(Promotion: NXT – Location: Agora Theatre & Ballroom, Cleveland, Ohio – March 2, 2019)

Doors to the venue open promptly at 6 PM. The staff processed the line quickly and orderly. There was a huge line for merch in the theatre section of the building.

At 6:52, Kayla Braxton came out to greet the audience. She pushes fans to use the #NXTCleveland handle for Twitter posts. She also encourages fans to vote online to see one of three NXT debut videos (Charlotte Flair, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura) before the live card begins. Balor wins the voting.

Despite a smattering of empty seats, the show is essentially sold out.

Main Card

At 7 PM, Braxton comes out to begin the show. An “N-X-T” chant erupts prior to the playing of the national anthem. An opening video package runs.

Ricochet & Aleister Black v. The Forgotten Sons

Crazy big pop for Ricochet. Black is flush with presence. He has an aura about him.

Audience to Wesley Blake: “You need tat-toos!”

Ricochet and Black employ an array of tandem offense. They have jelled in just a few weeks. They mug to the audience between moves.

Ricochet scored the pin.

This was a hot match with a simple story. The faces were way over.

Winners: Ricochet & Aleister Black

Roderick Strong v. Donovan Dijakovic

Strong is out first. He addresses the audience. He says that last night was “Cool Kyle’s” (O’Reilly) birthday. He brags about partying and being hungover. He says that Cleveland is way worse than Pittsburgh. He demands that a “goof” from the back be sent out for him to beat up.

Dijakovic easily tosses Strong around.

Audience: “He’s hung-o-ver!”

Lots of chops and kicks are to follow.

Strong gets a nearfall after an Olympic Slam. He pins his opponent after a running boot to the temple.

The match was decent, if unspectacular.

Dijacovic worked more like a “big man.” He is far more versatile than that. I’m curious who’s choice that is.

Winner: Roderick Strong

Women’s Division Tag Team Match

Rhea Ripley/Reina Gonzalez v. Mia Yim/Candice LeRae

Gonzalez came out stomping like a female Stan Hansen.

The crowd popped for AIW alum Yim and LeRae.

Gonzalez tosses LeRae around the ring.

The audience reacts positively to Ripley, despite her heel status.

The bout ends with a double submission as Yim locks on a guillotine body vice and LeRae wraps her opponent up in an Octopus.

Winners: Mia Yim & Candice LeRae

Braxton plugs a network documentary about Matt Riddle as well as a pitch for Fastlane which is being held in Cleveland the following week.

Kassius Ohno v. Keith Lee

Ohno jumps Lee before the bell.

Fans to Ohno: “Ass-hole!”

Lee spends the early part of the match on the defense.

Eventually, Lee catches Ohno with a slingshot spear. Ouch!

KO connects with a diving cravat off the top rope.

Lee rocks Ohno with a gnarly looking pounce.

Lee catches Ohno in a powerbomb for the win.

The audience is decidedly behind Lee. His work is believable and he’s unquestionably charismatic. Being the larger of the two, it was odd that he worked defensively for the bulk of the bout.

Winner: Keith Lee

NXT Tag Team Championship

War Raiders (Rowe & Hanson) (c) v. Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)

Rowe is showered with a “welcome home” chant from the Cleveland crowd. He spends the opening minutes of the match dominating his opponents.

O’Reilly ineffectively bounces off of Hanson.

Rowe slams Hanson onto their stacked opponents for a huge pop.

Fish gets a two-count on Hanson after double leg strikes.

Undisputed Era struggles with Hanson before they finally double suplex him.

Rowe rocks O’Reilly with an exploder. He tosses Hanson onto O’Reilly for a two.

Hanson hits a backspin elbow and a cartwheel. Damn, he is agile.

War Raiders score with a breathtaking pop-up powerbomb to retain their title.

Audience: “War! War! War!”

An excellent match filled with tons of pleasing offense by both sides.

Winners: War Raiders

***Intermission***

I checked out the merch table during the break. There were NXT glow sticks, a towel shaped like the NXT belt and a Kairi Sane pirate hat. Remember fans, as good as NXT is, it’s still part of the WWE. Ugh.

