WWE NXT played host to a huge main event. Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly put on a television classic to determine the No. 1 Contender for the NXT Championship. Dunne threw everything he could against the veteran technician, but O’Reilly destroyed Dunne to advance to his second NXT Championship shot. Balor vs O’Reilly II is sure to be a classic.
Pete Dunne and Kyle O’Reilly try to dismember each other on WWE NXT
The bell JUST rang and this already rules.#WWENXT #DunnevsOReilly @KORcombat @PeteDunneYxB pic.twitter.com/kt0ToLf9x1
— WWE (@WWE) December 17, 2020
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Dunne and O’Reilly lit into each other from the starting bell. They traded forearms for a long time, before O’Reilly’s educated feet had Dunne reeling. However, the youngster more than held his own. He landed a devastating X-Plex in the center of the ring.
There is NO backing down from @KORcombat and @PeteDunneYxB!#WWENXT #DunnevsOReilly pic.twitter.com/5crYwHUkIe
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 17, 2020
The most interesting spot of the match involved Dunne and O’Reilly playing tug of war with their bodies. Each man tried to drive the other’s body into the ring post as hard as they could. Both superstars looked completely beat, but a submission trade-off revived their spirits.
WHAT. A. MATCH. 👏 👏 👏 👏@KORcombat is headed to #NXTNYE to battle @FinnBalor for the #NXTTitle! pic.twitter.com/lnDuNIvbF9
— WWE (@WWE) December 17, 2020
O’Reilly dropped Dunne with a sudden brainbuster and a jumping knee strike knocked his mouthguard out. At this moment Kyle stepped up his game and really tried to destroy his opponent. He countered a Bitter End attempt by suplexing Dunne to the floor. After rolling him back in, O’Reilly connected with a big knee drop from the top rope for the three count.
Will Kyle O’Reilly beat Balor for the NXT Title?
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Unbelievable match. From start to finish @KORCombat and @PeteDunneYxB tore the house down.
Ready to see #BalorOReilly2 for the #NXTTItle at #NXTNYE … THIS IS #WWENXT!!!! #WeAreNXT https://t.co/VfooLe2csy
— Triple H (@TripleH) December 17, 2020
The two competitors received plaudits from none other than Triple H. Their match was too good for the executive producer to not talk about. It might even feature on some people’s Match of the Year lists.
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The Wednesday Night Wars have put together some interesting themed episodes of NXT. We have already seen the Great American Bash, Halloween Havoc, and NXT Super Tuesday. Reviving old WWE/WCW PPVs is a very smart strategy to beat AEW in the rating war.
O’Reilly gets his second crack at the NXT Championship at New Year’s Evil. He lost his previous attempt at Takeover: 31, even though he dealt a lot of damage to Finn Balor. Balor suffered a broken jaw and internal bleeding after the match with O’Reilly. The two put on a barn-burning display for hard strikes, fast-paced action, and a good underdog vs champion story.
