NXT TV Preview (2/20): Dream-Gargano Title Match, "Special Announcement"
WWE returns to the WWE Network this evening with the latest weekly episode of NXT TV from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.
WWE.com released the following preview for tonight’s show:
WWE NXT preview, Feb. 20, 2019: Dream challenges Gargano for NXT North American Title
After the Superstars of NXT took center stage on Raw, members of the black-and-gold’s upper echelon will collide this week on WWE Network. Fresh off their successful Raw debuts, Johnny Gargano defends the NXT North American Title against Worlds Collide Tournament winner Velveteen Dream in the main event, and Aleister Black hunts for retribution against Undisputed ERA’s Roderick Strong. Plus, Mia Yim battles Xia Li and much more.
Velveteen Dream challenges Gargano for NXT North American Title
Johnny Gargano is sitting on top of the world. So far in 2019, the man once dubbed “Johnny Failure” has fulfilled his promise to focus on “wins and championships,” having defeated Ricochet for the NXT North American Title, and he and NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa upended Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match.
Yet, if Velveteen Dream has his way, Gargano’s world will crumble apart this Wednesday when Dream challenges the newly coined “Johnny Champion” for the North American crown in Gargano’s first North American Championship defense.
Dream earned the right to vie for any NXT, NXT UK or 205 Live title of his choice by winning the first-ever WWE Worlds Collide Tournament earlier this month. When decision time came around on Feb. 6, he let Gargano know face-to-face that he’s coming for the North American Championship. In announcing his choice, Velveteen Dream also wondered aloud about which Gargano will answer the call: the valiant Johnny Champion or the opportunistic “Johnny Jacka**.”
Regardless of which Gargano rises to the challenge, it’s safe to say this title duel is not to be missed.
Aleister Black goes one-on-one with Roderick Strong
After knocking out Elias with the Black Mass on Monday night, Aleister Black will try to keep his momentum going this Wednesday as he faces Undisputed ERA’s Roderick Strong on WWE Network. NXT General Manager William Regal announced the match following the wild scene that transpired last week, in which Black tried to help Ricochet fend off an ambush by The Undisputed ERA, only to be dropped by Roderick Strong’s End of Heartache.
Can Black gain retribution and send a powerful message to The Undisputed ERA by taking down their backbreaking specialist? Or will Strong — who, like his stablemates, remains resolute in their pledge to win all the NXT titles in 2019 — knock off the former NXT Champion and restore Undisputed ERA to its winning ways?
A special announcement will be made
Get ready, because this week’s NXT will feature a special announcement. With no additional details currently available, speculation about what’s in store for the black-and-gold brand is running wild. Be among the first to find out when NXT streams Wednesday at 8/7 C on WWE Network.
Mia Yim squares off with Xia Li
Former Mae Young Classic competitors will clash this week when Mia Yim takes on the quick-kicking Xia Li. The exciting matchup comes on the heels of both Superstars taking excursions outside the black-and-gold brand, between Yim’s recent appearance on NXT UK and Li’s impressive WWE pay-per-view debut in the Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
Yet it also comes at a time of turbulence in the NXT Women’s division, with NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir & Jessamyn Duke using brute force and intimidation to prove they rule the roost. Yim ran afoul of the trio last week when she stepped to Baszler, Shafir & Duke as they tried to assert their dominance in the WWE Performance Center locker room. The incident, which was captured by WWE.com cameras, was broken up before punches were thrown, but Yim likely hasn’t forgotten. That could mean trouble for Li, if she’s forced to reckon with an angry Head Baddie in Charge.
The Original Bro speaks out
Matt Riddle has been on a hot streak since day one in NXT, yet even by his lofty standards, the last couple weeks have been particularly sweet. First, The Original Bro defeated 205 Live’s Drew Gulak in a statement-making match, then Riddle, like the rest of the NXT Universe, found out that his longtime rival, Kassius Ohno, is seemingly seeking new pastures.
With the future looking brighter than ever, what’s next on Matt Riddle’s docket?
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