NXT Results and Recap: The Meeting of the Meat

After some time in Los Angeles at Staples Center for WarGames, NXT makes another stop before going back to Full Sail, this time in San Jose. And let me tell you, this show means business. This week’s hour is packed with hard-hitting matches and Superstars who’ve been enjoying a lot of momentum as of late. EC3 is back in action, Mia Yim looks to continue her path of destruction through the women’s division, Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch are on the hunt for yet another win in a recent string of them, and then there are two very big boys in Keith Lee and Lars Sullivan throwing down in the main event. It’s a doozy of a show—yes, we say “doozy” around here—so let’s get to the rundown.

The night kicks off with tag team action, as Burch and Lorcan take on The Mighty. They’re two teams who’ve been making an impact in the stacked tag team division lately. Burch and Lorcan, in particular, have been stringing some wins together, while The Mighty have had a few run-ins with the Street Profits. The match starts out with a fair amount of uppercuts and chops, followed by Burch and Lorcan locking in dueling submissions on Miller and Thorne. That sends The Mighty scrambling, using cheap shots and distractions to get Lorcan isolated in the ring.

Cheating or not, The Mighty are without a doubt a team with chemistry, having worked together for years. They make the double teams and the quick tags work for them, and that means Lorcan spends a long time suffering in the ring. Unfortunately for The Mighty, that also means Burch is fresh when Lorcan does eventually get a tag. He’s all speed and elusiveness, taking out Miller and Thorne with a number of moves before a surprise finish where The Mighty try to use Lorcan’s body as a battering ram on Burch, only to have Lorcan roll up Miller and get the win. The loss doesn’t sit well with the Aussies, so they lay out Burch and Lorcan after the match. Apparently, that’s their whole thing right now, whether it’s this week or with the Street Profits in the past: when they can’t win, they sneak attack.

Next up, it’s EC3 coming back to NXT after The Undisputed Era laid a beating on him last month, with Bobby Fish delivering a chair shot to his knee that left the Top 1% on the shelf for weeks. This week he’s in the ring with Marcel Barthel, a German grappler that’s considered to be a true blue-chip prospect at the Performance Center. Barthel may not have the bulk of EC3, but he’s certainly not intimidated as he comes to the ring. He’s full of confidence, and he looks determined to make his mark.

The two hesitantly circle each other to start before exchanging a few headlocks and escapes. EC3 seems to have the strength advantage, but Barthel is sneaky. He’s able to escape a few holds and then take advantage by delivering a step-up enziguri and tossing EC3 to the outside. It’s momentum that doesn’t last long though. Barthel looks impressive for a bit, but he gets caught up playing to the crowd, basking in their hatred and chants of “USA.” He loses his focus, and EC3 takes advantage and gets the win. After the match, he makes it known that he’s coming for Bobby Fish and looking to break every bone in his body.

After a short backstage video confirms that Kairi Sane accepts the referee’s decision from WarGames while also not being done with NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, we’re off to our next match, Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne. Yim’s coming off a recent loss to Bianca Belair, but that’s been the only speed bump in her quick rise through the division. Looking to get back on track, she immediately brings the fight to Borne. She pummels her and throws her around the ring, but when the ref goes to fix the ring apron, Borne puts a thumb in Yim’s eye and takes control of the match.

Borne’s looking good for a while, keeping Yim grounded, trying to wear her down with a number of submissions. The tables turn though when Yim comes out of nowhere and reverses a clothesline into an armbar, which sends Borne to the ropes. With that space created, Yim lays out Borne with a flurry of kicks and the Eat Defeat, and it’s lights out for Borne.

That brings us to our main event. I call it “The Meeting of the Meat” in the headline, while the announcers label it a “human demolition derby.” Either way, it’s two massive dudes squaring off for the first time, and boy does it deliver. The men start off with a shoving match followed them trading shoulder blocks. They’re trying to prove they’re the biggest, strongest man in NXT, but they’re pretty much equals. Sullivan lays out Lee, and Lee comes back at him with a crossbody. It’s not often that you see these guys go down to the mat, but this is like two bulldozers slamming into each other; there’s carnage everywhere.

Sullivan is impressive, keeping Lee down for a long stretch at the start of the match. He batters Lee with his forearms, hitting him over the head again and again. It looks like Sullivan is simply going to dismantle the Limitless one, but a quick jump sends a raging Sullivan into the ring post. That creates some space, and Lee uses it. Surprisingly agile, Lee runs around the ring hitting his opponent with fists, forearms, and then a huge splash over the top rope. That gets a near fall, but it’s not enough to put Sullivan away.

The two eventually trade blows in the middle of the ring before Lee does something absolutely ridiculous. That surprising agility I mentioned? Lee pulls it out again, spinning himself over the top rope and to the outside, landing hard on Sullivan. He rolls him into the ring for the pin, but Sullivan kicks out again. Running out of options, Lee goes for broke, heading to the top rope for a moonsault. He finds nothing but mat on the landing though, as Sullivan dodges Lee’s massive flying body. He picks up the Limitless one and slams him down with a Freak Accident, and that’s it. Sullivan, who’s made it known that he wants a shot at NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, gets another win and once again makes his case for being the baddest man in NXT. Could Ciampa be next? We’ll have to wait and see.