WWE NXT Recap, Grades, & Opinion: June 19, 2019

WWE NXT Recap: June 19, 2011

A.K.A The One Where The Undisputed Era Begins

The first episode from the tapings after NXT Takeover XV. The Undisputed Era is slated to kick off the show and celebrate Adam Cole winning the NXT Championship. Will anyone come out to interrupt the champ or will Adam Cole finally get to run his mouth uninterrupted? Damian Priest (formerly Punishment Martinez) makes his debut with his new gimmick. Taynara Conti will have a match against Xia Li. All of that and more, tonight on WWE NXT.

Results:

Damian Priest def. Raul Mendoza
Xia Li def. Taynara Conti
Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, & Bobby Fish) def. Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, & Tyler Breeze

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Match of the Night: Undisputed Era (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, & Bobby Fish) def. Velveteen Dream, Matt Riddle, and Tyler Breeze

What a match to close out the show. This was chaos from the beginning, with tensions rising on the babyface side over who should start the match. Everyone was able to get their stuff in, especially Matt Riddle, who seemed to go after Adam Cole with an added bit of ferocity, possibly hinting at a future program between the two. In the end, Roderick Strong was able to pin Velveteen Dream to give UE the win and give himself a possible claim at The Dream’s championship. Exciting match from beginning to end and definitely worth the watch.

Three Thoughts:

The Undisputed Era Begins

Adam Cole has been one of the best characters on NXT since his debut at NXT Takeover Brooklyn III. After winning the NXT Championship at NXT Takeover XV, Cole came out as just the most sleazy heel in the business. Cole said that in 2019 the Undisputed Era would be draped in gold and they have checked one of the titles off of the list. His goal was to use the title to turn NXT into an “Undisputed image”. By opening the promo with a snarky “I told you so”, Cole made one thing certain: NXT is in good hands.

"We are going to remake the #NXTUniverse into an #UndisputedIMAGE."@theBobbyFish @KORcombat @roderickstrong @AdamColePro pic.twitter.com/9fia4gmYes

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 20, 2019

Damian Priest: Presence Galore

Talk about making a statement. This episode of NXT saw the debut of Damian Priest (the former Punishment Martinez). Priest came out with one of the best entrances in all of professional wrestling. NXT is about developing stars and with one entrance, they have a ready-made star on their hands. Priest had a slightly competitive squash match with Raul Mendoza that made him look great in the ring. He has the size, skill, look, and presence to be a major star in NXT. Only time will tell if Priest will be just an entrance or a top star.

It’s Tourney Time

NXT General Manager William Regal announced the NXT Breakout Tournament, an eight-man single-elimination tournament. The winner of the tournament will have a title shot at any champion of their choosing. The tournament will feature Jordan Myles (formerly ACH), Joaquin Wilde (formerly DJZ), Angel Garza (formerly Garza Jr.), Cameron Grimes (formerly Trevor Lee), Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (formerly Shane Strickland), Bronson Reed (formerly Jonah Rock), Dexter Lumis (formerly Samuel Shaw), and Boa. There is some incredible talent in this tournament and the matches should definitely deliver. If I had to take a guess at who wins the tournament, my money is on Angel Garza.

Per @RealKingRegal, the #WWENXT #BreakoutTournament begins NEXT WEEK! pic.twitter.com/dXMyaIdKtP

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) June 20, 2019

Grade: A-

This was a fantastic episode of NXT. NXT is known for delivering stories involving its big stars after a Takeover event and this was no different. NXT dedicated the episode to the Undisputed Era and it paid dividends. An enthralling opening segment and one of the better six-man tags you’ll see on NXT TV to close the show is worth tracking down to watch. Throw in an exciting debut for Damian Priest and a surprisingly good match between Xia Li and Taynara Conti and you get another great episode of NXT.

One More Thing:

Cocky Heel Taynara Conti has major upside in NXT if she can put it all together. I loved her facial expressions and her technical work was smooth and looked good. She could be a possible breakout star in NXT in the future.

Maaaaaaaaybee not so smart to taunt @XiaWWE… #WWENXT

@TaynaraContiWWE pic.twitter.com/oDttPcmIsl

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) June 20, 2019

Javier Melo is a writer of Pro Wrestling for Full Press Coverage and an Assistant Sports Editor for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Follow Javier on Twitter @JMeloSports.