned around. Otis performed the Caterpillar and scored the pin.
Otis defeated Dolph Ziggler in 8:15.
This was pretty much what one would expect as far as a feel good conclusion to the Otis and Mandy story. If nothing else, it’s nice to see the simpleton character get the girl in WWE rather than the usual formula of having the mean girl abuse him.
