Bronson Reed and Dexter Lumis, the final competitors to debut in the NXT Breakout Tournament, gave the NXT Universe its first look at one seriously hard-hitting mastodon (Reed) and one utterly unnerving purveyor of mind games (Lumis).
The enigmatic Lumis appeared entranced as he jammed his gloved hands into Reed’s eyes and nose, threatening to rearrange Reed’s facial features like Mr. Potato Head. The mysterious powerhouse (who hails from an undisclosed location) exhibited agility and balance in addition to cruelty, even making a midair adjustment and landing on his feet when Reed moved out of the way of a dive to the floor.
It was just that sort of high-risk maneuver, however, that was Lumis’ undoing. After enduring painful bursts of offense from the 330-pound Reed — including a Vader-like Thesz press that almost turned Lumis into a Jackson Pollock painting on the ring mat — Lumis found an opening for a top-rope senton bomb. However, Reed rolled out of the drop zone, causing the twisted Lumis to crash and burn. With the NXT Universe watching in awe, Reed rallied back and launched himself off the top rope with a canvas-cratering splash to pick up the win and advance to the next round, where “The Aus-zilla” will face Cameron Grimes.