NXT Results and Recap: A Truly Gorgeous North American Championship Match

Kyle Fowle
Ricochet (source: WWE)
NXT – December 12, 2018

There was one question on everyone’s mind heading into this week’s episode of NXT: Who would challenge Ricochet for the North American Championship he’s held since TakeOver: Brooklyn back in August? Ricochet signaled his intent to defend the title on Twitter, making sure to tag William Regal and get the attention of NXT’s General Manager. Regal had a simple reply: “I have someone in mind…” That tweet, delivered on December 5th, has had us salivating all week long. The moment is finally here, and the main event match is one for the history books, so let’s get down to business and recap this week’s jam-packed show.


Before we get to the stellar main event, this week’s show begins with a heated, personal rivalry. A few weeks ago, The Undisputed Era attacked EC3 after the “Top 1%” pinned Adam Cole. The attack was brutal, but Bobby Fish took it further, smashing a chair across EC3’s leg and putting him on the shelf for some time. EC3 returned to action just the other week, and he made it known he was out for revenge. At the top of this show, he gets his chance, one on one.

After Adam Cole does his usual ego-boosting monologuing in the ring, EC3 comes down for the match. Undisputed is all smiles and jokes, but EC3 means business. There’s no smile on his face. Fish plays the mind games early on; he runs around the ring avoiding any lockups, exiting the ring to O’Reilly starting the match. That can only last so long though. EC3 eventually gets his hands on Fish, and he uses his power to gain early control, laying out the Undisputed member with a massive powerbomb that reverberates through the halls of Full Sail.

When you’re facing off against a member of Undisputed though, you’re competing against all of them. Strong, Cole, and O’Reilly make their presence known early on, causing a distraction and allowing Fish to get EC3 on the ground with a chop block. From there, Fish can keep his opponent grounded and work through the numerous submissions he has in his arsenal. He goes to work on EC3’s knee and then gets a near fall off an exploder suplex.

Bobby Fish, EC3 (source: WWE)

For O’Reilly, it looks like Fish and The Undisputed Era have EC3’s number, but just like in his match with Cole, EC3 gets a sneaky rollup win. That sends Undisputed Era into the ring to once again beat him down, but this time things don’t work out as planned. Heavy Machinery, who’ve declared their intentions to come for the tag team championships, come down to the ring, rip off their shirts, and lay waste to Strong, Cole, O’Reilly, and Fish. It’s not often we see The Undisputed Era on the wrong end of the numbers game, but this time around they find themselves scattering to the back as Heavy Machinery and EC3 stand tall.


The first two matches on this week’s show are all about revenge. With EC3 getting his, it’s time for Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch to get a rematch with The Mighty, who laid a beating on them after their previous match. You can feel the hatred between these two teams. It takes all of three seconds for the match to boil over to the outside, as all four men brawl to the ramp before Lorcan runs into the ring and then comes flying over the ropes, laying out everyone.

Back in the ring, the action is fast and furious. Lorcan takes early control with a powerbomb and a Boston Crab. The Mighty fight back with some good double team action, including a combination superplex/powerbomb that could have easily put Lorcan away if it weren’t for Burch breaking up the pin. It’s difficult to describe just how heated, physical, and fast-paced this match is. These are two teams who have great chemistry and understand the fundamentals of tag team wrestling. It’s so much fun to watch them beat the bloody hell out of each other, and in the end, Lorcan and Burch, like EC3 before them, get their revenge on The Mighty. Payback delivered.


After learning that next week Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano will go head-to-head in a Steel Cage match, much to the delight of NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, it’s off to a qualifying match for the #1 Contender Fatal 4-Way that’s being held on December 26th to determine who will face Shayna Baszler for her NXT Women’s Championship. With Bianca Belair and Lacey Evans already included, there are two spots left to fill, and both Mia Yim and Reina Gonzalez would love to get the opportunity.

Yim recently lost to Bianca Belair, and this is her chance at redemption. Gonzalez is no slouch though. She comes to the ring whipping a cowbell around, clearly fired up. Gonzalez has the clear size and strength advantage, and she uses it early on, reversing Yim’s attempt at a guillotine choke and draping her opponent across the top rope. From there she beats Yim down with big kicks and clobbering forearms. Yim’s quickness is too much though. She fights back with a flurry of kicks, followed by the Eat Defeat, planting her foot square in Gonzalez’s jaw. That’s 1-2-3, and a trip to the #1 Contender Fatal 4-Way match on December 26th.


Then, it’s the moment we’ve been waiting for. Ricochet comes to the ring and awaits his opponent, the one hand-picked by William Regal. Then, we all get an early Christmas present, as one of NXT’s greatest former talents, Tyler Breeze, answers the open call. My jaw dropped and I sprang out of my seat. I love when wrestling makes that happen. Breeze was integral to NXT’s rise in popularity, and to see him come back to take on Ricochet is just incredibly exciting. It’s the kind of moment that affirms why we love this sports entertainment thing so much.

Tyler Breeze, Ricochet (source: WWE)

The match itself is incredibly even. Breeze may not be able to match Ricochet’s high-flying moveset, but he can match his quickness. The two trade clotheslines, dropkicks, and flying elbows to start the match before Breeze gets the upper hand when Ricochet goes for a move off the apron and Breeze hits him with a great dropkick. Ricochet gains the control back by hitting Breeze with his own rolling double kick and O’Reilly standing moonsault.

It’s one high-flying move too many though, as Ricochet misses a Phoenix Splash, allowing Breeze to get back in the match. The two are completely square through the middle stretch of the match. They hit each other with the same clothesline, the same kick, and then the same crossbody splash. They match each other blow for blow until Tyler Breeze hits the Supermodel Kick and a reverse hurricanrana, coming a fraction of a second away from winning the North American Championship. He follows that up with a brutal flying knee and step-up enziguri, but when he goes for the Beauty Shot, Ricochet catches him, transitions into a fireman’s carry, and slams him down on the back of his neck, locking him in a pin for the three-count. It’s an incredible match, and here’s hoping it’s a sign that more former NXT talent will be making an appearance on NXT TV in the future.

You can watch this week’s NXT on the WWE Network.


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