In his first major test as the NXT Cruiserweight Champion, Jordan Devlin faced off with former champion Lio Rush. Rush had won a number one contenders match last week on NXT against Angel Garza to earn this chance.
Unfortunately for Lio Rush, Jordan Devlin was not looking to lose his first championship in WWE on his first defense like Angel Garza did. Lio Rush trained hard, and it he was in the best shape of his career for this match, but it simply wouldn’t be enough.
Jordan Devlin defeats Lio Rush
The matches over the championship have been the best they have ever been, and it is making the championship finally mean something. The defenses are starting to have the same big match feel as matches over the NXT & NXT Women’s Championships. They have rehabbed the image of a failing belt and division through excellent matches.
The Irish Ace brought his signature intensity to the match, and it would be matched against the uncanny agility of Lio Rush. Devlin would force a slow star to the match, a pace which would benefit his striking based style. Rush would show his ability to match this pace would unwittingly wrestle Devlins type of match. He would be outmatched on the mat, and this would lead him to losing control to Devlin.
While it would be a back and forth match, it would be hard for Rush to get enough space to hit his signature frog splash, and Devlin would pick his smaller opponent apart before ending him with his Devlin Side Suplex to notch his first defense. This match had Full Sail on their feet and fans everywhere on the edge of their seat.
Who Will Step Up Next?
You will rarely see a champion without a challenger in WWE. Having now disposed of Lio Rush, someone is due to step up. Angel Garza still deserves a one on one match for the title he was never pinned for, but after he lost last week he will need to get some victories to earn his way back to the gold. Tyler Breeze recently took Devlin to the absolute limit in the ring, and could earn a championship opportunity. We could also see KUSHIDA show everyone what made him the ace of the NJPW Junior Heavyweight Division and take the championship from Devlin.
Who would you want to see challenge Jordan Devlin next? Let us know in the comment section down below.
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