WWE NXT Recap, June 28: Hideo Itami gets a partner; Last Woman Standing match

Velveteen Dream and Hideo Itami make statements, a challenge is accepted, and the NXT Women’s Championship is defended in a Last Woman Standing match!

Velveteen Dream

Velveteen Dream, whose stomach looks like a washboard that does P90X (seriously – his abs look like the side of a hand grenade), has put together an impressive string of victories lately, including a win over HoHo Lun on NXT. It’s pretty clear that this dude has great in-ring talent, especially when he launches off the top turnbuckle to cave in opponent’s chests with his finishing elbow drop. (Dream calls this the Purple Rainmaker, solidifying his inspiration from the late musical heavyweight, Prince.)

While his in-ring work is near flawless, we need to get this guy in front of a microphone to see if he is capable of truly being the next big thing in NXT. In my mind, Dream’s best case scenario would be giving Goldust-like promos, where no matter who his opponent is, you always know he will go velvet-deep. Worst case? Shinsuke Nakamura, but that’s a whole separate issue.

If Triple H is ready to put over VD, he should start putting Dream in matches against people who are better known around NXT. I’m not talking about throwing him to Bobby Roode just yet, or even Hideo Itami;  I’m thinking more along the lines of Eric Young or No Way José since both can afford a loss. Once Velveteen Dream can establish himself against top competition, any match of his at future Takeovers could be one of the more hyped matches of the show.

Heavy, Hungry Challengers

William Regal wasn’t licking his lips when he made the biggest tag team match of all time (“literally,” said the General Manager), but I sure was. Heavy Machinery definitely doesn’t have the tool set that some of Authors of Pain’s recent opponents have had, like the Revival’s throwback technical skills, or DIY’s (may it rest in peace) off-the-wall athleticism. The biggest advantage in HM’s tool set is that they are both the size of actual tool sheds.

These four beefy boys charging at each other should have a bigger impact than Samoa Joe and Brock Lesnar ever could. Now that DIY has been disassembled, and the Revival are now full-timers on RAW , it’s actually feasible that Heavy Machinery could defeat AoP. I could see a team like SAnitY waiting in the wings for whoever makes it out of this, but whoever wins this match will be NXT Tag Team Champions for a long, long time.

Lorcan vs. Itami, But For Real This Time

Maybe I haven’t been paying enough attention, but Oney Lorcan, when infused with violent rage, looks like a gazelle in the ring. Last we saw Oney Lorcan, he had taken three too many GTSs from Hideo Itami. This week was his chance to get revenge, which for a second after he made Itami’s nose bleed, it looked like he did. Itami was so hurt, that they cancelled the match, albeit temporarily. Itami, who has had quite a sad string of injuries in his NXT career, wasn’t going to let this one keep him out of action, as he still fought once his nose was patched up.

Itami defeated Lorcan after yet another GTS, and then called Kassius Ohno to the ring. Itami offered Ohno an apology for the how he had been acting the past few weeks, including multiple temper tantrums. I don’t think anyone was holding their breath on whether Ohno would accept, but good news: we didn’t have to! Alexander Wolfe & Killian Dain took advantage on the two distracted parties, and took ’em out. During the night’s main event — which, believe me, I have some thoughts on — it was announced that Ohno & Itami will indeed team up next week for an attempt at revenge on Wolfe & Dain. Since I suck at making predictions, I’ll say that Ohno & Itami lose the match because of Itami’s antics, and this will set up a match between them at Takeover: Brooklyn III.

Last Woman Standing

I’m not going to bore you with more mention of Asuka’s incredible undefeated streak, just as this NXT Women’s Championship match had no chance of boring us. Given the stipulation, and obviously the contestants, you knew Asuka vs. Nikki Cross was going to be a bit… unorthodox. A ladder, the ring apron, a stage light, tables, trash cans, and even piles of steel chairs were used in this incredibly extreme affair. (Cross even bit Asuka IN HER HAIR!!!) This match was in the ring, outside the ring, and everywhere between, with the match’s climactic ending happening by the announce table.

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Mauro Ranallo’s microphone must have gotten yanked off during his escape from behind the announce table, but once Asuka suplexed Nikki Cross OFF OF A LADDER and broke that table, you could imagine he’d have screamed, “MAMA MIAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!”

Asuka has been in some incredible matches during her unmatched NXT run — against Bayley at Takeover: Dallas, and the Fatal Four Way match at Takeover: San Antonio are two that come to mind — but this one may have been her greatest performance, and I’m not just saying that because Nikki Cross will be my write-in candidate for President of the United States in 2020. This settles any doubts that Asuka is the best in the business.

But one last thing I think we all want: Ember Moon’s rematch.