As Vanity Project retained the NXT Tag Team Championships tonight, their challengers imploded.
The second of two title matches pitted NXT Tag Team Champions Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes against DarkState’s Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox, the latter of whom headed into the title opportunity with rising tension. That very same tension later reached a boiling point within the title bout’s final moments.
Unaware that Shugars tagged himself into the match, Lennox dropped Smokes with a spinebuster, then covered him for a pinfall attempt. When the referee signaled that Lennox was not the legal competitor, Shugars flew down from the highest rope for a legal near fall. Shugars and Lennox argued within the seconds following, allowing Baylor to knock Lennox off the apron and Smokes to surprise Shugars with a roll-up for the match-winning three count.
After the bell, Cutler James and Osiris Griffin unleashed a beatdown on Shugars, which Lennox later joined in on. Shugars’ excommunication from DarkState was further enforced when Griffin and James launched him into Lennox’s hands above the announce table. Lennox then swiftly slammed Shugars through the table, prompting WWE officials to rush down in worry.
Looking ahead, DarkState now seem intent on moving forward as a unit, but without Shugars. Meanwhile, Vanity Project will proceed their reign with tag team gold, which began in February. To date, Smokes and Baylor have successfully defended the NXT Tag Team Championships against Los Americanos. Who will step as much as the challenge them next has yet to be seen.