Tomorrow night, Johnny Gargano will defend the NXT North American Championship, and he’s a bit mad that he only gets 24 hours notice to prepare. However, the man he faces will have had to gone through five others in a Gauntlet Eliminator match. It’s Leon Ruff vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Bronson Reed vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight, with Ruff & Swerve starting and a new man entering every three minutes. Last man standing wins, and LA Knight has the edge after earning the last spot by winning the battle royal last week on NXT!
Leon Ruff & Swerve Start This Match Hot
After being the first two men taken out once last week’s Battle Royale mattered, Leon Ruff & Swerve started this match. However, Swerve already started the beatdown backstage. They’d brawl on the ramp, with Ruff hitting a boot to the face and throwing Swerve off the ramp before going for a missile dropkick. He missed but stuck the landing, and hit a kick from the barricade to the face of Swerve.
Swerve threw Ruff into the barricade, before hitting a heavy chop. They’d finally get in the ring, and Ruff was looking to come off the top rope. A big dropkick landed from Ruff, and this one started. Swerve was sent back outside, and he caught a suicide dive into a suplex, dropping him across the barricade before hitting a dropkick.
Ruff was carried over by the announce desk, where he got free and hit a twisting cutter off the desk to drop Swerve. Back in the ring, Ruff got a two count, before Swerve caught him in the ropes. Swerve pulled Ruff up to the top rope and wanted a powerbomb, but Ruff countered into a hurricanrana. The countdown appeared, and so did Bronson Reed.
Ruff dove onto him as he made his way to the ring, and Reed caught him and threw him at Swerve who dodged. Swerve didn’t dodge a back elbow strike, before Reed also hit a stinger splash and delayed suplex. Reed held Swerve up long enough for Ruff to take Swerve down with a crossbody.
Swerve & Cameron Grimes Works Together
Ruff made the choice to attack Reed, and was outmatched in power and just sat on. Reed would German Suplex both Swerve and Ruff. While they recovered, Cameron Grimes entered the match, and that distracted Reed who was hit with a dropkick from Swerve. Grimes hit a moonsault off the top rope, and Swerve hit a low dropkick. Swerve & Grimes made an alliance after Grimes paid Swerve off, and they’d go to work on Ruff.
Ruff would be thrown into the corner, but got a boot up as Swerve dashed in. He’d maneuver around Grimes, only to be thrown into the corner. Reed took a pump kick to the jaw off the apron, the plan being to keep him away. Ruff took two lariats, as Dexter Lumis made his way to the ring slowly.
In the ring, Swerve sent Grimes out of the ring to pin and eliminate Ruff. Lumis hit a DDT on Reed right on the apron, and Grimes got far away from Lumis. Swerve was dumped with a slingshot back suplex, and Grimes was up next. Two right hands to the jaw of Swerve were followed by a bulldog and lariat, before Reed & Lumis matched up in the ring.
They’d slug it out, but a chop to the throat was followed by Lumis actually getting Reed up on his shoulders briefly before Reed was sent to the outside. Grimes was taken out of the ring with a lariat, as LA Knight made his way to the ring.
LA Knight Fails To Last, Final Three Stand Off
Knight cut a promo to insult everyone in the match on his way down, before Reed threw him into the ring. Reed would confront him as Knight begged off in the ring. Knight would sucker him in and send him off the middle rope before hitting a knee strike. A slingshot shoulder tackle was countered into a Samoan Drop, dropping Knight. Grimes & Swerve were thrown aside, as Reed once again dropped Knight, this time with a body block.
Knight came back with a neckbreaker on Reed, before a bodyslam on Grimes and a superplex on Swerve. Lumis stared Knight down before Grimes ran in. Grimes was locked into Silence, and Knight used this to set up a roll up and eliminate Lumis! Knight would be hit with a spin out side slam from Grimes, and a senton splash from Reed to take him. At ringside, Lumis applied Silence and shut Knight up.
Grimes, Swerve & Reed would all clash now, this starting to look like the finals to a Battle of Los Angeles tournament. Swerve was tossed by Grimes, but Reed caught him, before Grimes hit a superkick. Reed simply fell on both men at this time, after Swerve hit a facebuster to drop Grimes.
Grimes & Swerve threw their best shots at Reed, who shrugged off a double superkick. Swerve would hit a running kick on Grimes, before he’d roll him up and pull the tights to take him out of the match! Swerve & Reed would be the final two.
Who Faces Johnny Gargano? Bronson Reed or Isaiah “Swerve” Scott?
Swerve has lasted from the start to now, and kept on going as he hit a single leg dropkick to the head of Reed on the top rope. Reed was taken off the top rope to the apron with a powerslam. Back in the ring, Swerve hit a 450 Splash and got a two count. Swerve followed up with the House Call kick, but Reed just fired up.
A second kick put Reed down for a moment, but a third was countered briefly. Reed grabbed the throat for a chokeslam, before Swerve hit another House Call. Swerve went for a submission before Reed hit a powerbomb, Bastard Driver and Tsunami Splash to punch his ticket to a match with Johnny Gargano tomorrow.
Can Bronson Reed win the NXT North American Championship tomorrow night? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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