A heel turn, one team is formed for WarGames, and we are one step closer to seeing who has Xia Li living in fear.
The one women’s match of the week was advertised between Ember Moon and Candice LeRae. As the match progressed, Moon became more and more outnumbered.
Indi Hartwell of course accompanied LeRae to the ring, but then Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai joined at ringside. LeRae and Hartwell threw some help in the way of Gonzalez and Kai last week after their loss against Moon and Toni Storm.
During the match, Gonzalez and Kai would hop on the ring apron to distract the referee as Moon was up top to deliver the Eclipse. Hartwell pushed LeRae out of the way and took the Eclipse herself.
With so much distraction around the ring, Moon wasn’t able to keep to the task at hand and suffered defeat. LeRae delivered Twisted Stepsister that led to the pin for the three count. This led Gonzalez & Kai to go after Moon.
As Moon winds up on the outside at the bottom of the ramp, Toni Storm’s music would hit and she would come down to help out her tag partner from last week. As she signaled for the two of them to rush back in the ring to take out the opposition, Storm would make her heel turn and launch Moon into the steel steps!! She soaked up the joy from her actions as she threw Moon into the ring to be picked apart.
No one came to the aid of Moon.
Moments later we officially found out the members of Team Candice for WarGames. No surprise that it will be Gonzalez, Kai, and Storm joining her.
The story didn’t end there as we would see these four again later on in the night.
Rhea Ripley came to the ring to talk about her match against Io Shirai last week. She primarily focused on the fact that her loss led to many speculating she would move on to either RAW or SmackDown. The hug between her and Shirai after the match was the deciding factor for many. Ripley confirms that they have nothing but respect for each other and she isn’t going anywhere. She is determined to become NXT Women’s Champion again.
Team Candice then reemerged with a beaten Shirai draped over Gonzalez’s shoulder. They left her on the ramp as they went after Ripley. Ripley did what she could to ward off all four of them, but eventually, the numbers game became too much.
Ripley was left with no help as she was laid out in the ring. Although Blackheart’s Team has not been announced, it can be assumed to be Ripley, Shirai, and Moon.
Before we get into the Winners & Losers we have to talk about Xia Li. What a story this has turned into. After two week’s of not seeing Li and having Boa carry out the story.
In the cinematic video, Li and Boa were seen getting into the backseat of a car as they both are clearly disheveled. As they head to a garage they are greeted by the gentleman that delivered Boa’s letter a couple of weeks ago. Up until then, only Li was receiving letters after losing her matches and in backstage segments.
Boa mentioned last week at his home when William Regal came to see where he has been that it is a woman to be fearful of who is the person that he and Li need to answer to. They approach the person who appears to be behind the letters as they beg for forgiveness and ask for a second chance. Both of them are marked on their hands which was the same as Boa was two weeks ago.
The woman is dressed all in black and has her head covered. At the end, we see a glimpse of her face behind her hair as the screen goes black to end the video.
Several speculations have been circling amongst fans of who this woman could be. The most common response is Karen Q who would be returning from injury. She has been out of action since July of 2019. Other names that are being brought up include Sareee or Meiko Satomura.
Let’s get into the Winners & Losers of this week’s NXT:
WINNER: Xia Li
I honestly can’t get enough of this storyline and I am looking forward to it each and every week. From never being a huge Xia Li fan, her depth and character development has turn be around on her.
It is amazing how a gimmick upgrade and putting in some effort on a character can do for someone. It has been a slow build I feel but some of the best things that WWE has going right now are slow build storylines. Also, I am a big fan of Karen Q, so I am going to be really excited if it is her.
WINNER: Toni Storm
It was only a matter of time before either Toni or Ember turned heel. I would have preferred Ember to be honest as it would have been more unexpected and something different we haven’t really seen from her. Regardless, I am glad Toni pulled the trigger and did what she said she was here to do upon her return.
LOSER: Indi Hartwell
It is quite disheartening to put Indi in the loser column this week. I am a big Indi fan and was really excited to see her in the WarGames match. Feeling that it would be a type of breakout match for her quickly went away as she is not going to be included. It is a missed opportunity in my opinion.
Speaking of Indi, she was seen at towards the end of the show in a neck brace. She was assisted into the vehicle by Candice as her and Johnny Gargano were going to leave with her. There was another person dressed up in a Ghostface costume in the backseat. Indi was revealed as one already and I can’t imagine the second one being a woman also. Most people feel it will be Austin Theory.
What did you think of the is week’s NXT? Who were your Winners & Losers? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
