Below, we have the NXT results from the Tuesday, January 18th show, along with highlights and headlines coming from tonight.
NXT Results, highlights and headlines from last week’s show
WWE NXT Results 1/25
MSK def. Jacket Time in Dusty Roads Classic Bout
Santos Escobar and Bron Breakker confront each other in a war of words
Boa Promo: He warns Solo Sikoa of what is coming for him later
Solo Sikoa def. Boa in Falls Count Anywhere Match
Imperium promo: They’re opening a door to the future of Imperium led by… Gunther
Duke Hudson def. Guru Raaj in a squash match, attacked by Dante Chen after match
Toxic Attraction def. Kay Lee Ray, Persia Perotta, & Indi Hartwell
Grizzled Young Veterans def. Chase U. Chase U attacked by Von Wagoner after the bell
Grayson Waller reiterates his restraining order to LA Knight, and introduces his bodyguard, Sanga
Io Shirai def. Tiffany Stratton
Diamond Mine challenges Imperium to a match next week
Ollie Jayy performs the NXT theme song
Cameron Grimes def. Tony D’Angelo. Pete Dunne returns to attack D’Angelo
Tommaso Ciampa returns to help Bron Breakker and close the show
NXT Highlights From 1/25
A Classic in the Dusty Classic
So far, as per usual, the matches of the Dusty Roads Tag Team Classic are a constant highlight on NXT. In a year where the tag division has felt like a weakness at times, this match between MSK and Jacket Time was a breath of fresh air. This honestly might have been the best NXT tag team match in over a year, and the crowd being so into it sent it to another level.
While both teams can be on the goofier side, this was a showcase for the masters of their craft in MSK and Kushida. Even the more-green Ikemen Jiro looked as good here as he ever has, and honestly, this made me want more from Jacket Time for the first instance since their inception. NXT has consistently had great opening matches since transitioning to NXT 2.0, but this might have been the most fun to watch yet. Just an awesome match all around.
Solo Sikoa and Boa Deliver the Carnage
A middle-of-the-show barn-burner was a real resume-builder for both Boa and Solo Sikoa, as they ended their feud seemingly in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. The mystic side of Boa has been real hit or miss in NXT, while Sikoa has been a consistent highlight. And when these two met tonight, I didn’t know which way the scales would bounce. But this was a good showing for both men, with some real innovative and brutal-looking spots.
There were a lot of especially creative spots involving a garage door backstage. While Boa losing isn’t great because his all-powerful mystic persona is sure to have diminishing returns, it was the right call to give Sikoa the push here. Hopefully, both men are given another feud they can get into right away and that Boa doesn’t fall to wayside after losing.
NXT Lowlights From 1/25
Gunther Inspires Outrage
In a point from last week that I failed to give enough attention to, WWE changing Walter’s name to Gunther is a disaster. It’s been lampooned all week, especially since it was almost Gunther Stark, named after a Nazi Officer from World War 2. Listen, no one thinks this was a good idea, right?
First, Walter’s name had built equity in NXT UK and all over the world previous, so he’s not even new! They’re changing just his name over three years into his WWE career. And worse, if they were going to change his gimmick slightly, it was going to be inspired by Nazis? This reaks of two of Vince McMahon’s worse booking tropes: every star needs a WWE given name, and all foreign baddies have to be evil monsters. Walter was one of the biggest stars in NXT, and this is just messing with a good thing, plain and simple.
The only hope moving forward is that WWE is keen on using Gunther, since they were set on harming his image.
WWE Headlines
The Royal Rumble is this Saturday in WWE, and the big rumors circling the event are the possible return of Ronda Rousey and the likelihood that either Brock or Roman will lose their respective championship match to set up one of them winning the men’s rumble to challenge the other at Wrestlemania.
Tonight on NXT was about as good as it has been since the rebrand, with the in-ring action being phenomenal top to bottom and very little fat this week. Even the concert towards the end of the show was basically harmless. The opening tag match is the must-see segment this week, but overall this was a very good show of NXT with an awesome crowd to boot.