North American Championship

Velveteen Dream (c) v. Punishment Martinez

Dream is buried in adulation as he enters the ring.

Martinez makes a quiet, imposing entrance.

Dream hits a superkick for two. Martinez retaliates with a clothesline for two.

Dream misses an elbow from the top rope.

The two are on their knees trading shots. They battle to their feet. Martinez chokeslams the champion on the apron. Martinez does the old school but Dream counters with the Book End. Dream score with an elbow off the top to retain the championship.

Dream is composed of the best parts of Randy Savage and Gorgeous George. Please, Please, PLEASE don’t screw him up on the main roster. Please?

Winner: Velveteen Dream

NXT Women’s Championship

Shayna Baszler (c) v. Bianca Belair

Audience before bell: “Shay-na’s gon-na kill youuuu!”

I had no clue that heel Baszler was this over.

Belair sells her arm after a particularly nasty kick.

Baszler works the wrist. She blasts the challenger with a knee strike. She whips Belair by the ponytail but Belair retaliates. Baszler begs off before getting mercilessly whipped.

Belair dazzles with a handspring elbow.

Baszler drives a knee into the chin and follows with a step-up knee strike for two.

Belair fights her way out of a rear naked choke, only to find herself in a second one. She barely manages to get to the ropes. She gets locked in a third but kicks her body back to get a two-count on the champion.

Finally, Baszler repositions her opponent and forces her to submit.

Really, really good match. This was the bones of a special high-profile television match.

Belair has improved by leaps and bounds in the couple years that she has wrestled. She is going to be a player sooner than later.

Winner: Shayna Baszler

Braxton is out to thank the audience and announce that the show is officially a sell-out.

Main Event

Johnny Gargano v. Adam Cole

There is a “Johnny Wrestling” chant rolling throughout the arena even as Cole enters the ring.

There is a delicious pregnant pause to allow the moment to breathe before Gargano’s music hits.

Gargano soaks in the atmosphere of his entrance as “This Rebel Heart” blares throughout the Agora Theatre. This never gets old.

Audience: “Cleve-land loves you!”

Early boo-yay chant before the initial lock up.

Cole works over Gargano in the corner but Gargano rallies. The exchanges between the two are tit-for-tat.

Cole bludgeons Gargano with elbows and secures him in a headlock.

Gargano stuns Cole with chops to the stomach and a belly-to-belly overhead release suplex.

Gargano kicks out after a neckbreaker.

Cole hits a suplex and a shoulderbreaker across the knee.

Audience: “Fight For-ev-er!”

Both competitors are down after exchanging enziguris and clotheslines. The battle to their knees.

Cole pulls down his kneepad but Gargano manages to avoid his attack.

Gargano gets a two-count after a superkick.

Audience: “This is awe-some!”

Gargano speers Cole into the apron. He rattles Cole with a suicide dive.

Cole fires back with a superkick and a Canadian Destroyer for a near-fall. He superkicks his opponent. He goes for a second and inadvertently hits the referee.

Gargano catches Cole in the GargaNO Escape but the referee is still out of commission. He tries to revive the officiant.

Cole low-blows him and wrecks him with a running kneestrike from behind. The crowd explodes when Gargano kicks out at two.

Cole gets a chair. Gargano kicks the chair from Cole’s hands. LeRae runs in the ring and wrecks Cole with a reverse ‘rana from the second rope. Gargano locks on the GargaNO Escape to score the submission victory.

The. Audience. Explodes.

Cue music.

Gargano cuts a post-match promo putting over the fans, the city and the importance of having a dream.

Winner: Johnny Gargano

Overall

Another fantastic effort by the NXT brand. The show was smooth, professional, logical and action-packed. The tag title match, women’s title bout and main event were all exceptional. Belair has blue-chipper written all over her. Punishment Martinez has an understated cool that can be massaged into something special. Ricochet and Black don’t exactly make sense on paper…but, man, are they over. This was a fun night.

More NXT Coverage

NXT Live Event: Cleveland (2018)

NXT Cleveland (3/3/17)

NXT Cleveland (3/4/16): The Clash at the Classic

NXT Cleveland (6/12/15)

NXT TakeOver: Chicago (2017)