2/10 NXT ON USA PRIMER: Dusty Rhodes Classic Semis, Grimes returns, and final TakeOver hype
SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…
NXT ON USA
FEBRUARY 10, 2021
LIVE IN ORLANDO, FLA. AT CAPITOL WRESTLING CENTER
REPORT BY AMIN AJANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
We are just less than a week away from NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day and tonight we get to find out who will advance to the finals of the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Cup Tag Team Classic. Plus, Cameron Grimes returns to action. It’s sure to be an action packed episode of NXT which takes place from the Capital Wrestling Center on the USA Network. Now let’s take a look at what’s currently advised for tonight’s show.
- Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell in Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
- Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher vs. Grizzled Young Veterans in Dusty Cup Semifinals
- MSK vs. Legado del Fantasma in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals
- Cameron Grimes makes his return to NXT.
ADVERTISED MATCHES & SEGMENTS
Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart to take on Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell in Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
The dynamic team of Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart will look to move onto the finals of Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but standing in their way is the formidable team of Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell. Blackheart & Moon defeated the team of Marina Shafir & Zoey Stark in the last round. On the other side, Hartwell & LeRae defeated Cora Jade & Gigi Dolin to reach the semifinals. The question now is who will prevail and reach the finals of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Teams Classic.
TOMORROW! Me and @WWEEmberMoon show @CandiceLeRae and @indi_hartwell THE WAY to the FIREPIT! 🔥 Welcome to the FIREPIT 🔥 @WWENXT pic.twitter.com/RpQwoEfOrl
— Shotzi (@ShotziWWE) February 9, 2021
Amin’s Analysis: This should be a great match featuring four talented wrestlers. I would like to see Blackheart & Moon win as they bring a completely different style to their matches. It also makes sense as the pairing of Blackheart & Moon will be a better match against Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez in the finals.a
Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher set to clash with Grizzled Young Veterans in Dusty Cup Semifinals
Just a couple weeks ago Tommaso Ciampa & Timothy Thatcher were destroying each other in NXT’s Fight Pit. After earning each other’s respect, Ciampa & Thatcher will have the chance to advance to the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. However, getting to the finals won’t be easy as they will have to get past Zack Gibson & James Drake who eliminated the talented team of Kushida & Leon Ruff. The question now is can the unlikely team of Ciampa & Thatcher stop the Grizzled Young Veterans from reaching the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic for the second straight year?
Timothy Thatcher has his sights set on winning the #DustyClassic!#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/ib2L7pYwiH
Click Here: shopskm
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) February 7, 2021
See you soon, lads. #DustyClassic pic.twitter.com/g3MIi9kiZV
— James Drake (@JamesDrake_GYT) February 4, 2021
Amin’s Analysis: This should be a great smash mouth match between four great wrestlers who bring a different level of aggressiveness to their matches which stand out from the rest. As much as I would like to see the GYV reach the finals again, the team of Ciampa & Thatcher has really stood out as memorable. After defeating the most popular team in the Undisputed Era, it would make sense to keep the momentum going and have Ciampa & Thatcher reach the finals.
MSK to face Legado del Fantasma in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semifinals
The team of Nash Carter & Wes Lee have shown no signs of slowing down as they got past the teams of Jake Atlas & Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and then Killian Dain & Drake Maverick to reach the semifinals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Meanwhile, Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza have been on a roll defeating the talented team of Gran Metallic & Lince Dorado to reach this point in the tournament. The question now is can MSK keep the momentum rolling and get past Legado del Fantasma to reach the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic?
It’s semifinals time!!! Ready to kick it up a notch like Emeril Lagasse!!
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MSK vs Legado Del Fantasma – Wednesday at 8pm on @USA_Network
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LEGGO!! pic.twitter.com/NHjMzSGdAV— Wes Lee (@WesLee_WWE) February 9, 2021
#LegadodelFantasma advance in the #WWENXT #DustyClassic! pic.twitter.com/vP0iJPBORA
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) February 5, 2021
Amin’s Analysis: This should be a great, non-stop, action packed match featuring two very talented tag teams. The formation of Legado del Fantasma has been terrific as they brought star power and attention to the cruiserweight division which has been lacking for years in WWE. However, I would like to see MSK win this match as reaching the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic would establish them as a top team in NXT and move them towards winning the tag team titles at some point this year.
Cameron Grimes returns to NXT tonight
After two months away from the squared circle, Cameron Grimes is set to return to NXT tonight. The question is what does Grimes have in store for NXT?
🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀 https://t.co/WBmIf2Aqdr
— Cameron Grimes (@CGrimesWWE) February 4, 2021
Amin’s Analysis: Looking forward to seeing the return of Cameron Grimes because he’s a great wrestler. The idea of bringing Grimes back before a TakeOver special is great because it shows how talented he is.
THE BIG TAKEAWAY FROM LAST WEEK’S SHOW
Edge appeared and teased a potential NXT Championship match between the winner of Finn Balor vs. Pete Dunne at Sunday’s TakeOver. Karrion Kross confronted NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar teasing a big match for TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez advanced to the finals of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Looking forward to watching the matches on the show as all the tag team matches should be excellent. This should also be an interesting show from a storyline perspective as there should be some big angles executed to build up the TakeOver: Vengeance Day special which takes place this Sunday on the WWE Network.
CATCH-UP: Johnny Gargano out of NXT TakeOver on Sunday
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- nxt takeover
- Vengeance Day
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