MSK def. Killian Dain & Drake Maverick in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal Match

Looking seamless once again in their second time out on NXT, MSK lit up Killian Dain & Drake Maverick with high-octane attacks, including a Bronco Buster by Nash Carter and a springboard senton by Wes Lee. The isolated Maverick eventually tagged in Dain, who used Maverick as a human battering ram against the opposition to turn the tables.

But MSK's well-oiled offense was too much, and they picked up the victory following a double-team Blockbuster on Maverick to advance.

Dakota Kai & Raquel González def. Aliyah & Jessi Kamea w/Robert Stone in a Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic First-Round Match

The Robert Stone Brand looked worthy of investment early until Aliyah ate a big pump kick by Dakota Kai on the outside of the ring, flipping the match's momentum. Raquel González looked virtually unstoppable yet again and planted Jessi Kamea with her one-handed powerbomb for the empathic win to secure a spot in the semifinals. 

Tyler Rust w/Malcolm Bivens def. Dante Rios

Tyler Rust may be better served by Malcolm Bivens' guidance after all if tonight was any indication. A week after Rust fell to Bronson Reed in a match he lined up himself, the promising upstart impressed with a victory over Dante Rios, forcing a submission with an excruciating modified double-arm butterfly. 

Grizzled Young Veterans def. Kushida & Leon Ruff in a Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Quarterfinal Match

Despite having much less experience as partners than their foes, Kushida & Leon Ruff once again looked the part of a seasoned unit, making frequent tags while working on James Drake. 

But Drake & Zack Gibson began to beat down Ruff, dropping him with a particularly nasty combination backbreaker before later decimating Kushida with a Doomsday Device. NXT's resident Time Splitter thwarted The Grizzled Young Veterans' first attempt at the Ticket to Mayhem, but he couldn't ward off the second try, and it spelled the end.

Afterward, Johnny Gargano & Austin Theory came for their pound of flesh, with Gargano spiking Kushida with the One Final Beat DDT while Theory restrained Ruff. But they hurriedly exited the scene after spotting Dexter Lumis watching from the sidelines with his piercing stare. 

Io Shirai brawled with Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez

The Genius of the Sky came face to face with two foes who have been eyeing her NXT Women's Championship. While Shirai took out both at one point with a missile dropkick, Storm held serve in the ring and hoisted the title high, perhaps telegraphing the future ruler of NXT. 

Bronson Reed def. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott

With tensions between Bronson Reed and Isaiah "Swerve" Scott having mounted for weeks, The Colossal one seemed poised to make short work of "Swerve." Reed flashed his uncanny athleticism, including a tope suicida among other jaw-dropping maneuvers. 

Scott made a late rally, but Reed miraculously pulled his shoulder up after "Swerve" landed a 450 splash, much to Scott's disbelief. Scott had no such answer for Reed after he flattened him with the Tsunami for another impressive win. 

NXT Champion Finn Bálor & Kyle O'Reilly def. NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch

After battering each other in two brutal NXT Title Matches, Finn Bálor & Kyle O'Reilly looked surprisingly cohesive as a unit, bonded by their mutual dislike for the opposition. The Prince's decision to recruit O'Reilly as a partner proved wise, as Bálor's late tag gave way to the martial-arts specialist overwhelming both Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch. O'Reilly caught Burch's second-rope dropkick attempt and masterfully countered into a leg lock, forcing Burch to tap out. 

Though they acknowledged each other with nods of mutual respect, Bálor & O'Reilly couldn't bask in the afterglow of victory. Pete Dunne hit the ring for a mugging of both, leveraging the numbers advantage. The Undisputed ERA's Adam Cole & Roderick Strong eventually arrived for backup, but not before Dunne brutally splayed Bálor's fingers to send an unequivocal message to the NXT Champion.