A show of respect toward The Street Profits helped earn Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan their title match against the NXT Tag Team Champions, but the gloves came off as soon as the opening bell to their titanic clash sounded.
Competing with the aggression and confidence befitting the kings of the mountain, Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford put the Brit-Am brawlers on their heels early on. Their hot start also seemed to get under the challengers’ skin, as Dawkins’ attempt to shake hands with Burch mid-match was not greeted in kind, but rather with a swift kick by The Guv’nor. Burch’s tactics, questionable though they may be, turned the fight in his team’s favor, and after Burch & Lorcan took turns wailing on The Curse of Greatness, Burch pushed Dawkins to the brink of submission with a crossface, only to have the hold broken up by an intervening King Tez.
The intensity continued to ratchet up as both squads unloaded a bevvy of big hits, and the NXT fans erupted into cries of “This is awesome!” after one especially dizzying series of strikes that culminated with Dawkins almost spearing Burch out of his boots.
Just like at TakeOver: XXV, it was the quick thinking of The Street Profits that made all the difference in the end. After Ford sky-bombed Burch with a dive onto the floor, Lorcan tried to outdo his foe’s aerial feat. Yet, just as Lorcan prepared to take flight, Dawkins socked him in the jaw with a punch that would stop a rhino in its tracks. The Profits immediately capitalized on the opening and disposed of Lorcan with a spinebuster/Frog Splash comb to end the match and, for now, the Brit-Am brawlers’ championship ambitions.
Although The Street Profits turned back one set of double-tough challengers and have already begun making their presence felt on Raw, their work in NXT’s Tag Team division is far from over. As Ford & Dawkins savored their victory, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly walked onto the stage, as if to call “next.” Whether Fish & O’Reilly will get their wish, putting the wheels in motion for potentially a historic third NXT Tag Team Title reign for The Undisputed ERA, only time will tell.