No one can deny the claim that Santos Escobar is the true NXT Cruiserweight Champion, after unifying his belt with that of Jordan Devlin in a wicked ladder match at NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver Night Two. Now, he simply wants to keep proving that he is the best cruiserweight that WWE has ever seen, and has once again made an open challenge. We could see anyone from a former champion, to a 205 Live standout like Mansoor, or even a new debuting name show up here, but it’ll be hard for anyone to stop Escobar.
KUSHIDA Steps Up
As he was making the challenge, the music of KUSHIDA would hit. Even better, KUSHIDA was actually wearing trunks instead of jeans, ready to go for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. Before the bell even rang, KUSHIDA hit a dropkick to Escobar, and sent him the outside. He’d get in with a smile on his face, before getting into this fight.
Escobar would trip KUSHIDA up before missing a dropkick and nearly having his arm kicked. He narrowly dodged, before KUSHIDA looked for the Hoverboard Lock. Escobar would scurry to the outside, before KUSHIDA paid tribute to Jushin Liger with the fake out on the dive. We’d go to picture-in-picture during the commercial break, and KUSHIDA kept working over the arm of Escobar.
Escobar would fight back and bend KUSHIDA around the ring post, before pulling him outside and throwing him into the steel support beams. Back in the ring, Escobar would hit a running dropkick, sending KUSHIDA back to the outside, before swinging him into the steel steps.
Santos Escobar Gets Caught!
Escobar would bend the throat of KUSHIDA around the ring post while applying a high angle boston crab on the steel steps, a brutal spot. KUSHIDA was being broken by Escobar, and was hit with the running double knees in the corner. A surfboard stretch was applied, but KUSHIDA slipped free. The Phantom Driver was countered, and the Cartwheel Dropkick hit.
KUSHIDA punched Escobar in the jaw, kicked his arm with a PK, before looking for the Hammerlock Suplex. Escobar fought free, but took the Shotei in the corner. KUSHIDA set him up on the top rope and took him down with a Hammerlock Superplex, before hitting it with the bridge in the ring. Escobar just barely got his foot on the rope to break the hold, before hitting an enzuguri, only to be met by a Pele Kick from KUSHIDA.
KUSHIDA went for the handspring back elbow, but Escobar countered with a backstabber before looking for the Phantom Driver. It’d be countered into a roll up, and they’d go back and forth with pinfall attempts. In the end, KUSHIDA was able to upset the champion! This is the first taste of gold for KUSHIDA in WWE, and it might be hard to take from him! Even better, this type of flash pinfall is how he beat Kenny Omega for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship back at Wrestle Kingdom 10!
Will KUSHIDA be a worthy champion? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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