DarkState are still the NXT Tag Team Champions following a successful title defense, however the scene around them is just heating up.
During Tuesday’s opening “WWE NXT” contest, DarkState’s Osiris Griffin and Saquon Shugars defended their titles against OTM’s Bronco Nima and Lucien Price. At one point, OTM seemed poised to dethrone DarkState when Nima launched himself and Griffin to the skin floor, leaving Price to pull Shugars by his hair within the ring. Before Price could even set himself up for a possible pinfall, nevertheless, Vanity Project’s Brad Baylor, Jackson Drake, and Ricky Smokes charged right down to ringside to distract him.
When Price knocked Baylor off the apron, Shugars seized the chance to surprise the OTM member with a rope-leveraged roll-up for a pinfall of his own. With it, DarkState officially retained their NXT Tag Team Championships. Chaos also ensued.
Following DarkState’s victory, OTM ignited a brawl with Vanity Project, Hank and Tank, and later Chase U within the entranceway. Back within the ring, DarkState celebrated their win until The Culling’s Shawn Spears and Niko Vance ambushed them from behind. Vance initiated the attack by tossing Cutler James into the steel ring post. Spears followed by superkicking Shugars, then dropping Griffin into the mat.
OTM’s title shot got here after the pair called out DarkState from the WWE Performance Center car parking zone last week, with Nima and Price vowing to point out the reigning champions how real things can get when standing across from them within the ring. As of this writing, it’s unclear how this week’s series of events will impact the NXT Tag Team Championships next.