NXT In A Nutshell: Say It Ain’t So, Johnny Gargano!?

It’s once again time for what is my favorite hour of the week, and my favorite Nutshell of the week-even if this one seems to not attract as many readers. Call it my labor of love, but in any case, we have a big show tonight. The big hooks? One, news about War Games and the championship match. And, more importantly, it would appear we finally get to learn the identity of the person who attacked Aleister Black. With the former champion and crazy Nikki Cross having a chat at the end of last week’s show, we know Nikki’s secret is a secret no more. And, shockingly (or disappointingly, depending on how you choose to look at it), Johnny Gargano has been named the mystery attacker. All that and more, so let’s crack open this Nutshell!

Best Match of the night:

Adam Cole and EC3, and it wasn’t particularly close.

However, the main event was not a match, but the chaos involving William Regal, Tommaso Ciampa, possible challengers Lars Sullivan, Velveteen Dream, Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano. It was chaotic but entertaining.

Worst match of the night:

Wasn’t feeling Ohno and Xavier.

Crowd Chants of the Night:

NXT! NXT! NXT!

NX3! NX3! NX3!

EC3! EC3!

Thank you Bobby (fans were a bit twisted on that one).

Mia’s gonna kill you

Let’s go Mia

Star of the Night

I hesitate to name one tonight, though I will say this: I really liked Mia Yim in her NXT television debut.

Spot of the Night:

Not a move, but the attack on EC3 was significant. The chair shot on the knee of EC3 by just-returned-from-a-knee-injury Bobby Fish was notable.

Jobber of the Night:

Toss a coin. Either you think it was Aliyah, or you think it was Justin Xavier. In trying to be nice, we can have a men’s jobber and a women’s jobber tonight.

Upset of the Night:

In a sense, EC3 gets this due to how he won, and how Adam Cole sold it.

Holy Sh** Moment of the Night:

I suppose this has to be the declaration that it wasn’t Tommaso Ciampa who laid out Aleister Black. It wasn’t even Lars Sullivan. It was…Johnny Gargano?!

Shocking to say the least, considering he was a babyface. I do get that it changes things up and whatnot, and it almost certainly ends any chance of a Ciampa/Gargano feud re-igniting. But, when you think about it, it makes sense.

LOL Moment of the night:

That Nigel said Bobby Fish’s return was surprising was funny. I mean…we’ve seen him around in segments and whatnot during his rehab. It’s not like he disappeared for the last nine or ten months and then poof, he was back.

Also, Dream to Lars Sullivan: “Lars, when you address the Dream, please wear pants”

Noteworthy Moment:

Adam Cole and Undisputed Era opened the show, with Cole calling out North American Champ Ricochet…but getting EC3 instead.

We thought we were going to find out who Ciampa will face at WarGames. First we got Velveteen Dream, but then Lars Sullivan felt he needed to make an appearance. Things went from chaos to far worse, as Johnny Gargano came down and attacked the champ. So, while we thought we’d know of the championship match for WarGames…we do not.

Overall lowlights:

Kind of bummed that they went with a Gargano turn, or at least having him attack Aleister Black (but I fail to see how that’s not a turn). I will say the jury is out.

Ohno needs new ring gear.

Overall highlights:

It’s nice to see EC3 get in the ring with Adam Cole, even if it would seem they are writing him off TV for a stretch with the post-match attack.

After the final bell:

So, we solve one mystery (at least, we know who…just not why…though we can assume it was tied to Gargano’s obsession with Ciampa, and NXT needed a way to write off the injured Black). But in getting one answer, we wait at least another week for the formal announcement of which Superstar (or Superstars) will battle Tommaso Ciampa in a month when WarGames arrives in LA.

It was a good show, just light on the good wrestling.

Results:

Adam Cole is stunned by EC3. After the match, EC3 is decimated by the group.

Mia Yim defeats Aliyah

Kassius Ohno defeats Justin Xavier