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My Thoughts on NXT (8/2/17): Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

  • Johnny Gargano vs Raul Mendoza-Initially, Gargano comes out with his old #DIY song & entrance video, only for it to change into a new song & video. The two lock up to start and trade holds. Gargano takes control of the match with a variety of holds before knocking Mendoza down with a shoulder block. Mendoza kips up and the two go back and forth, trading roll ups before Gargano catches Mendoza with a schoolboy enziguri. Gargano goes to the wristlock, which Mendoza breaks and hits a forearm strike. The two run the ropes before Mendoza hits a running enziguri for a near fall. The two trade blows before Gargano connects with the slingshot spear from the apron. Gargano runs through Mendoza, connecting with forearms and a huge clothesline, only for Mendoza to come back with an enziguri. Mendoza goes to the top rope and tries for the 450 splash, but Gargano avoids it and locks in an over the shoulder crossface called the Gargano Escape for the submission win. Pretty solid match.
  • Paul Ellering cuts a promo with the Authors of Pain. He says SAnitY showed their sanity when they attacked the Authors of Pain and that they'll write their chapter at Takeover: Brooklyn. He ends by saying that monsters are real.
  • Asuka comes down to the ring for a promo. She says she's already beaten Ember Moon once before and says she'll do it again. She says Moon is not ready for her, which brings out Ember Moon. She says she's been doing everything she could since Takeover: Orlando to get back into the title picture. She says everyone, including Asuka, knows she's ready and says Asuka is afraid of her. She ends by saying Asuka isn't ready for her. Asuka extends a hand but yanks it away when Moon goes for a handshake. Asuka slaps Moon, so Moon gives her a forearm shot. The two trade blows before Asuka kicks Moon in the head and throws her out of the ring. Asuka stands tall with the title, only for Moon to pop back up, go to the top rope, and hit the Eclipse on Asuka. Ember Moon points at the title and says she'll get that when she earns it.
  • Bobby Roode gets interviewed. He says Roderick Strong tried to play the Bobby Roode Lottery, but he had the wrong numbers. He says Strong will want to play the Bobby Roode Lottery again but says he doesn't belong in his NXT. He turns his attention to Drew McIntyre and proposes that next week, he & McIntyre do a sit down in the ring. Roode tries to leave, only for Strong to show up and try to get in his face. Other wrestlers hold him back before William Regal shows up. Strong demands that he gets another shot at Roode, but Regal says the main event is already set.
  • Another Street Profits vignette, announcing they will debut next week.
  • Sonya Deville vs Jenna Van Bemel-Deville toys with Bemel, offering her free punches, only to dodge her easily. Deville quickly floors Bemel with a clothesline before kicking & striking her down. Bemel mounts some offense with a body avalanche in the corner, only for Deville to jump into her and lock in a triangle armbar for the submission win.
  • Kayla Braxton interviews Hideo Itami. He says nobody, including Kassius Ohno, has shown him respect and says he deserves better. Braxton cuts him off, saying they need to go back to the ring, so Itami takes the mic and comes down to the ring. He says he deserves respect and demands it from the crowd. Itami speaks in Japanese before Aleister Black's music hits. Itami doesn't leave and the two go face-to-face in the ring. Itami starts to leave the ring, only to turn back right into a Black Mass spinning heel kick from Black. Black then gets ready for his actual match
  • Aleister Black vs KYLE O'REILLY!-Yep! After beating his tag team partner a couple of weeks ago, Black faces the other half of reDRagon in former ROH World Champion Kyle O'Reilly. The two feel eachother out to start before trying to take eachother down. The two go back and forth, fighting down to the mat before O'Reilly locks in a triangle armbar. Black breaks it and locks in an armbar before turning it into a hammerlock. O'Reilly breaks the hold and connects with a forearm shot and a kick, only for Black to take him down with a spinning leg sweep. John Kreese would be proud. Black dodges a kick, kips up, and floors O'Reilly with a knee to the gut before the commercial break. We come back to Black flooring O'Reilly with a kick for a near fall. Black kicks O'Reilly in the corner, but O'Reilly counters a suplex, dodges a kick and strikes Black down. Black hits a forearm smash in the corner before hitting a back suplex, turning it right into an achilles lock. The two slap each other while the hold is locked in before Black breaks the hold. O'Reilly wrenches Black's arm down before Black is forced to play defense on his back. O'Reilly manages to gain control on the ground and goes for ARMageddon, a cross armbreaker. Black stacks up O'Reilly for a near fall before O'Reilly hits an elbow strike. O'Reilly locks in bodyscissors, but Black breaks the hold the two trade kicks. O'Reilly goes back to work on Black's arm, including hitting a sliding knee into the arm before another commercial break. We come back to the two trading blows. Black hits a snap suplex before dropping a knee for a near fall. O'Reilly rolls onto the apron and yanks Black's arm down onto the top rope before going back to the hammerlock. O'Reilly takes Black down with a snapmare before locking in a top wrist lock. Black fights out and boots O'Reilly in the face before kicking him down. Black follows up with a springboard moonsault for a near fall. Black lifts O'Reilly up with his foot to set up for Black Mass, but O'Reilly grabs his foot and lock in a standing ankle lock. Black breaks the hold and knees O'Reilly in the face, but O'Reilly catches him going for another springboard moonsault by kicking his leg out from under him. O'Reilly gives Black an axe kick before forearming him to the ground for the near fall. O'Reilly locks in a front facelock before going for another axe kick. Black dodges it and the two trade big boots before trading strikes. O'Reilly connects with a jumping knee and another axe kick, only for Black to hit Black Mass for the three and the win. Awesome, hard hitting match. Mauro Ranallo says on commentary that he loved to see the two have lengthy, Flair-Steamboat rivalry. He even name drops Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada when talking about great rivalries.

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