Steve Notes NXT 8/17/21

Diamond Mine comes out, bivens calls KUSHIDA a coward, says Strong wants a match tonight, Bivens wants a payday, so time for an open challenge. ILJA ANSWERS IT!

Ilja vs. Strong

GodDAMN Strong has some loud chops

Ilja back-hand chops Strong’s upper thigh but it looked like he chopped his dick

Jesus Ilja’s chest is WRECKED

HATCHMAN distracts Ilja, leading to Strong sending him into steps on the outside

During commercial, Strong urunagis Ilja on the apron, but back from commercial, Ilja takes over, hits vicious forearm on Strong

This gets VIOLENT, jesus Ilja’s german suplex whacks Ilja’s head and he gets opened up

Ilja evades a jumping knee, hits kick, suplex, loads up his finish, instead eats a knee, comes back with torpedo moscow for the win

****

Afterwards, Ilja calls out WALTER

Walter no sells

Joe is in the parking lot

Hit Row come out

BFab brings up the grill again, Swerve says this beef has reached the level of on site- Santos interrupts on the tron, says he received the message of burning the mask, says he wants to give the grill back. I’m here outside alone, but I don’t trust ur crew to come down there. Lets settle this like gentlemen. Swerve is like ok. Swerve goes outside, of course, his doods are there, they jump him, try to take his grill back, hit row come out, BFab takes a lead pipe to LDF, Swerve attacks Santos, takes his grill back.

LA Knight is working out, he’s hyped about beating Grimes and making Dibiase his butler. He has Grimes go get his water, then goes to Josh Briggs to pay him $10,000 to take out Grimes. Briggs says yes.

IMPERIUM PROMO

Walter says tonight isn’t about me and Ilja, it’s about my friends here.

Bartel and Aicher say we’re gonna make an example out of MSK, the mat is sacred.

Grimes vs. Briggs

Dibiase and Knight are on commentary, Dibiase offers up a bet on this match

Grimes wins with Cave In but briggs is fun for a big dude

**¾

Haha when Dibiase asks Knight to pay up, Knight punches Dibiase and lays out Grimes, ensuring his loss at Takeover 35/6

John and Candice are backstage, Indi is all about Dexter, her date went well, they went in a hot air balloon, johnny says the true test of a couple is how you work together in the ring, then Dexter shows up, John is like how’d you like that cake? Indi says then he ate pie. John and Candice were confused I think she meant he

Zoey Stark & Io Shirai interview

Zoey says we’re two women with different backgrounds, but this friendship isn’t gonna be built in a day, Io says I don’t like you, but its not about that, it’s about defending these in the ring

Robert Stone Brand vs. Index

Indi and Dexter come out, she hilariously copies his entrance

Robert stone has a pony tail

Stone is legit hilarious, tries to take Dexter’s leg

Index works in sync with each other, but get distracted by each other allowing RSB to take over for a second

Franky holds on to Dexter’s leg, Jess tosses Franky

Stone springboards to the outside onto nothing, missing Dexter by like six feet. Kamea forearms Dexter, Indi takes her in, hits Dexter’s finish for the win, Indi comes over to Beth, gives her a box, Indi gets down on one knee and proposes to Dexter. He accepts and its a weird eyeball ring.

Diamond Mine interview

Bivens says Ilja is a heavyweight, so this match didn’t matter, but Strong has a guaranteed match against KUSHIDA for the CW title.

Gonzalez vs. Kai side by side interview

Gonzalez says Kai uses people and gets jealous when they become a bigger star than you.

Kai says write whatever narrative you want, but in five days, you will call me NXT women’s champion. G says I look forward to the challenge, sidekick.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Duke Hudson

Oh wow, Hayes wins clean with a top rope leg drop to the back of Hudson’s head

***½

Hayes interview afterwards: he talks about going up against dudes twice his size, and just like in video games you have to face that final boss, but plot twist, I’M THAT FINAL BOSS.

Jones: After I win next week, the whole NXT universe is gonna sound the alarm

Jacy Jayne video promo about breaking free

Grimes is in the med bay, nursing his neck, Dibiase comes in, says maybe we bit off more than we can chew, I’m sorry.

Grimes says what? I got myself into this mess, I came into a lot of money and lost my mind. I wanted to be MDC, you gave me that opp, but I dropped the ball but when I stopped believing in myself, you were there to believe in me. I’m no butler, you’re the MDC, I’m the MDC, together we will be MDC to the moon!

MSK vs Imperium

Good match.

Walter comes down mid-match

Ilja attacks WALTER as he helps distract the ref, but MSK are able to take advantage of all that to get the pin on Aicher, Walter beats the shit out of Ilja, Wes Le makes the save, but eats a massive chop, then Walter very safely power bombs nash onto the apron, Ilja comes to, but he can only handle Imperium so long, Walter chops him down,

Dunne/Holland video promo

They call out Thatcher/Ciampa

Dunne pumps up Holland, he has Thatcher next week

Wade Barrett is very horny for this

Joe comes out

He says words are useless tonight, cuz he’s not here to hurt Kross’ feelings, Joe calls him out

Chumpass comes out

Kross calls security out on Joe, he claims its protection for Joe

He asks Joe if he thinks he has a shot at Takeover, he says he thinks he’s gonna drop Joe, fast, Joe checks the shit out of him, sends him out, suicide dive onto Kross and security, throws him into the barricade, security holds Joe back, allowing kross to get the upper hand, he clears the table, tries for a suplex, Joe counters, dumps him over the barricade, Kross runs Joe through the barricade