Welcome to this week’s edition of Ringside Intel’s NXT Recap! Every Thursday I’ll bring you a rundown of what happened on NXT the night before, with a bit of my own insights and commentary thrown in. Without further ado, let’s get into it!

I’m super excited to bring you this week’s NXT recap, because I quite enjoyed this week’s episode. And no, it’s not just because because Pete Dunne – my favorite cruiserweight who isn’t named Neville – was on the show (although it certainly didn’t hurt).

Anywho, onto the recap!

Ruby Riot and Nikki Cross (sort of) def. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay

The show opened with a scene of Ruby Riot asking commissioner William Regal for a handicap match against the Iconic Duo, Peyton Royce and Billie Kay, who have spent the last several weeks taunting and literally attacking Riot. Unfortunately, Regal said he couldn’t in good conscience put Riot in a handicap match – but he could give her a tag match. Riot agreed, willing to take anything to get her hands on Royce and Kay.

But here’s the thing: Riot never found herself a tag partner, and the match happened anyway. It was pretty darn questionable of the ref to ring the starting bell without even waiting for a tag partner for Riot to show up, but hey – it’s all for the storyline, am I right?

And anyhow, Riot wasn’t on her own for long. Lo and behold, Nikki Cross came creeping through the crowd to tag herself in, hit her finisher on Kay, and give Riot the win.

Afterwards, Riot was visibly confused and intrigued – and so was I. Cross is not the type of person who just helps someone out for the hell of it; she definitely has an ulterior motive, we just don’t know what. But with plans for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship still largely up in the air, it will be interesting to see how this angle develops.

Johnny Gargano def. Riddick Moss (w/ Tino Sabatelli)

After a backstage interview with No Way Jose in which he challenged Lars Sullivan to a match next week, we got the second match of the night: Johnny Gargano vs. Riddick Moss.

This match was my first introduction to Moss. And considering he’s the guy who screwed up Hideo Itami’s neck last October, I can see why.

Like the match before it, the key thing about this match was the story. At one point Moss forced a rope break from the Gargano Escape, and Gargano became suddenly stunned as if he were reliving the betrayal of his former tag team partner, Tommaso Ciampa. But eventually he snapped out of it, and after attempted interference from Tino Sabatelli, he hit Moss with a slingshot spear for the win.

Per a fallout video after the match, it was revealed that Gargano will take on Sabatelli next week. Looks like he’s having the same problem Riot’s been having with Royce and Kay.

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