WWE NXT results and observations (11/2/16): Injuries plague Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Injuries — real and scripted — were the theme of his week's episode of NXT, which was all about the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
The episode was split between Full Sail in Orlando and the San Jose State University Event Center in San Jose, Calif., which was where the episode began with Austin Aries and Roderick Strong going up against TM-61.
However, that match never actually took place due to Aries not being cleared to wrestle after he suffered very real and very ugly eye injury at the hands of NXT champion Shinsuke Nakamura during a recent live event.
Although Aries wasn't cleared to wrestle on this night, NXT general manager William Regal said that he will be cleared by next week and changed the match to a one-on-one contest between Strong and TM-61's Shane Thorne with the winner's team advancing to the semifinals.
In a bit of a surprise, Thorne found a way to defeat Strong and helps his team move on to the third round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
The next match in the tournament emanated from Full Sail, as #DIY was scheduled to face the NXT Tag Team champions, The Revival.
However, injuries marred this one as well, as Scott Dawson gingerly made his way onto the stage with the help of crutches saying that he had suffered a severe knee injury.
He then said that he was going to take advice of his doctor and pull out of the tournament to allow his knee to heal, meaning that he and Dash Wilder were forfeiting their spot.
The Revival made it clear that #DIY were receiving a gift by coasting into the semifinals, which drove the point home that Dawson may not be nearly as injured as he says he is and that this all part of the ongoing story between the two teams.
The last two second-round matches went on as planned, as the scene shifted back to San Jose for the match between the Authors of Pain and the team of Rich Swann and No Way Jose.
Swann and Jose put up a good fight, but they were no real competition for the dominating Authors, who advanced to the semis with the victory.
The victory sets up a semifinal matchup between the Authors of Pain and #DIY.
In the final match of the episode, we went back to Full Sail where Kota Ibushi and TJ Perkins went up against Alexander Wolfe and Sawyer Fulton of Sanity.
In another surprising turn of events, Sanity vanquished the Cruiserweight Classic participants to move on to the next round, where they will face TM-61.
Here are the full match results:
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (second round) – Shane Thorne def. Roderick Strong
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (second round) - #DIY def. The Revival via forfeit
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (second round) – Authors of Pain def. Rich Swann & No Way Jose
- Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (second round) – Sanity def. Kota Ibushi & TJ Perkins