Four NXT Talents Compete In WWE SmackDown Dark Matches
Are any call-ups imminent?
Feb 5, 2022
Four NXT stars competed in a pair of dark matches at the WWE SmackDown tapings on Friday night in Oklahoma City.
Former NXT Women's champions faced off as Raquel Gonzalez defeated Io Shirai, while in a match between former NXT champions, Tommaso Ciampa defeated Pete Dunne.
Shirai previously wrestled in a dark match at last Friday's SmackDown taping in Kansas City, defeating Dakota Kai. Her most recent NXT outing came against Tiffany Stratton three days prior.
Gonzalez's only prior main roster dark match came on October 29, when she defeated Toni Storm. Gonzalez defeated Cora Jade on this past week's NXT.
Ciampa and Dunne have wrestled several dark and Main Event matches over the preceding weeks, including against one another. They each defeated Akira Tozawa and T-Bar in their Main Event outings in consecutive weeks.
Ciampa recently dropped the NXT title to Bron Breakker. This past Tuesday, Ciampa teamed with Breakker to defeat Legado del Fantasma.
Dunne hasn't wrestled on NXT since the January 11 broadcast, losing to Tony D'Angelo in a "crowbar on a pole" match.
