Chants of “this is awesome,” “women’s wrestling,” and “N-X-T” filled the Riverside Municipal Auditorium in Riverside, CA during WWE’s sold out NXT Live event on Saturday Nov. 11.
The event marked the third time NXT has taken place at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. With top stars such as NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, Aleister Black, Kairi Sane, Andrade “Cien” Almas and many others, NXT fans saw the best that NXT has to offer.
As WWE’s developmental brand, NXT has served as the pathway for wrestlers to become future superstars for the WWE. NXT fans, known for their constant involvement through their creative chants and cheers, have had a tremendous impact on the WWE and NXT over the years.
“NXT has always had that home grown vibe. It’s a part of the WWE, but it has always felt different because it gives the fans a voice,” said Jordan Anderson, NXT fan.
The night began with a tag team match between Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford defeating Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss. This match was followed by a woman’s singles match that saw NXT’s “Femme Fatale” Billie Kay defeat Vanessa Borne.
“The show started off great. I thought the action in the ring was great and the crowd was really into it… it couldn’t have been a better start to the show,” stated Erik Sauceda, attendee of the NXT event.
As the matches continued, the fans’ participation and excitement stayed strong.
The Riverside Municipal Auditorium’s crowd became most enthusiastic during a match between one of NXT’s newest acquisitions, Adam Cole and his opponent Roderick Strong.
“It was crazy during that match. Fans were loud and the match was great. It was great to see two guys who made their names on the Indies go at it in a WWE ring,” Sauceda said.
The match preceding the main event of the evening was a women’s fatal four way match between Nikki Cross, Kairi Sane, Peyton Royce and Ember Moon.
A high paced match that featured many intense move sequences kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. The four women displayed their athleticism and in-ring ability throughout the match.
Each of them had their own moment to shine and each garnered support from the crowd at various points in the match.
The match concluded with a victory by Royce which got the crowd ready for the main event of the evening.
The night’s main event featured The Velveteen Dream and Almas versus Black and McIntyre.
Similar to the preceding match, each superstar was given their moment to display their abilities, but Black and McIntyre were able to pull together to get a win and send the NXT crowd home satisfied.
“I thought the show was great. From top to bottom each match was fantastic,” said Dennis Peters, audience member of the event.
After the match, McIntyre thanked the crowd for attending and thanked them for their support over the years, acknowledging the fans importance to the NXT brand.
“It was cool that he thanked us,” added Peters. “It’s a small gesture, but it’s something that, as a fan, makes you feel appreciated by the stars you come to watch.”
